Girona travel guide
Riverside houses, a vast Gothic nave and a medieval Jewish quarter
A compact Catalan city 40 minutes from Barcelona by AVE, with coloured houses over the Onyar, a walled medieval quarter and some of Spain's best cooking. Go April to June or September to October; two days is ideal, longer if you add Figueres or the Costa Brava.
Girona sits about 100 km northeast of Barcelona where the Onyar meets the Ter, its old town climbing the hill on the east bank. The postcard view is the row of ochre, red and yellow houses hanging over the Onyar. Behind them a well-kept medieval quarter rises in stairways and lanes to the cathedral, still ringed on its eastern side by the old city walls.
Climb the broad Baroque staircase to the cathedral, whose single Gothic nave is about 23 m wide, the widest of its kind anywhere. Its museum holds the Tapestry of Creation (Tapís de la Creació), an embroidered hanging of the Creation made around 1100. Your ticket also covers the Basílica de Sant Feliu below, with its Roman sarcophagi. Outside it stands a column topped by a small stone lioness; locals say kissing her bottom guarantees a return visit.
El Call, the old Jewish quarter, is a tangle of narrow stepped lanes off Carrer de la Força, and its museum tells the story of a community expelled in 1492. Close by are the Banys Àrabs, 12th-century baths built in the Moorish style long after the Moors had gone. For the best overview, walk the Passeig de la Muralla along the walls and climb the towers for wide views on a clear day.
Food here punches well above the city's size. The Roca brothers' El Celler de Can Roca, regularly ranked among the world's top restaurants, books out months ahead, though their Rocambolesc ice-cream shop near the river gives a cheap taste of their sense of fun. Skip the touristy terraces on Plaça de la Independència. Look instead for Catalan tapas and natural-wine bars in the old town.
Spring brings Temps de Flors in May, when courtyards and churches across the old town fill with flower installations; lovely, but crowded. Late October has the Fires de Sant Narcís, the main city fiesta. In July and August the stone lanes trap the heat. Walk the walls before ten, then spend the afternoon under the plane trees of Devesa park.
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A walled medieval quarter, a vast Gothic cathedral, a Jewish quarter and riverside walks, with Dalí country and the coast close by.
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Best time to visit Girona
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Mild days for climbing the old town stairs, with Temps de Flors in May.
Hot and busy with day trippers from the coast; walk the walls early.
Cool and quiet with shorter opening hours, and the Fires de Sant Narcís in late October just before.
Temps de Flors fills the old town with flower displays for about ten days in May; book rooms early and visit the courtyards early in the morning.
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Getting there
GRO buses and fast trains from Barcelona
Most visitors reach Girona by high-speed train from Barcelona in about 40 minutes; the regional line takes more than twice as long. Flights land either at Girona-Costa Brava, a modest terminal used mainly by Ryanair with extra European routes in summer, or at Barcelona-El Prat, which has far more choice and a direct coach north. One building on Plaça d'Espanya holds everything. The main hall sits under the elevated conventional tracks, the coach station is one floor below street level and the high-speed platforms are three floors down. There is a café and toilets, with taxi ranks on both sides, but no luggage lockers.
- Sagalés bus 607
- Girona airport to the bus station in about 30 minutes, timed to meet flights; tickets from the kiosk by the stops
- Bus 602
- Barcelona airport and city to Girona, also calling at Girona airport
- AVE from Barcelona Sants
- Roughly hourly, about 40 minutes non-stop, continuing to Figueres
- International high-speed
- A few trains a day between Barcelona and France stop at Girona; reservations compulsory
- Rodalies R11
- Hourly from Sants, about 90 minutes, on to Figueres and Portbou
- Only one ticket machine serves the underground high-speed platforms, so buy before you go down.
Where to stay
Barri Vell, Mercadal or the Devesa side
Stay in the Barri Vell on the east bank of the Onyar for atmosphere, accepting steep stairways and cobbles, or in the Mercadal and the flatter streets across the river for easier access from the station on Plaça d'Espanya. A handful of bridges link the two halves within a few minutes' walk.
