A weekend in Girona

All it took was a SNCF Connect newsletter about European destinations to discover by train from Paris for us to give in and book our tickets! We paid 78€ return per person: a great deal we couldn’t pass up. The journey takes 6 hrs 05, direct from Paris Gare de Lyon to the centre of Girona, with plenty of stops in cities in the south of France (Valence, Nîmes, Montpellier, Perpignan…). Southerners, no excuse not to go to Girona by train! The journey actually goes by quite fast when you keep busy, and lets you see beautiful landscapes through the window, in particular those of the Narbonnaise en Méditerranée regional nature park (pink flamingos guaranteed!).

Why Girona? We had come across this destination, notably through the Instagram stories and the blog of Découvrir Ensemble, and we really wanted to visit this city with its many strengths, which seemed rich from every point of view. Monuments, food, events all year round… enough to convince us quickly. Head to the Girona Tourist Office website to find out more.

💡 A few facts to know about Girona: the city is a world food capital with the restaurant “El Celler de Can Roca” of the three Roca brothers, crowned Best restaurant in the world. To get the chance to taste their marvellous dishes, you have to book a year ahead! Girona is also famous for its Temps de Flors, a festival that takes place every year between the second and third weekend of May: on the programme, flowers all over the city, music and thousands of visitors. To do one day!

See our weekend in a highlighted story on our Instagram account!

What to see and do in Girona?

We spent three days exploring the city without being bored for a single second! Girona has a lot to offer: impressive monuments, numerous and varied museums, typical districts, parks… there’s plenty to do and see over a long weekend. So, follow the programme!

Casa Masó

We started discovering Girona with a visit to the Casa Masó, the birthplace of the Catalan architect Rafael Masó (1880-1935) and one of the most important works of his career. It’s also the only house overlooking the river Onyar that is open to the public: it can only be visited by reservation and with a guide (several languages to choose from, including French). This large bourgeois house from the beginning of the 20th century is in fact four town houses brought together, entirely remodelled by the architect to make just one. All the decoration is original: you can even see the furniture created by Rafael Masó himself. A visit we recommend!
💰 Price: 10€ for the guided tour
⏲ 4 slots a day except Sunday and Monday

Cinema museum

A cinema museum that’s out of the ordinary and that presents the history of the seventh art, from the first moving images of shadow theatre to the cinema of the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibitions are interactive and completely suited to a visit with children, for example. All the objects in the permanent exhibition come from the private collection of Tomàs Mallol, a Catalan film-maker and collector: one of the largest collections of this kind in the world!
💰 Price: 7€ for adults
⏲ Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-2pm

Girona art museum

Set opposite the cathedral, in the former episcopal palace, the Girona art museum presents very fine collections from Romanesque art to the 20th century, from the whole Girona region.
💰 Price: 6€ for adults / 10€ for the combined ticket with the cathedral and the Saint Felix basilica
⏲ Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-2pm

Archaeology museum of Catalonia-Girona

After the Girona art museum, we carried on discovering the city’s museums with the Archaeology museum of Catalonia-Girona, set in the church and the cloister of the Sant Pere de Galligants monastery. For the setting and the architecture of the place alone, the museum is worth the detour!
💰 Price: 7€ for adults
⏲ Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-2pm

Museum of Jewish history

Definitely the museum we most enjoyed visiting in Girona! The museum of Jewish history presents the history of the city’s Jewish communities during the Middle Ages, their way of life and the influence they had on the city in economic and intellectual terms. The museum stands on the site of the former synagogue, right in the heart of the Jewish quarter (Call): don’t miss visiting the courtyard outside!
💰 Price: 4€ for adults
⏲ Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday and Monday 10am-2pm

Girona history museum

The Girona history museum retraces the city’s history from Roman times, through the Middle Ages, the Napoleonic war and Franco’s regime. We found it interesting but a bit dated compared with the other museums we had done in the city just before. The little extra is the room dedicated to the sardana, a popular traditional Catalan dance.
💰 Price: 4.20€ for adults
⏲ Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10.30am-5.30pm, Sunday 10.30am-1.30pm

Arab baths

We finished the round of the city’s museums and must-see sites with a very fine example of late 12th-century Romanesque architecture: the Arab baths. The visit is fairly quick but worth the detour (especially for the small entry price), in particular for the dome above the main pool.
💰 Price: 3€ for adults
⏲ _Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10am-2pm, Saturday 10am-5.30pm, Sunday 10am-2_pm

The walls of Girona

Girona has several kilometres of ramparts dating from Roman and Carolingian times. For us, it’s the city’s must-do walk! Don’t hesitate to go during the day and to go back at sunset for a magnificent panorama over the rooftops of Girona. We’d advise starting the walk at the Jardí de les Pedreres and finishing with the Jardines de la Francesa, which look onto the back of the cathedral. We also strolled in the Jardí dels Alemanys, a very beautiful garden at the foot of the ramparts where you find the remains of a former barracks occupied by German soldiers during the war against Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century. To finish, we went along the Passeig arqueologic, a path that runs alongside the walls. A corner of nature right in the city and a real maze of stairways and passages where you quickly find yourselves alone: we’d advise you to go!

