My trip to Girona was by far one of my absolute favorite trips that I’ve ever taken. It’s been about a year since this trip, yet it was so memorable that I feel like I was just there a week ago. (you can also check out my video version of this trip)
Last July (actually exactly a year ago from today!) Rafa took me on a surprise trip to Girona for my birthday. I didn’t know too much about Girona, but I had seen one photo of the beautiful riverfront. That photo was all I needed to fall in love with Girona and I immediately added it to my (very long) list of places that I wanted to visit.
Girona was a place that had been on my list since I moved to Barcelona two years prior but I still hadn’t made my way there. I didn’t have too many expectations, I didn’t know much about the city beyond the one iconic photo I had seen of Girona. When I finally did make my way there … it absolutely did not disappoint. Girona took me by surprise. It was even more beautiful than I thought that it would be.
Girona is very close to Barcelona, about 30 minutes by high speed train or an hour and a half by car. We took the high speed train, and honestly it was great! Super easy, super comfy and incredibly quick. (not to mention the gorgeous views of the spanish countryside during the highspeed journey) I couldn’t recommend taking this trip enough!
Girona is quite honestly one of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever been to, it’s like stepping foot into a post card. Old churches, cobbled streets, medieval walls, multicolored houses, a beautiful river.. the list seriously goes on and on. Girona is the perfect trip for history and culture lovers. The river Onyar divides Girona into two parts – the old and the new. The old town ‘Barri Vell’ lies on the east bank and the newer part of the city on the west bank. (We spent most of our time in the old part)
Girona’s unmistakable riverfront quickly captured my attention, its red and yellow buildings nicely pairing with the Catalan flags. The river is scattered with bridges, the most iconic being the bright red and incredibly interesting Eiffel bridge. It was constructed by the same man who built the Eiffel Tower, the bridge gives off some incredible views and makes a great backdrop for some incredible photos.
And the spectacular sights of Girona might look familiar to some of you. Beautiful Girona was featured on Game of Thrones as the fictional city of Braavos and the impressive Cathedral of Girona was also featured as the Great Sept of Baelor from Season 6 in King’s Landing.
Girona is definitely a town to get lost in. I would recommend exploring its historic old town filled with narrow cobblestone streets by foot…no map necessary. Walk along the old city wall, take in the view from a tower, and then make your way back down, stopping at a sidewalk café (or my favorite a river front cafe). Getting lost (seriously we got lost so many times) and wandering around the narrow streets was quite honestly the best part of the trip.
Girona was originally founded by Romans, and some of the walls of the two thousand years old fortress still stand. You can see lots of Roman influence throughout the streets of the old town and in all medieval architecture.
The best view of the city is definitely when you climb up to the walls which once surrounded and protected the old city. A lot of the walls were damaged or removed, and the part that stands today is mostly due to extensive restoration work. A walk up here shows the Roman and medieval structures of the old town. By far walking along the walls was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Climbing up along the old city walls is definitely a must do in Girona, it does give you the best view (& the best photo backdrops).
You’ll want to bring your camera, or have a full charge on your phone… as just about every corner is picture perfect. (I took more than 200 photos in my two short days in Girona).
If the post didn’t convince you to plan a trip to Girona.. here are some more photos!
Happy traveling…