- Barri Vell (old town)
- Couples who want El Call and the cathedral outside the door; plenty of stairs and taxis cannot reach most entrances
- Mercadal and Plaça de la Independència
- Families and anyone wary of steps; flat and central on the west bank, facing the painted houses, with terraces below
- Near the railway station on Plaça d'Espanya
- Early trains and the airport bus; plain modern streets 15 to 20 minutes from the river
- Beside Devesa park
- Runners and cyclists; next to the big plane-tree park by the Ter, a little further from the sights
Getting around
Old-town stairs, nine bus lines, bike trails
Walk Girona: both halves of the city, split by the Onyar, are compact and largely pedestrian, and buses or bikes are needed only for the edges and the countryside trails. The medieval Barri Vell climbs the hill on the east bank, while the flatter new town spreads west towards the station and Devesa park. Both halves are compact and largely pedestrian, and a handful of bridges link them within a few minutes' walk of each other. On the old side expect steep stairways, uneven cobbles and lanes no car should try; drivers who venture in tend to regret it. City buses run nine lines, though visitors rarely need more than one or two. The town is also good on two wheels, with well-signed cycle trails leading out into the countryside.
- Walking
- Station to the old town in 15 to 20 minutes
- Bus L12
- Loops town via Avinguda Ramon Folch, the cathedral and Sant Daniel
- Buses L1 and L2
- North-south through Devesa park and the railway and bus station
- Cycling
- Signed trails out of town, among them the old Carrilet line towards Olot
- The cathedral's great flight of steps is the hardest way up; the side lanes reach the square with far fewer stairs.
Know before you go
What makes Girona worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Onyar houses from the red iron bridge, the Pont de les Peixateries Velles, at golden hour.
- The cathedral steps, used as a set in Game of Thrones and still a fine place to watch the town.
- The wall walk, with towers to climb for views over the roofs.
- El Call's stepped lanes, quiet and shady even on busy days.
- An ice cream at Rocambolesc, dessert ideas from the Roca brothers in a cone.
Good to know
- Avoid the cathedral stairs by approaching through the side streets if your legs need a rest.
- Do not drive into the old town; the lanes are narrow and parking is near impossible.
- The station has no luggage lockers, so arrange bag storage with your hotel.
- Book El Celler de Can Roca months in advance if you want a table at all.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Girona, month by month
Girona peaks at 31°C in July, and January nights fall to about 1°C under 14°C days. October is wettest, at about 86 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Girona Airport (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, via Wikipedia).
The Onyar bridge, El Call and the walls of Girona's old town
One full day covers Girona's old town: the red iron bridge over the Onyar, El Call and its Jewish history museum, the cathedral and Sant Feliu, the Banys Àrabs and the wall walk, ending with an ice cream at Rocambolesc. Add a second day for Figueres, Besalú or the Costa Brava.
Start on the west bank at Plaça de la Independència and cross the river on the red iron bridge for the view of the coloured houses. Walk up Carrer de la Força through El Call and visit the Jewish history museum, then climb to the cathedral for the nave and the embroidered Creation hanging in the museum. Your ticket also opens Sant Feliu just below; kiss the lioness on your way out if you plan to return.
After lunch, see the Banys Àrabs, then join the Passeig de la Muralla and follow the walls south, climbing the towers for views. Drop down into the old town for tapas and a glass of natural wine, and finish with an ice cream at Rocambolesc by the river.
Day trips from Girona to Figueres, Besalú and the Costa Brava
The best day trips from Girona are Figueres for the Dalí Theatre-Museum, about 15 minutes by AVE; medieval Besalú and the Garrotxa volcanic zone, about 35 km northwest; and the Costa Brava, under an hour by road, where a car makes the quieter coves around Begur far easier to reach.
Figueres is the quickest escape. The AVE covers the distance in about 15 minutes, and the Dalí Theatre-Museum, the artist's monument to himself with giant eggs along the roofline, fills most of a morning. Go early, because the queue builds fast. Dalí lies in a crypt beneath the stage.
Besalú, about 35 km northwest, is a medieval town entered across a fortified, angled Romanesque bridge over the Fluvià. It keeps a restored mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, and a cluster of Romanesque churches, all small enough for a half day. Carry on to Olot and the Garrotxa volcanic zone, where the beech wood of the Fageda d'en Jordà grows on an old lava flow and makes an easy walk. The former Carrilet railway between Girona and Olot is now a greenway, popular with the cyclists who come to train on these roads.
