Less than an hour north of Barcelona by high speed rail, you’ll find the Catalonian city of Girona. One day in Girona is an easy day trip for those staying in the Catalonian capital. It’s enough time to see the highlights and get a feel for this beautiful city.
If I were to describe Girona, it may sound like many a beautiful European town. Perfect cobbled stone streets. Some influence from Eiffel. It’s Cathedral alone is beyond memorable. Things move a little slower here, with room made to enjoy food and beverages amongst friends. Girona is a place that deserves a visit, and if you can afford it, perhaps a little more time on your itinerary.
We ourselves spent one week here, seeking some downtime on our year long trip around the world. It was the perfect base, whilst still being close to some big hubs. Whilst we’d argue one day in Girona isn’t enough, we acknowledge it’s typically the most likely amount of time on a visitor’s itinerary. The good news? This walkable city’s main sights can easily be taken in within a day.
Let us carve out an itinerary for one day in Girona to help you make the most of your visit.
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How to get around Girona
The main sights of Girona are within walking distance (approximately 15 minutes) from the main train station. Two feet and a heartbeat are the most effective way to navigate this primarily flat city.
Otherwise, bus services and taxis are readily available for those less able. These will take you from the train station to the old town, which is a pedestrianised area.
At a glance || One day in Girona
Explore the city along the river Onyar || Check out Girona from above || Lunch at Spain’s most romantic restaurant || Get your Game of Thrones on || Eat at the most creative desserts
Start with breakfast
No matter how you get to Girona, start your morning right. In the centre of town, you’ll find the Federal cafe. This happened to be below our Airbnb accommodation for our trip and its aromas drew us in immediately. What we didn’t realise was this café is actually owned by an Australian. Federal takes its name from a town we’ve visited in the Byron Bay hinterland of NSW. As two Aussies abroad, this was somewhat poetic. Aside from the random Australian connection, they also serve a very good breakfast.
As non-coffee drinkers, we can’t comment on the coffee. We can confirm that they were busier than any café we saw in our time in Girona, so they must be doing something right.
Expect a few lycra clad companions as Girona is a popular spots for cyclists. With some sustenance, it’s time to get exploring the town.
Explore along the river Onyar
It’s likely that you’ve already crossed the river at some point to get to Federal. Weaving back and forth across the bridges is a great way to explore Girona inside out. Girona has eleven bridges and they’re easily explored. And whilst you don’t need to criss-cross all of them, you do need to visit the vibrant red Eiffel Bridge, the Pont de les Peixateries Velles.
Sound familiar? Gustave Eiffel constructed this bridge (along with many others to be fair) before building the Eiffel Tower. The red steel’s design is unmistakable with its metal thatching.
Aside from the bridges, there are some fantastically colourful buildings along this walk. Some of Girona’s major landmarks are visible from the river and it’s a great place to get your sense of the city.
You’ll notice a lot of red and yellow flags and pro-independence placards around the city. The Catalonia push for independence from Spain continues to grow strongly. Its origins and the politics behind it is in its simplest description, complex. On our travels, we try not to get too involved in local politics. We do try and learn so we can better understand. The struggle for Catalonian independence is a real and live debate. It is also impossible to ignore in Girona.
For a better understanding that I cannot even begin to paint, check out Two Catalonias. It’s a Netflix documentary which talks through both sides of the debate. During your time in Girona and Catalonia more broadly, tread with caution on this issue. It’s not a flippant governmental debate and there aren’t many folks who sit on the fence with their views.
You’ve seen the city from the river, it’s now time to see it from above.
Stroll Girona’s city walls
On the eastern side of the Onyar river, you won’t have to walk far to find the city walls. These medieval fortifications are in good keeping. The parts that have seen better days have been rebuilt. There are a number of ways to get up to the city walls, but we’d recommend starting near the French Garden (Jardins de la Francesa).
Stroll south to take in the views that you’ll stop at a disproportionate number of times. There are many perfect spots to stop along here. Take your time wandering.
Lunch at Le Bistrot
With some good mileage under your belt, and established bearings of Girona, it’s time to dine. Lunch will be at Le Bistrot, a non-negotiable on your Girona itinerary. Le Bistrot is reputedly the most ‘romantic restaurant in all of Spain’. A dubious honour that appears difficult to fact check (who runs these surveys anyways!?).
