Spain
Girona travel guide
Painted houses leaning over the river, the widest Gothic nave in the world and one of Europe’s best-preserved Jewish quarters, where Arya ran through the streets of Braavos. Plan a trip to Girona, from when to come and where to stay to the sights, the food and the guides to read first.
Julianna BarnabyTravel and culture writer
Girona sits where four rivers meet, about 100 kilometres north of Barcelona and less than 40 minutes away by high-speed train. It was a Roman city, but most of the old town you see today is medieval: Charlemagne’s Franks took it in 785 and fortified it against the Moors. The city pulled down much of its walls in the 19th century, which is why the architecture changes so sharply as you walk out of the Barri Vell. Inside, the cathedral crowns a hill above tall painted houses on the Onyar, with the lanes and stairways of the Call, the old Jewish quarter, climbing behind it.
I spent a morning wandering the old town on a day out from Barcelona, before carrying on to Figueres in the afternoon. It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Game of Thrones, so Girona was always going to be on my list, but what stayed with me most was the cathedral. As with any medieval cathedral, I’m always blown away by the idea that they did it by hand, and that the people who laid the first brick could never hope to live to see the project complete, but they built in the faith they were creating something beautiful.
Everything you need to plan a visit is below, along with links to all my Girona guides.
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When to go
Spring and autumn are the best times to visit. Girona enjoys a pleasant climate for most of the year, but it gets crowded in the summer months, and I recommend visiting during the off-peak season to avoid the queues in this increasingly popular small city. July and August are hot, and the walls walk has little shade.
Come in May for Temps de Flors, when the city fills its courtyards, churches and the cathedral steps with flower installations, though it’s also one of the busiest weeks of the year. At the end of October, the Fires de Sant Narcís, the city’s main festival, bring fairs, concerts and castells.
Whatever the season, the old town is quietest first thing, before the day-trippers arrive from Barcelona.
Getting there and around
- Girona Turisme: the city’s tourist board, with opening times, events and the Girona Card.
- Girona Cathedral: tickets for the cathedral and the Basilica of Sant Feliu.
- Renfe: high-speed and regional trains from Barcelona Sants.
- Skyscanner: flights to Girona and Barcelona.
- Rentalcars.com: car hire, if you plan to carry on to Figueres or the Costa Brava.
- GetYourGuide: walking tours of the old town, the Jewish quarter and the Game of Thrones locations.
High-speed trains from Barcelona Sants reach Girona in about 40 minutes, and slower regional trains take around an hour and 20 minutes. From the station it’s about 15 minutes’ walk to the river and the old town. Figueres is about half an hour further north by regional train. Girona-Costa Brava airport is about 12 kilometres south of the city. The old town is compact and best seen on foot.
Where to stay
Girona is an easy day trip from Barcelona, but staying the night lets you see the old town at its emptiest, early in the morning and after the day-trippers have gone.
By the river
Base yourself near the Onyar for an easy walk to everything. The impossibly charming Hotel Nord 1901 is a boutique gem within walking distance of the top attractions, and Hotel Ultonia is a popular choice on the Gran Via, close to the heart of the old town.
In the Barri Vell
For the cathedral and the Call on your doorstep, Hotel Llegendes de Girona Catedral is a boutique hotel in the old town, a short walk from the cathedral steps.
Tours
Know before you go
Top things to do
Walk the Onyar and cross the red Eiffel bridge
The tall houses along the river are painted in ochres, oranges and reds, and on a still morning they’re mirrored perfectly in the water. I was on the bridges not long after half past eight. Cross to the red iron Pont de les Peixateries Velles, built in 1877 by Gustave Eiffel’s company, a decade before the tower in Paris.
Climb the steps to Girona Cathedral
The cathedral’s Baroque façade sits at the top of a grand stairway, and inside is the widest Gothic nave in the world, almost 23 metres across. The scale is what struck me most, along with the Tapestry of Creation in the treasury, an embroidery from around 1100. It’s free to go in from 8.45am to 9.45am, Monday to Saturday. My guide to Girona Cathedral has tickets, hours and everything to see inside.
