Girona City | 1–Day Trip | infocostabrava.com

Girona City – Perfect One-Day Trip from Barcelona

Based on 7 ratings

To get to Girona by train, the easiest way is to get a ‘Catalunya Expres’ in Passeig de Gràcia Renfe Station, platform 2. Sants Estació is also an option (it’s the starting point of the route), but finding the right platform can be a head-wrecker most of the time, there are so many and sign-posting is scarce and poorly organised.

There are 2 types of trains getting to Girona, the slow ‘Regional’ and the faster, more comfortable one. As mentioned earlier, you want to get a ‘Catalunya Expres’, mainly because the seats are much more comfortable and they don’t stop in every single town along the way, making it a faster trip. For these reasons they are slightly more expensive than the ‘Regional’ (under 2 euros each way more expensive than the ‘Regional’, though; it will hardly wreck your budget). There tends to be a train every hour, alternating, so I really recommend checking the timetables for Catalunya Express, expecially for the way back. See them online in Renfe’s Official Website.

Once you get to Girona (around 1h 15’) you head straight to the Tourist office in the Old Quarter (called ‘Casc Antic’ in Catalan). It’s a 20 min walk, and once there they’ll give you a map so you can follow the itinerary suggested below.

The absolute must-see, in order of appearance:

Call Jueu (Jewish Quarter) -just stroll around…it might remind you of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter but…cleaner…and restored…and nicer, basically.
Catedral de Girona (the widest Gothic nave in the world). Entrance fee.
Arab Baths (no, no need of bathing suit). Entrance fee.
A walk on the top of the Roman Wall, which has been beautifully restored for a few years now. If you’ve had a sunny, clear sky day, you’ll be able to experience a dramatic sunset over the city.

That’s what you’ll have time to see in one day. I would suggest do the first two things before lunch and leave the other two for later. To eat I’d really recommend one of the many restaurants in Plaça de la Independència. If it’s sunny, try to get a table outside, right on the square. Final warning: don’t be surprised, you’ll notice that Girona is an expensive city, more than Barcelona.

Finally, if after reading all this you’re still not convinced, check Girona’s Official Website.

Published on 30 July 2009