Questionability of titles aside, I can assure you of three things. The food at Le Bistrot is exceptionally good value. It’s a magnificent representation of Catalonian food. The exterior courtyard is indeed jaw dropping.
Coming here at lunch, treat yourself to a ‘menu deal’ at lunch. A rotating menu, you’ll get an entrée, main, a drink (wine, beer or soft drink) and a dessert from €12. An exceptional price for even the most budget conscious traveller. And most exceptional value when you taste your meal.
Kristen dined on a ‘white fish’ with accompanying vegetables. I enjoyed two pieces of boiled beef cheek accompanied by a side of chickpeas. The portions were large enough for us to comfortably sample each other’s meals. Prior to your main, you’ll also get a generous serving of fresh, delicious bread. It’s excellent, but save room for the over sized main course.
Couple your Catalan fare with the movie-set style view outside. An outdoor piazza with an impressive stairwell up to a church and archway through to one of Girona’s back alleys. Whilst it looks like a movie set, it was actually a set in Game of Thrones. There is no Le Bistrot in sight in that episode. Arya did navigate her way down these stairs at pace when trying to elude the Waif in Braavos.
This really is a quintessential corner of Girona.
An afternoon in Westeros
The afternoon kicks off with a tour. A Game of Thrones tour in fact. Now whilst Kristen and I are huge fans of the show, we’d encourage you to do this tour even if you haven’t watched the series. You see, Game of Thrones has a way of bringing places to life. And on this tour you won’t just see cool scenes. You’ll learn a lot more about Girona and the impact the show had on the city. Who knows, maybe you’ll be just a little more inclined to watch the show in full upon your return.
Our guide, John was an extra in the series. He’ll happily show you scenes with him in the show as well as the various scenes you walk through.
On this tour, you’ll visit a range of great sights. Famous in the show for sure, but also worth visiting in Girona in any case.
You can’t miss the giant Girona Cathedral. It looks even bigger across the Onyar given it is built at the peak of a stairwell. You won’t have a chance to enter here on the tour, but save some time in the afternoon to return. Cost of entry is €7. Alternatively, you could return during hours of worship between 0800-0945. Given it is worship hour, do bear in mind being respectful of others.
Similarly, the Arab Baths (entry €2) deserve a quick whip around. Straight out of the Middle East, these baths are no longer active. They are well preserved and have a great courtyard upstairs that deserves further inspection.
Your last stop should ensure your return to Girona. Like most good European cities, there is a way to guarantee your return to Girona. No coins over the shoulder or rubbing bronze noses here though. You’ll need to pucker up and plant a kiss on a stone lion’s behind if you wish to guarantee your return carriage to Girona.
You’ll find the Lleona de Girona (Lion of Girona) in Placa de Sant Feliu. There are even some stairs next to the statue to help you get your lips right up close to its behind. I’m told its washed regularly. I did however watch a good 20-30 people kissing it during my time in Girona and no cleaning products in sight. So kiss with caution I guess?
Dinner and drinks at Placa d’Indepedencia
The Placa d’Independencia is a great place to take in an evening aperitif. Recount your day with your travel companions. Or sit and watch life go by in this bustling square.
Whilst Le Bistrot was good value, our dinner (and drinks) recommendation is better value still! Konig is well known for its hearty Catalan food and drinks. The most popular dish on the menu though is their patatas bravas. They allegedly (again, who compiles this stuff?!) sell over €1m worth of patatas bravas each year. A random fact always gets me over the line, but I can tell you that €1m is very well spent. Accompany your patatas bravas with a Catalan sausage and you’ll be in heaven. A lot heavier. But in heaven nonetheless.
Leave room for dessert
A big meal at lunch, sausage, patatas bravas and beers at Konig. Tell me you’ve left room for dessert? Just because you haven’t secured a table at El Cellar de Can Roca, one of the world’s best restaurants, it doesn’t mean you can’t sample the Roca brothers food.