Get lost in the Call
Girona had a Jewish community from the 9th century until the expulsion of 1492, and the lanes, stairways and arched passages of its quarter are among the best-preserved in Europe. I walked through it first thing, before the tour groups arrived. To hear its history, this Jewish heritage tour with a museum visit takes in the Museum of Jewish History.
Follow the Game of Thrones locations
Girona’s old town played Braavos, King’s Landing and Oldtown in season 6. The cathedral steps became the Great Sept of Baelor, and Arya ran through the lanes, the Arab Baths and down the Pujada de Sant Domènec. My self-guided Game of Thrones walking tour of Girona takes you round every location in an hour, or join this small-group Game of Thrones tour.
Walk the old city walls
The Passeig de la Muralla runs along a long stretch of the walls, free and open every day, past watchtowers with views over the rooftops and, on a clear day, out to the Pyrenees.
Find the lioness and Sant Feliu
Just below the cathedral, the Basilica of Sant Feliu was Girona’s first cathedral; its spire lost its tip to lightning in 1581 and was never rebuilt. Outside, a little stone lioness climbs her column: kiss her bottom and, the saying goes, you’ll come back to Girona. I walked past her on my way back up from the Rambla.
For all 14 of my favourite things to do, read my guide to the best things to do in Girona.
Suggested itineraries
Girona in a morning
Half a day
This is the order I did it in: the Onyar first thing, up past Sant Feliu into the Call, back down to the Eiffel bridge, Plaça de la Independència and the Rambla for a xuixo, then the cathedral and its steps before lunch.
Girona and Figueres in one day
One day
Girona and Figueres are on the same railway line, half an hour apart, so with an early start you can see Girona in the morning and Dalí’s Theatre-Museum in the afternoon, as I did. My Girona and Figueres in one day guide has the timings and the trains.
Girona and the Costa Brava
Two days
Spend a day in Girona’s old town, then head for the coves and medieval villages of the Costa Brava, under an hour away. Without a car, this Costa Brava and medieval villages tour from Girona does the driving.
Hidden Girona
Sant Pere de Galligants
Across the little Galligants river, this Romanesque monastery holds the archaeology museum, with a cloister of beautifully carved capitals. It played the Citadel in Oldtown in Game of Thrones, but most visitors walk straight past.
Casa Masó
One of the painted houses on the Onyar, remodelled by the architect Rafael Masó, the city’s great Noucentista, down to the lamps and furniture. Visits are by guided tour only, so book a slot in advance.
The Arab Baths
Despite the name, the Banys Àrabs are a Romanesque building, first recorded in 1194 and modelled on Islamic bathhouses. Look up in the cool room, where slender columns hold up an octagonal skylight.
Dishes and drinks to try
Dishes to try
Xuixo
Girona’s own pastry, a fried roll of dough filled with crema catalana and rolled in sugar. You’ll see them in bakery windows all over the old town; the Rambla is lined with them.
Pa amb tomàquet
Bread rubbed with ripe tomato, olive oil and salt, the start of almost every Catalan meal.
Botifarra
Catalonia’s classic pork sausage, grilled and served with white beans.
Drinks to try
Empordà wines
The vineyards of the Empordà, between Girona and the French border, make crisp whites, rosés and reds that fill local wine lists.
Ratafia
A sweet, dark liqueur of green walnuts and herbs, a speciality of the Girona area, best sipped after dinner.
Must-try bars and restaurants
El Celler de Can Roca
The Roca brothers’ three-Michelin-starred restaurant, twice named the best in the world, sits on the western edge of the city. Seats are limited, so book months ahead.
Plaça de la Independència
The arcaded square across the river from the old town is lined with restaurant terraces under its 19th-century porticoes, the place to sit with a drink after a morning of climbing steps.
