Girona

Girona + Costa Brava

Medieval layers at the foot of the Eastern Pyrenees

The Province of Girona, deeply rooted in Spain’s Catalan heritage, is Catalonia’s northeastern-most province just south of France is Girona with its provincial capital of the same name set in the Pyrenees foothills. The Costa Brava is its rugged resort region of cliffs and beaches on the Mediterranean coastline.

The City of Girona is Catalonia’s best-preserved medieval city — a compact historic center on the banks of the River Onyar whose painted houses face the water from the eastern bank, the cathedral and city walls climbing the hill behind them. The Barri Vell (old town) contains one of the best-preserved medieval Jewish quarters in Europe, the Call, as well as Romanesque and Gothic architecture accumulated across seven centuries of Catalan civic life.

The historic center along the River Onyar becomes hilly on the east bank — walkable throughout, with the 9th-century city walls (Muralles de Girona) offering elevated views above the old town.

The city sits in the foothills of the Pyrenees, 100 kilometers north of Barcelona by regional train — close enough for a day trip, rich enough to warrant several days.

Photo Gallery

Rail

• Train service runs north and south through the province with regional and high-speed AVE (Spain) and TGV (France) trains stopping at stations in Girona and Figueres-Vilafant. The Maçanet-Massanes regional station is also served by two Barcelona commuter rail lines.
• TrainLine rail app is a good resource for making reservations
• Rail Europe is also a great source for making necessary train reservations—more travel information can be found in my post on an earlier trip: Northwestern Europe
• Our Eurail passes covered our train travel between cities and villages within our selected countries on the continent
• Maps are stored on our phones for quick reference. This regional rail map extends from central Barcelona north into Girona at Maçanet-Massanes:

Signature Moments

• Walking the Muralles de Girona — the 9th-century city walls above the old town, the cathedral to one side, the Onyar valley below, the Pyrenees visible in the distance on a clear day
• The Sant Joan festival — drums rising from the plaza below our apartment balcony before a crowd assembled, the summer solstice celebrated with fire and all-night music, the city’s Catalan identity expressed collectively
• The painted houses of the Onyar riverbank — ochre, terracotta, and faded yellow reflected in the water, the medieval bridge, the cathedral above — the view that defines Girona in a single frame

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Continue the Journey

Girona is best understood as the gateway to two very different Catalan landscapes — the medieval hinterland to the west and the Costa Brava to the east.

Return to Catalonia → or explore Barcelona → and Tarragona →
Join The Inspired Lens → for early access to the Reading Catalonia guide.