Our surroundings 

Built in 1194, the baths were inspired by similar Roman and Arab baths and created in response to ancient Girona’s growing population and the need to improve hygiene. Nowadays, the baths aren’t in use but you can take a self-guided tour to see what bathing was like in the Middle Ages. The building is covered by a large vaulted ceiling and includes a cold-water bath, a hot-water bath, and changing rooms.

Built between the 11th and 13th centuries, the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona towers over the city. At around 23 metres (75 feet) across, it’s the second widest church in the World and only St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican is wider. More recently, it also featured prominently in the epic TV series Game of Thrones.

One of Girona's most iconic areas and dating back to the 12th century, Call Jueu, or Jewish Quarter, consists of a maze of small streets and courtyards that maintain their medieval aura. It's one of Europe's best-preserved Jewish neighbourhoods and a clear sign of the significance that Jewish culture once had in the city.

Girona offers spectacular images of steep alleyways, porticoed streets and squares and, above all, the brightly painted façades of the houses overlooking the River Onyar, which provide the most emblematic images of the city.

An essential part of ancient Girona – witnessing the passage of the Romans, defense against the Arabs in the Carolingian era and other confrontations during the Middle Ages – today Girona’s stone walls offer visitors a spectacular high-altitude walk with excellent panoramic views over the city.

The Palanques Vermelles Bridge, also known as the Eiffel Bridge, was built in 1827 by Gustave Eiffel just before the construction of his most famous work, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Situated over the Onyar River, it’s a great vantage point for the Old Town’s colourful buildings.

Family home of architect Rafael Masó (1880-1935), this is one of his most important architectural works and the only one of the famous houses over the River Onyar that is open to the public.

The Museum of Jewish History details the story of the Jewish medieval communities in Catalonia and the old Kingdom of Aragon from the ninth to 15th centuries. Among the artifacts that visitors can view are a large collection of medieval Jewish tombstones.

Girona’s long and varied history is chronicled in extensive detail at the museum, right from the Romans founding the city back in the first century BC all the way through to the modern era. It features 14 exhibition rooms all centred around different themes. The museum is housed in the old Capuchin monastery, which dates back to the 18th century.

Held every spring in the second or third week of May in Girona's Barri Vell neighbourhood, the Temps de Flors (the flower season) exhibition fills the city with plants and spectacular floral displays for a few magical days. Converting various monuments, courtyards and urban locations into unique ornamental gardens, visitors will find a wonderful ensemble of striking colours and penetrating aromas that accompany the cultural heritage of the city.

With more than 150 professional cyclists among its residents as well as countless more amateur and recreational riders, Girona is a modern-day cycling Mecca. It’s easy to see the appeal, with the city offering easy access to a huge variety of beautiful (and quiet) routes in a sun-drenched climate ideal for getting on your bike. 

Girona is one of the world’s major food and wine destinations, a region at the forefront of culinary innovation as one of the greatest creative hubs on the planet. The combination of sea and mountains is the trademark of Girona cuisine, the fusion of the region’s culinary techniques and character. Girona boasts many Michelin-star restaurants including El Celler de Can Roca, run by the Roca brothers and named as the world’s best restaurant on numerous occasions.

Some of the best things in life are free, and this is certainly true when donning the trainers and going for a run in Girona’s La Devesa Park. Covering an area of up to 40 hectares, it is the biggest park in Catalonia and offers a great place to relax in the heart of the city.

Girona’s combination of diverse bars, pubs and nightclubs can be found throughout the city, with the numerous establishments based in and around Plaça de la Independència a particularly popular place to meet in the evening. The weekend is naturally the busiest time for nightlife, but lively venues can be found any day of the week, especially on Thursday, which is a popular night for students.

The Gala Dalí Castle in Púbol, which has been open to the public since 1996, allows visitors to discover a mediaeval building in which Salvador Dalí made a huge creative effort with a single person in mind, Gala, and a single function: to create a suitable place to offer rest and refuge to his wife. 

In this house, now a museum run by the Dalí Foundation, is where Salvador Dalí had his painting workshop and where he produced much of his work.
Portlligat is an area of the municipality of Cadaqués located in an adjoining bay, and the first thing that will surprise you when you come to visit this museum is how it maintains an isolated environment compared to the very touristy atmosphere of the village.

It watches over us from the top of the Massís del Montgrí, always present on the horizon of the Baix Empordà plain and very close to the coast, of course we are talking about the Castell de Montgrí, the protagonist of numerous stories and legends, as well as a destination on hiking routes for many visitors every year.

Empúries was the gateway for Greek and Roman culture to the Iberian Peninsula. The site preserves the remains of a Greek city the ancient Emporiae, on the structures of a Roman military camp set up during the previous century.

The mosaics in the old stately homes, the sculpture of Asclepius and the imposing Roman forum are a must-see.

Perched in the Puig de Sant Andreu, in the Baix Empordà, the Iberian town of Ullastret is the largest Iberian settlement discovered so far in Catalonia. The city, flanked by towering walls, served as the capital of all the indiketa territory, which exploited agriculture, livestock farming, mines and quarries. It was the centre of an important commercial interchange with the Greek city of Empúries, which exported its products and also imported foreign production.