For the sea, the Costa Brava is under an hour by road. Tossa de Mar has a walled old town on a headland above its beach, while the coves around Begur and Calella de Palafrugell are smaller, rockier and clearer. A car makes the quieter coves far easier to reach.
Xuixo pastries, botifarra and Catalan lunches in Girona
Girona's own pastry is the xuixo, a sugar-crusted fried roll filled with crema catalana custard, sold in bakeries across the old town and best eaten warm at breakfast. Lunch leans on Catalan basics such as pa amb tomàquet and grilled botifarra, and the Roca brothers' ice-cream shop offers a cheap taste of the city's three-star kitchen.
Look for pa amb tomàquet, bread rubbed with tomato, oil and salt, alongside cured fuet or grilled botifarra sausage with white beans. Inland Catalonia likes to mix land and sea, so you will see dishes that pair chicken or pork with prawns or cuttlefish.
The city also has an outsized name in fine dining. El Celler de Can Roca, run by the three Roca brothers on the outskirts of town, holds three Michelin stars and has twice topped the world's best restaurant list; tables go months ahead. Their ice-cream shop Rocambolesc, near the river, is the affordable taste of the same kitchen.
Choose where you sit with care. The arcades of Plaça de la Independència and the Rambla de la Llibertat are pleasant for a drink but serve bland, overpriced food. For better tapas, climb into the Barri Vell or head for Casal El Forn on Plaça de Sant Pere, and shop for picnic supplies at the Mercat del Lleó. Order a bottle from the Empordà, the wine region just north of Girona.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Girona.
Prices & payment
Yes, it runs at times set around the flights and takes about 30 minutes to Girona bus station. Buy the ticket at the kiosk by the stop; taxis also wait outside.
Yes. The coast is under an hour by road, and Figueres is about 15 minutes north by high-speed train.
General
If time matters, yes: the AVE runs roughly hourly and takes about 40 minutes non-stop. The Rodalies R11 needs about 90 minutes but stops at inland towns on the way.
One full day covers them. Two days lets you add Figueres for the Dalí Theatre-Museum or a beach on the Costa Brava.
Several old-town spots were used, most famously the cathedral steps and the lanes of El Call around them.
The walk follows the eastern walls above the Barri Vell, with access points near the cathedral and further south. Several towers along it can be climbed for views over the roofs.
A small stone lioness on a column near the Basílica de Sant Feliu. Tradition says kissing her bottom means you will come back to Girona.
Try Casal El Forn on Plaça de Sant Pere for tapas and La Garrina for natural wine. El Celler de Can Roca needs booking months ahead.
Steep in places, with long stairways and uneven stones. The west bank across the Onyar is flat and largely pedestrian.
Walk Girona: both halves of the city, split by the Onyar, are compact and largely pedestrian, and buses or bikes are needed only for the edges and the countryside trails. The medieval Barri Vell climbs the hill on the east bank, while the flatter new town spreads west towards the station and Devesa park. Both halves are compact and largely pedestrian, and a handful of bridges link them within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Timing & weather
In May, for about ten days. Courtyards, churches and stairways across the old town are filled with flower installations.
The best time to visit Girona is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Warm walking weather, flower festival in May, fewer crowds than midsummer.
- Best overall: April - June, September - October (Mild days for climbing the old town stairs, with Temps de Flors in May)
- Summer: July - August (Hot and busy with day trippers from the coast; walk the walls early)
- Winter: November - March (Cool and quiet with shorter opening hours, and the Fires de Sant Narcís in late October just before)
Getting there
Most visitors reach Girona by high-speed train from Barcelona in about 40 minutes; the regional line takes more than twice as long. Flights land either at Girona-Costa Brava, a modest terminal used mainly by Ryanair with extra European routes in summer, or at Barcelona-El Prat, which has far more choice and a direct coach north. One building on Plaça d'Espanya holds everything.
Visa & documents
Spain follows Schengen entry rules. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Pickpocketing in the big cities is Spain's main crime risk for visitors. Pickpocketing is common in Barcelona and Madrid, especially on the metro and in tourist areas. Heatwaves and wildfires occur in summer.
