Girona is a historic city. It was on my itinerary from day one as the city had become famous as a filming location for Game of thrones (served as places for Bravos, Old town etc.). After a short journey from Barcelona, I got down at the main train station in Girona. I started walking towards the old city to the famed Jewish quarters. It features cobbled streets lined with stone buildings from the medieval past.

Girona Cathedral

My first stop was at the majestic Girona cathedral. The Impressive Cathedral of Girona stands at the highest point of Girona and it is some task to reach the entrance. Sprawling steep stairs welcome the visitors and requires a similar effort for a mini hike to reach the entrance. The steep stairs and the cathedral itself have been immortalized in Game of Thrones tv show as the Great sept for Baelor. The 14^th century cathedral has a very magnificent gothic architecture.

The Arab Baths

A short visit to The Arab Baths offers further insight into the diversity of Girona. The Romanesque style 12^th century baths is divided into several rooms that allow one to move from the rooms with the coldest water to those with the hottest. The impressive Dome structure & a central pool area is a treat for the eyes.

Muralles de Girona (Girona Wall)

The highlight of the visit to Girona was definitely the Walk on the Girona Wall. This 9^th century built city wall has walk ways and provides scenic views of the city. After a short visit to the Girona Cathedral & the Arab Baths, I started my walk on the walls. The wall only covers a part of the city (mainly the old city) and you can start the journey from either side of the wall. But it is recommended to start from the cathedral side as it is mostly downhill rather than the Placa de Catulanya side.

Being the famous attraction in Girona, the Passeig de la Muralla (walk of the wall) offers the best views of the city. There are many towers along the way where you need to climb some more to get even better views. The climb up to the top of the towers offers further excitement as they have the old school wooden stairs which can be quite narrow. Sometimes you will have to wait for others to come down as people can only go one way at a time.

Visiting Girona is one of the best one day trips from Barcelona and a perfect end to my solo trip to Spain. It offers a different experience compared to the bustling Barcelona. Having café au lait at one of the cafes near the train station while enjoying the sunset is the best way to end an amazing trip.

How to reach Girona from Barcelona

Taking the high speed AVE train is the best way to reach Girona from Barcelona. The total time taken is approximately 40 mins to cover a distance of around 87 KMs. There are trains every hour from Barcelona’s Barcelona-Sants, the city’s main train station.