Girona is a quiet city where you can enjoy the advantages of being in a big city (cultural offerings, restaurants, festivals, artistic events…) without crowds. You can do everything in Girona. History left there spectacular buildings, like the Cathedral or the Monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants. Nowadays, it’s a focus of cultural production and it has a great program of theatre and music. And there’s also the possibility to do active and nature tourism in the natural environment.
Girona has buildings from very different periods. There are beautiful squares, small streets and big buildings in an atmosphere where it seems that time was stopped long time ago.
The Old Neighborhood is one of the most evocative historical centers in Catalonia. There, you can see the houses of the Onyal, the river that crosses the city, which are painted with bright colors. This is the most emblematic image of the city. In addition, there is one of the biggest and better preserved Jewish neighborhoods in Europe, the “Call”. It’s the main architectural and urban interest of the city. In this neighborhood there’s also the Centre Bonastruc ça Porta, located in a building that housed the last synagogue in Girona in the 15th Century. Nowadays, it hosts theMuseum of History of the Jews and the Institute of Nahmánides Studies.
The Cathedral has got lots of different styles because it was built during several centuries (11th – 18th Centuries). It has a cloister and the Carlemany’s Tower from the first Romanesque building and its most spectacular part, the nave, the widest vaulted Gothic room in the world.
But there are other buildings from the Romanesque period. The Monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants (12th Century) is one of the most important Lombard Romanesque buildings in Catalonia, and the most noteworthy aspects of this building are the capitals of the church and the cloister. Sant Feliu’s basilica has a large part of the Romanesque building and it’s completed by Gothic naves and roofs and a Baroque façade, but its main attractiveness are the eight Roman and Early Christianity sepulchers. Finally, the Arab Baths are a Romanesque construction from the 12th Century, although they are called Arab Baths because they remind of the Moslem North African baths. The frigidarium is roofed with a notable annular vault.
In addition, Girona has Carolingian and late Medieval walls (19th and 15th Centuries) that delimit theHistoricalCenter in the East. Nowadays, they are an exceptional viewpoint of the city, where people can go for a nice walk.
Another attraction of the city is the museums, which have really interesting collections. Some of the most notables are the Museum of Archaeology –which shows the ancient history of Girona, from the prehistory to the medieval age–, the Museum of Art –with art connected to Girona and its environment from the Romanesque period to the 20th Century–, or the Museum of History of Jews –which shows the history of Jewish communities in Catalonia–.
But there are other things in Girona apart from history and architecture. Girona is alive and it has always something to offer. You can discover the Tuesday and Saturday markets by walking through the city, and find the shops in the street that are celebrated throughout the year. Girona has a great commercial offer and its pedestrian center invites you to walk and enjoy with the shops and cafés, which make the city center a zone full of activity.
In the other hand, there’s also a wide cultural offer. One of the most special activities is “Girona temps de flors”. For some days, the city is dressed with flowers prepared by professionals and amateurs, and the city becomes a show of aromas and colors. The precious heritage of Girona turns into a huge artistic creation.
The Insomni Festival was born in 2004 and is one of the most eclectic festivals inCatalonia. It’s one of the main cultural events in Girona. And the Temporada Alta Festival is celebrated every autumn and it presents the latest theatrical productions in an international level. It’s nowadays one of the most important festivals for theatre lovers inCatalonia.
There are other activities that show the good condition of culture in Girona, like the Guitar Festival, the Jazz Festival, the A Cappella Festival, the Amateur Theatre Festival or the Independent Art Festival Pepe Sales, amongst others. Girona has cultural offers to every taste.
And it also has natural offers; Girona is located in an exceptional place, because it’s between the sea and the mountain and at the intersection of four rivers. A big part of its territory is cataloged as a protected area and you can find lots of different landscapes in the surroundings of the city. So its environment is the ideal scene for active and nature tourism, by doing some of the activities that you can find there: hill walking, running and cycling, kayaking, horse riding, Segway riding and going in a hot-air balloon.