Girona: One of Spain’s most beautiful cities

Girona: One of Spain’s most beautiful cities.

Girona wowed us. We´ve visited most of Spain’s cities and think that Girona ranks among its most beautiful.

What makes Girona beautiful? It’s a clean city with cobblestoned streets, medieval walls and a river with romantic bridges and pastel-coloured houses. There are beautiful churches, some interesting architecture and lots of greenery. It’s a city meant for walking.

Lots of photos in this post showing you why Girona is beautiful, along with some tips on what to see as well as practical information on visiting the city.

A brief history of Girona

The Romans built a fort here in the 1^st century BC and named it Oppidum Gerunda. The location was of strategic importance being on the coastal route from Gaul to the Iberian Peninsula. The military outpost grew with time and by the 3^rd century it was fortified by city walls.

When the Roman empire crumbled in the early 5th century, the Visigoths controlled the region. In 714 AD the Moors conquered the town and called it Jerunda. But that didn’t last long. The Carolingians (Charlemagne) took over in 785 and over the next 200 years the city constantly changed hands between the Carolingians and the Moors.

Finally, in the 11^th century, the city was taken by the Kingdom of Aragon. The city thrived and had a large Jewish population until 1492 (when they were expulsed from Spain).

In the 17^th and 18^th century Girona again frequently changed hands during the wars between France and Spain. In the 19^th century Napoleon controlled the city and had the historic walls on the western side destroyed in order to enlarge the city. The walls on the eastern side were untouched but fell into ruin. Only recently were they restored, allowing tourists to today walk the walls of the city.

What to See in Girona

1. Walk the bridges and enjoy the views of the coloured buildings

Girona has lots of bridges (11 I think) over the Onyar river. The two most famous are the Stone bridge (Pont de Pedra) and the “Eiffel bridge” (officially Pont de les Peixateries Velles). But all of Girona’s bridges have fantastic views of the colourful buildings on either side of the river.

2. The Cathedral

It’s the symbol of the city with a monumental staircase. You might recognize it from the Game of Thrones (Girona has a whole bunch of Game of Throne locations).

3. Ascent of San Domenec

A beautiful corner with another staircase and a wide arch. Another Game of Throne location. Perfectly exemplifies the architectural beauty you’ll see walking around Girona.

4. Walk the Medieval walls

I mentioned the medieval walls in the history section. You can walk them (for free), giving you great views of the city and countryside)

5. Plaça Independència

A beautiful porticoed square dedicated to defenders of Girona during the 1808 – 1809 war against the French.

The above are the “must see” highlights. But Girona is a place for walking and there is beauty everywhere.

Some more photos:

Practical Information on visiting Girona

How long to visit? We were in Girona 3 days which is more than is really needed. Honestly, Girona is not a big place and you can see everything on a day trip. But we enjoyed our 3 days and if you’re not in a rush it really is an enjoyable city to spend time.

City Map: I’m including the map I picked up at the tourist office here (you can click to enlarge and print if you wish). But you can pick up your own map at the Tourist Office, located near the stone bridge.

Getting there: Girona is on the train line between Barcelona and the French border. You can get to Girona in 40 minutes from Barcelona on the high-speed train which makes it the perfect day trip. See the Renfe web s ite for schedules. Getting to the old town from the train station will take about 20 minutes walking.

Where to Stay: we stayed in this apartment for 3 nights. Very much recommended.

Where to Eat: We mostly ate in our Airbnb apartment but we have one fantastic recommendation: a Chinese restaurant called King Dim Sum. The Chengdu Spicy Noodles soup and the Stir-fried noodles were great. One of our favorite ever Chinese restaurants and prices were good. Located just across the bridge from the old town.