Off Placa d’Independencia, you’ll find Rocambolesc. Possibly the most creative ice creamery you can imagine. Now you have a critical choice to make in this shop. You can either get creative with the tasty ice cream in a cup and top with ginger, minted basil or toasted (in front you) marshmallow. Or you can opt for one of their well sought after popsicles. These are deliciously flavoured, with unique moulds.
In celebration of Game of Thrones being shot in Girona, you’ll find a gold dusted ‘Jaime Lannister hand’ rosewater popsicle. Or perhaps you’re more of a Star Wars fan? If so, Darth Vader’s blueberry popsicle awaits you. With nearly a week in Girona you can bet we tried them all. With a precious day however, make sure you choose your dessert wisely. If I had to err you one way though, I’d recommend the popsicles which are both very cool to look at and with custom flavours.
Getting to Girona
Girona by air
The Girona-Costa Brava Airport is located 20 minutes south of Girona. This airport is well serviced by low cost carriers, particularly UK and European travellers looking for an extended stay on the Costa Brava.
Barcelona-El Prat Airport is located 117kms south of Barcelona. As one of the main European airport hubs, this is well serviced from Europe and further afield.
Our Girona itinerary started by flying into Barcelona from Porto. There were more frequent and cheaper flights to Barcelona. With time up our sleeve, jumping onto the high speed train was also a convenient option.
We book our flights through Skyscanner. Depending on where you are coming from, we’d recommend searching both airports to determine the best flight options for your trip.
Girona by train
Girona is well serviced by train. As mentioned, we arrived at Barcelona-El Prat airport. We stayed overnight in Barcelona before jumping on the high speed train service at Barcelona Sants station. This took 40 minutes and runs regularly throughout the day.
The high speed train runs from Barcelona Sants and then on through France to Paris. If you find yourself in Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse or Paris, there are easy connections to Girona on the same service.
We book our trains via Omio.com. Book ahead of time to ensure you get a reasonable fare. Last minute tickets, particularly for high speed routes can be needlessly expensive. If you are stuck and budget is an issue, there are local trains that take 1.5-2.5 hours to cover this route. To be clear, you can purchase a ticket with enough planning on the high speed network for the same or better cost of the local fare.
Other things to consider on your stay in Girona
This is a one day itinerary, however after spending the best part of a week you can definitely do more. Girona is a popular destination for long weekend visitors. Whilst Girona doesn’t have an endless supply of ‘attractions’, it’s an easy city to enjoy the Catalonian way of life.
Consider a day trip to Andorra
We visited this tax haven country which is around 3 hours from Girona. The drive is a mixture of scenic views and boring bitumen. Andorra wasn’t the most amazing destination to visit, but if you’re interested in ticking another country off your list, this is an easy one to do by car. We wouldn’t recommend Andorra as a substitute and you’d need more than one day in Girona to make this possible, but it’s worth consideration. We hired a car for the day to make the trip up and back.
Girona is a foodie haven
I mentioned the Roca brothers earlier. Whilst their restaurant may be difficult to secure a table at (by all accounts you can wait up to a year!) there are some very good restaurants in Girona. Scout around and book ahead. Be sure to check your desired restaurants are open, especially if you have only one day in Girona.
The Catalonian challenges
I mentioned the Two Catalonias documentary earlier. I’d highly recommend watching it prior or during your visit. This documentary may also lead you to question whether Catalonia is safe to visit. Whilst we never know what tomorrow might bring, we encountered no issues during our stay. Like any destination though, if there is a rally, protests or march, keep abreast of what is happening and use good judgment.
We hope you have an amazing one day in Girona. If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Looks like a beautiful place to spend a few days and explore. Personally prefer the smaller somewhat less touristy cities than the larger more popular ones. You did leave me wondering what you had for lunch and what the typical Catalonian food is, other than the patatas and sausage?
Peta
We’re much the same. It helps to enjoy a city without the crowds 🙂 Good pick up on the food, we did have a paragraph in one of our original drafts but its gone missing in our process somewhere! Have updated to include what we had for lunch. Expect big dishes!
Haha, so much food, so little time 😀 Food, coloured buildings, superb scenery – looks like a wonderful place to visit!!
It really is, with it’s own dash of Australia thrown into the mix! Could eat those popsicles for days on end!