Saint Mary cathedral in Girona

The Saint Mary cathedral is one of the city’s most important monuments: you won’t escape a visit. The Gothic vault of its nave is the widest in the world at 23 metres! If you want to admire the colours of the sunset, station yourself at the top of the cathedral steps: the show over the city’s rooftops is magnificent.

The banks of the Onyar and its bridges

From the Sant Feliu church, head for the Pont Sant Feliu just opposite to start the walk along the banks of the Onyar. A real postcard setting! When the sun is out, the blue sky contrasts with the colourful façades of the houses that line the river. Then take the Pont d’en Gómez o de la Princesa and the Pont de Sant Agustí for pretty views over the Onyar. The best-known bridge is unquestionably the Pont de Les Peixateries, designed by Gustave Eiffel: a superb playground for photos, by day as much as by night! Finish with the stone bridge, which again gives a very beautiful perspective over the riverside houses and over the red metal bridge.

The historic centre

What better way to discover a city than to wander through its historic heart! The old town of Girona holds many treasures: no need for a map, just stroll through its streets and lanes, discover its hidden squares and its corners steeped in history. A few places not to miss during your visit:

• The Jewish quarter (Call): a labyrinth of lanes and courtyards to discover one of the best-preserved former Jewish quarters in the world
• Sant Feliu church: the second largest religious monument after the cathedral
• Plaça del Vi (in front of Girona’s town hall)
• Rambla de la Llibertat: its restaurants and its shops
• La Pujada de Sant Marti: a superb stairway surrounded by the church of the former Sant Marti convent and the Agullana house-palace with its arch above the street.
• Carrer de la Força: a pretty shopping street that climbs towards the cathedral

Accommodation: where to stay in Girona?

We stayed right in the historic centre of Girona in one of the flats run by Teresa of Little Home Girona (Rei Marti 2, 104€ a night), also available on Airbnb (though it’s better to book direct to avoid the platform’s fees). The location is really ideal, a few steps from the cathedral, quiet, on a street with very little traffic: we did everything on foot! On the cleanliness side, nothing to say: the flat was spotless. We were very well received by Teresa and her husband, who suggested a few places to us and who were very accommodating about arrival and departure times. We warmly recommend this place if you’re looking for good accommodation in Girona! Don’t hesitate to head to the Little Home Girona website to see all the available accommodation (from 87€ a night).

Collaboration with Little Home Girona (discount provided)

Food and drink: where to eat in Girona?

• Casa Llorens 1994: a very good traditional restaurant to taste typical Catalan dishes (special mention for the cannelloni with manchego cheese and shavings of Iberian ham). 54€ for two for a starter, two main courses and a dessert (9€ for 6 croquettes, 16.20€ for the cannelloni as a main, 21€ for the Iberian pluma, 6€ for the dessert)
• ❤️ La Fonda d’El Foment: an excellent place to enjoy good Catalan cooking, in a beautiful setting, fast service, we spent an excellent evening there. 85€ for two for three starters, one dish to share and two desserts (11.50€ for the croquettes, 9.50€-11.50€ for the starters, 19€ per person for the rice to share, 6.80€ for the desserts)
• Sabores de Alepo: a good place for a quick bite at lunchtime for example, 6.80€ for the Lebanese sandwich
• Volver: an alternative for eating quickly at lunchtime, homemade empanadas to take away (around fifteen different flavours). 25€ for 12 empanadas
• Mola! Bodiga de Pastas: a very good place for fresh pasta dishes made to order, to eat in or take away. 8€-9€ for a pasta dish
• Ditifet: a place that strongly disappointed us, not for the quality of the dishes and the taste, which were up to standard, but for the portions, far too small for the price, we’ll let you be the judge if you still want to try the place. 90€ for two for two starters, two main courses and a dessert (3€ per croquette, 16€ for the starter, 29€ for the main course)
• ❤️ Roli: excellent ice creams to discover, with local flavours such as turron. 3.50€ for a tub with 2 flavours
• Casamoner: 2.20€ for the xuixo (a fritter filled with cream and covered in sugar, a speciality of the city)
• La Moderneta: a good place for breakfast or an afternoon snack (donuts and cinnamon rolls). 5.90€ for two pastries
• +Brots: a tea room that’s perfect for eating a pastry in a pretty setting. 5.20€ for the crêpe, 2.40€ for the tea
• Torrons Vicens Girona: a very lovely shop to bring back edible souvenirs from Girona, with very good advice from the shopkeeper (we bought turron, bottles of wine and Ratafia there, a digestif typical of the city)

What we thought of Girona

This long weekend in Girona was a lovely surprise! We really fell for this Catalan city on a human scale, where you can visit everything on foot. Monumental historic heritage, beautifully showcased, delicious food, a varied museum offer, a festive atmosphere in Christmas colours… all the ingredients were there for us to have an excellent stay.
We couldn’t recommend enough that you add this city to your list of destinations easily reachable by train from France. To be discovered in any season, in spring for the flower festival as much as in the middle of winter to see the city lit up… any excuse is a good one to come and visit Girona.

A trip made partly in collaboration with the Girona Tourist Office.
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