Girona is one of the cities with most personality in Catalonia, with a very rich heritage from the past and an imposing series of historical monuments. The population of the present-day city is about 90,000 and its surface area is 38.38 km².
Located in the valley of the river Ter, at its confluence with the rivers Güell, Galligants and Onyar -for this reason, it has been called the city of the four rivers-, Girona occupies a strategic site at the traditional passing-point between the North Eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe.
Walking through Girona is a whole discovery in itself, with streets large and small to get lost in. It has always been an open city, as is clear from the different historical remnants that can be found: whether they be Romanesque or Gothic, of Jewish or of Muslim origin. The Call, or former Jewish quarter which flourished from the 9th to the 15th centuries, still preserves the magic of its narrow inter-crossing alleys, with the Bonastruc ça Porta Centre as the undeniable centre of interest. The Call merges into the rest of the Old Town, with its sites full of history and its Cathedral (14th- 17th centuries), a spectacular building with the widest Gothic nave in the world (nearly 23 metres across).
Costa Brava
The Costa Brava is only 30 kilometres from Girona, with its magnificent scenery and outstanding beaches with their clean, transparent water, certified for their high environmental quality and wonderful climate. The Cap de Creus nature reserve, the Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, the Medes islands, and the coves of Begur, Palafrugell, Cadaqués and Tossa de Mar are among the typical landmarks of the area, without forgetting the medieval villages of Pals, Peratallada and Púbol or the botanical gardens of Santa Clotilde, Pinya de Rosa and Marimurtra. All this makes for a wide variety of leisure and nature activities to meet all tastes.
Figueres
Figueres is the home town of the great artist Salvador Dalí. It is also a very attractive town in itself, with shops, café terraces, elegant houses, and more than a little magic. The town's centre of attraction, however, is undeniably the Dalí Theatre and Museum, where you can see works such as Galarina, the Spectre of Sex-Appeal, or Atomic Leda; surrealist montages like the Rain-beaten Taxi and the Mae West Room; or the painter's recurrent obsessions, such as his roots in the local Empordà region, or the figure of Gala.
Barcelona
Less than 100 kilometres from Girona, Barcelona is a highly cosmopolitan city and a large-scale tourist attraction. Located next to the sea, it is famous for its Gothic Quarter that is so full of history, for the Rambla with its unique atmosphere that can be found nowhere else in the world, and for the inexhaustible wealth of its cultural heritage (the Picasso Museum, the Sagrada Família, Parc Güell, the Fundació Miró, etc.). In addition to all this its gastronomic diversity, represented by hundreds of restaurants and its many markets, and its night-life with an endless variety of choices, make Barcelona an unusual, inexhaustible and extraordinarily exhilarating city.
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees offer a wide range of opportunities to practise mountain sports, or to undertake cultural tours of the Romanesque architecture of the region. Here you can discover the El Cadí-Moixeró nature reserve, the Volcanic Zone of La Garrotxa, and charming villages such as Santa Pau, Besalú, Beget, Hostalets de Bas, and many more. The main sporting activity in the Girona Pyrenees is concentrated in the area's five ski resorts (four for Alpine skiing and one for the cross-country version of the sport): Guils Fontanera, La Molina, Masella, Vall de Núria, Vallter 2000.
Andorra
Less than two hours from Girona, the tiny principality of Andorra is a land of surprises: beautiful scenery, a well-preserved cultural heritage, shops with highly competitive prices, and of course its many ski slopes. A wide range of activities for all tastes.
More information at Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona
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