Golfers wanting to play Spain’s best golf course can now arrive by high-speed rail thanks to the new link that connects Costa Brava to Europe’s major cities.

The new line, which saw the Perpignan-Figueres section inaugurated in late 2010, has now been extended to Girona and Barcelona, enabling visitors from across Continental Europe to play some of Spain’s top ranked golf courses on the Costa Brava.

The latest 131km branch between Figueres – home to Dalí’s Theatre-Museum – and the metropolitan city of Barcelona completes the 804km high-speed line between Madrid and the French boarder. It also leaves Spain second only to China in the size of its high-speed rail network, with 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) in service.

Commenting on the new Barcelona-Figueres link, Ramon Ramos, Director of Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board, said: “The new high-speed train line opens up many opportunities for Franco-Spanish tourism and enables visitors from across Europe to experience the Costa Brava, its famous gastronomy and cultural heritage, as well as its quality golf courses.

“It used to take two hours to travel by train from Barcelona to Figueres,” he continued. “But now, with the new link, the trip’s only 53 minutes long. To get to Girona its just 37 minutes and if you’re planning a trip to Madrid you can be there in 3h 32 min.”

Eight of the current nine southbound trains will connect Girona and Figueres with the Barcelona-Zaragoza-Madrid service, while two northbound trains will offer links to France’s TGV line to Paris, where passengers will be able to reach the French capital in just 5h 26 min.

Ramon Ramos added: “The new branch most definitely enhances the ‘pull’ of Costa Brava as an important European golfing destination – and we look forward to welcoming even more visitors to Spain’s rugged coast this year, and in the years to come.”

The new high-speed rail link complements flights into the region’s two airports (Girona-Costa Brava and Barcelona International), the cross-border motorway network into France and the international ports of Palamós and Roses.