Girona took me by surprise. Blame that on a busy month which did not really give me a chance to research in detail about Girona before the travel. So I guess in a way I wasn’t expecting its beautiful, well preserved medieval town. What I also didn’t realise at the time of my visit was that the town served as the location for Game of Thrones’ city of Braavos and also a bit of Westeros (Remember Great Sept of Baelor from Season 6?).
Girona is one of the most important cities of Spain’s Catalonian region. The city was originally founded by Romans, and some of the walls from two thousand years back still stand. The city later expanded under different rules and many of the structures built during medieval times still stand today. The best way to explore the city is by walking and eventually losing yourself in the myriad of alleys and cobbled streets.
Explore Girona in 2 days
We made a two day visit to Girona from Barcelona of which half a day was spent at Dali’s museum in Figueres and Palafrugell, and the rest in the medieval town of Girona. Like always I wish I had more time so I could walk those streets once again. But alas, a day job offers only that much escape. Nonetheless, 2 days were quite sufficient to experience the old town’s charm. Read on for some of the sights of Girona you should visit.
Eiffel bridge
Start with Eiffel bridge. Constructed by the same man who built the Eiffel Tower, the bridge leads to the inner town and gives off views of Girona’s houses by river OnyarHouses painted in Catalonia’s colors stand by river Onyar
Rambla de la Libertat
The bridge ends in the main pedestrian street of Girona – Rambla de la Llibertat. Lots of places along the street for a quick bite and chilling in the shade of trees lining the streetRambla continues on – more shops, more houses
Lose yourself in the myriad of alleys and streets
Endless stone steps lead up to alleys lined with designer shopsMore steps, and another alley to explore
Spot Game of Thrones locations in Girona
Walk along to reach Catedral de Girona, a most magnificent building. Set higher up from the city, one needs to climb 91 steps to reach the doors. Sure is a test for the pilgrims. As the Cathedral was built over 8 centuries, there are elements of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture. It also served as the location for Great Sept of Baelor in Game of Thrones Season 6. Think of Jamie riding up those massive steps on horseback to confront the High Sparrow.
View down from the top of steps. This is where the High Sparrow stand confronting Jamie. This view was modified in the sceneThese stairs and alleys served as the city of Braavos streets. Think of Arya on these steps escaping from the Waif
Take a walk on the medieval city walls
Want a bird’s eye view of the city? Climb up to the fortifications which once surrounded and defended the old city. A lot of the wall was damaged or removed, and the part that stands today is mostly due to extensive restoration work. A walk up here shows the Roman as well as medieval structures of the old town. By far it was my favorite part of the day with incredible views stretching across Girona.The other part of the city fortificationsGirona’s cathedral towering above the city. The old walls from Roman times are also visible here
Walk, and then walk some more
The best thing you will do in Girona is wander around and take in the beauty at every step. Or if you are like me, also imagine how Braavos came to life (unfortunately, in retrospect) in the city’s walls, worn down stone stairs and narrow alleys.
Those stairs sure remind me of GOT…..Yeah seeing those pics does make u imagine all those characters seem like belonging there ….The pics r beautiful and capture the character of the place.
Hahah. I did i did, a lot of it actually. Next location should be Malta or maybe even some other locations across Croatia. I need a reason to visit Croatia again anyway !
I had no idea about Game of Thrones having been shot there too when I walked the alleys of Girona. A dream wrought in medieval stones. It made for one of the best memories out of my Spanish adventures. Those photos of yours are lovely. Took me right back to it. xx
Aw thanks. My wonderment for GoT was quite retrospective as well and I ended up watching rerun of Season 6 to spot locations. Haha. It surely was a dream and am glad I took time off Barca to go there. Thanks for reading xx
This is on my places to visit next year! Looks beautiful xxx
Wonderful. Lots of medieval charm in Girona. Walk all you can when you visit ! Xx
Always! Xx
Those stairs sure remind me of GOT…..Yeah seeing those pics does make u imagine all those characters seem like belonging there ….The pics r beautiful and capture the character of the place.
Thank you 🙂 Yeah the place sure does have a medieval vibe to it transporting you to a bygone era. Thanks for reading !
I thought you had your share of GOT in Croatia 😉 what’s the next GOT location !
Hahah. I did i did, a lot of it actually. Next location should be Malta or maybe even some other locations across Croatia. I need a reason to visit Croatia again anyway !
I had no idea about Game of Thrones having been shot there too when I walked the alleys of Girona. A dream wrought in medieval stones. It made for one of the best memories out of my Spanish adventures. Those photos of yours are lovely. Took me right back to it. xx
Aw thanks. My wonderment for GoT was quite retrospective as well and I ended up watching rerun of Season 6 to spot locations. Haha. It surely was a dream and am glad I took time off Barca to go there. Thanks for reading xx
These towns near Barcelona were actually more fascinating for me than the big city itself! Though I liked it enough. xx
Totally agree!