Airport: As you leave the airport precinct there is a clearly marked blue sign reading Girona and Francia. This leads you around the outer beltway of metropolitan Barcelona to the A-17, which in turn leads to the A-7 toll road, for which you can pay with any valid credit card or with Spanish money (approx. 10 ptas. per kilometer).

Barcelona City Center: To get out of Barcelona you will more than likely want to get on the Barcelona ring road, called La Ronda. The Ronda that serves the sea-side of the city is called the Ronda Litoral, the Ronda serving the mountain-side of Barcelona is called Ronda de Dalt. Most of you staying in the Ciutat Vella (Old Town) will be looking for an access to the Ronda Litoral. One such route follows Via Laietana, (the other wide street parallel to the Ramblas), past the Barcelona harbor. There, before reaching the Olympic Twin Towers, on your left, is the entrace number 22 to the Ronda. If you miss it, just press on to access no. 23, just after the McDonald's.

Once you are on the Barcelona ring road, there are two highways that take you to the Costa Brava. The A-7 is by far the best road for those of you hurrying your way to anywhere near the capital city of Girona, about 100 kms. However, if you are going to Blanes or intend to make a day trip of your drive up, you are advised to take the new highway (autopista) A-19, which begins on the northeastern section of the Ronda Litoral. The A-7 highway to France may be faster, but its tolls are more expensive, and the scenery is not quite as grand as that of the coastal highway, which has constant sea views and glimpses of towns which have recently become suburbs of Barcelona. You can always make your way over to the A-7 once the A-19 ends, which is precisely where the Costa Brava - and this guidebook - begins.

A word of warning: chances are that all roads heading out of Barcelona are jammed on Friday evenings, when the Barcelonans pour out of town for weekends, and again returning into town on Sunday evenings. Try to avoid travelling during these times.

The southern string of coastline between Barcelona and Blanes is not terribly enticing, though it is redeemed in several places where rocky promontories and the occasional yacht club spice up what is otherwise a long succession of dull beaches and even duller towns. The scenery generally gets better as you press north, and I suggest you begin your touring in Blanes, perhaps saving the lower coastline for day trips or for a leisurely drive back to Barcelona. Once the A-19 rather abruptly ends (plans are to eventually continue the A-19 to the C-255 near Sant Feliu de Guixols) you have to choose between following the N-II north or heading over to the scenic but sometimes slow coastal road through Blanes. If you decide to stay on the N-II, you should know that there are about 15 kilometers of rough road and filthy roadside before the pavement and the scenery improves as you cross into the Province of Girona. (The reason for this dereliction is quite obvious: this part of the N-II has been designated for roadside prostitution, and none of the neighboring municipalities want to take responsability for cleaning up the mess. Sometimes the scene reminds me of neo-realist post-war Italian movies by all Fellini, or Passolini - or any of the other -ini's.)

Quick tips

- follow signs to centre vila for town center; to totes directions for a what is usually a roundabout that sorts out the traffic; to platjes for beaches; to ajuntament for town hall; the blue "i" sign for the local tourist office, blue "P" sign for parking

- highways can be toll roads or toll-free. To tell them apart, the toll roads have a distintive round emblem that reads peaje.

- feed the parking meters or you might get towed away in zones painted blue or yellow.

- telephone numbers within the province of Girona start with 972. Barcelona is 93. Mobile phone numbers start with 6. International called are prefixed with 00 and then country code.

- the cost of phone calls goes down 40% at 20h, and 60% from 22h to 08h.

- telephone cards of a 1,000 or 2,000 pesetas are sold in tobacco shops and save money on calls.

- never leave a car full of baggage unattended

Please suggest more quick tips......