The bakeries of the Rambla
Stop for a xuixo and a coffee on the Rambla de la Llibertat, where the bakery windows are full of them.
Costs and budgeting
Girona is good value next to Barcelona, and many of the best sights are free.
- Girona Cathedral and the Basilica of Sant Feliu: €7.50 (€5 for students and pensioners), with an audio guide; free from 8.45am to 9.45am, Monday to Saturday
- Arab Baths: €3 (€2 for over-65s, €1 reduced; under-8s free)
- Sant Pere de Galligants (archaeology museum): €6 (€4 reduced)
- Walls walk: free
Safety, health and tipping
Safety
Girona is a safe city. Watch for pickpockets in the busiest spots, such as the cathedral steps and the bridges in summer, and take care on the steep, uneven steps of the old town.
Health
The tap water is safe to drink, though many people prefer bottled. Summer is hot, so carry water and keep out of the midday sun on the walls walk. In an emergency, call 112.
Tipping
Tipping isn’t obligatory. Leave around 10% at sit-down restaurants for good service, and round up in bars and cafés.
Practical tips and info
Tips for travelling
- Go early: the cathedral steps and the Call are at their quietest first thing, and the cathedral is free to enter before 9.45am, Monday to Saturday.
- One cathedral ticket covers the Basilica of Sant Feliu too.
- The Arab Baths open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm, and Sundays and holidays from 10am to 2pm.
- Wear comfortable shoes: almost everything in the old town involves steps.
- Eat on Catalan time: lunch from about 2pm and dinner rarely before 9pm.
How to see the best for free
Much of the best of Girona costs nothing. Walk the bridges over the Onyar, the lanes of the Call and the Passeig de la Muralla, climb the cathedral steps and follow the Game of Thrones locations round the old town. The cathedral itself is free to enter from 8.45am to 9.45am, Monday to Saturday, and from 8.45am to 11.45am on Sundays.
Packing
Packing for Girona? Don’t forget…
- Comfortable walking shoes: for the cathedral steps, the cobbles and the stairways of the Call. I wear my Tropicfeel Canyons.
- A refillable water bottle: for the walls walk, which has little shade.
- A light jacket: for cool spring and autumn mornings, and something to cover your shoulders in the cathedral.
- Sunscreen: if you’re carrying on to the Costa Brava.
For the full list, see my Spain packing list.
Travel insurance
UK travellers should carry a GHIC for state healthcare in Spain, but it doesn’t cover private clinics, lost luggage or getting you home, so take out a full policy too. You can find a policy with AXA Travel Insurance.
Interesting facts
- Girona has four rivers: the Onyar, the Ter, the Güell and the Galligants.
- The Eiffel bridge was built by Gustave Eiffel’s company in 1877, a decade before the Eiffel Tower.
- The cathedral’s nave, almost 23 metres wide, is the widest Gothic nave in the world.
- Game of Thrones filmed in Girona for about two weeks for season 6, when the old town played three cities.
- The Jewish community of Girona lived in the Call from the 9th century until the expulsion of 1492.
Handy phrases
Catalan is spoken alongside Spanish, and signs are often in Catalan first:
- Bon dia: good morning
- Bona tarda: good afternoon
- Si us plau: please
- Moltes gràcies: thank you very much
- Adéu: goodbye
Time zone
Girona runs on Central European Time: UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, one hour ahead of the UK.
Electricity and adapters
Sockets take Type C and Type F plugs, at 230V and 50Hz.
Map
Insider tips, straight to your inbox
All Girona guides
Walk in Arya’s footsteps around the Game of Thrones locations in Girona
One day, two Catalan towns: Girona’s medieval lanes in the morning, Dalí’s surreal museum by afternoon
14 things to do in Girona, the medieval city of four rivers
A guide to Girona Cathedral, the widest Gothic nave in the world at the top of a Baroque stairway
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