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With an average of 100,000 inhabitants, Girona is one of the most beautiful and visited cities in Catalonia, it is a city with different options to see and do, as each of its streets has its own history, full of culture, has a great gastronomy and its people are very special and welcoming.
Located about 100 km from Barcelona, Girona is a center of tourism, a place that brings together millions of tourists year after year. It has a contrasting climate, it is humid subtropical with hints of Mediterranean climate. In winter the weather is cold and humid, with foggy seasons. In summer, temperatures are a bit extreme, with average temperatures of 30º. Summer is not usually dry, but less rainy than the rest of the year.
In Barcelona Private Tours we comment some of the most outstanding options that you can not miss, they are:
It is a typical market with special importance of local products and fresh produce. It hosts a total of 60 stalls of various types: meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, groceries… The great chefs of the city regularly visit the market to buy quality products.
Continuing along the edge of the river, we reach the Plaza de la Independencia, with a neoclassical portico, the center of all activity, with a number of restaurants. In the center we will observe the monument Girona 1809 of 1894 and dedicated to the defenders of the city in the war between Spain and the French Empire.
They cross the Onyar river to reach the street LA FORÇA. La Força Vella has its origins in Roman times, because in this street a powerful wall was forged 2000 years ago, with a triangular perimeter, a kind of acropolis.
The wall was formed by walls built with large stone ashlars. The perimeter was not practically unaltered until the year 1000. The best places to see the Roman wall are:
Porta Rufina in the northern part of Sant Domenec square.
Portal Sobreportes, what used to be the North Gate or “de les Gàl-lies”. Today, the Roman defense towers are visible. The cylindrical towers date from the 13th century.
Gironella Tower where you can see the remains of the Telegraph Tower and gates of the lower empire.
We will enter the heart of the Força Vella, which was home to the Jews for 500 years. Starting from Força Vella street, we will walk through the medieval historic center, a set of alleys, inner courtyards and staircases that will make us lose track of time.
This set of streets and alleys is called “CALL” which comes from the Hebrew קָהָל Qahal (Community). And it is the word used in Catalonia to name the various Jewish neighborhoods. In particular, it is one of the best preserved Jewish quarters in the world.
“In the year 888, 25 families of Jewish origin settled there, forming one of the most important Jewish communities of the time. They came to live more than 800 people, until in 1492 they were expelled and forced to sell their synagogue and other surrounding spaces.”
Some of the places we have to visit:
The ascent of the Virgin of the Pear: it is located to the right of the street of the Força and ends in one of the porches of the old town of Girona, following it we can reach the upper limit of the Jewish Quarter.
La Pabordia: set of buildings where the public baths were between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Placeta del Institut Vell
The Girona Cathedral is the most spectacular icon of the city, towering over the mountain. The cathedral is accessed by stairs made famous by the series “GAMES OF TRONS”. Its origin dates back to the eleventh century, although it has had several extensions and renovations until the eighteenth century with the succession of artistic styles:
– Cloister and the Tower of Charlemagne in Romanesque style.
– Façade and staircase in Baroque style.
– Great vaulted nave in Gothic style.
– The great nave is unique, since it is the widest vaulted Gothic space in the world with 23 m.
Cathedral opening hours
– July and August: from 10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
– November to March: 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
– Rest of the year: from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
Price of the Cathedral
– Regular entrance: 7 € (including audioguide)
– Reduced admission: 5 € for seniors and students with ID (includes audioguide)
The misnamed “Arab Baths” were actually Romanesque baths, built in 1194, copying Muslim models of the time. Located in the heart of La Forza Vella.
The baths are distributed in five enclosures:
– Changing rooms (apodyterium): central pool with an octagonal dome.
– Three rooms: the cold room (frigidarium), warm room (tepidarium) and the hot room (caldarium) where you can see a rectangular floor covered with a barrel vault with vents.
– Furnace and caldarium (furnus): the dome that, seated on fine columns and very well ornamented capitals, is a very important part of the building.
From April to September: Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm; Sundays and holidays from 10 am to 2 pm.
The price is 2 €.
The walls are the result of the boom that the city experienced during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, where the Roman walls were expanded. The conservation of the walls has made it possible to create a walkway, which surrounds part of the old town. In particular, part of the wall concentrates the longest stretch of Carolingian wall in Europe (9th century).
The towers that lead the corners, and located in elevated sections, are perfect viewpoints of the city. The wall surrounds the old town and is flanked by observation towers:
– Baluarte de San Pedro
– Santa Lucia Tower
– Gironella Tower
– Bastion of La Mercè
Just at the eastern end of the walls, we will cross the Plaza del Vino, where there are several Gothic buildings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, now converted into service buildings.