Girona

hi

im going on a holiday for a week to girona. can anyone recommend things to do. also what are the markets like? also thinking about hiring a car for the week. can you recommend any companies, have priced hertz, but seems expensive.
thanks

jt_dublin

Hi foxylass,

Girona is a lovely city, as is the surrounding area. We are heading to that region in September for the 3rd time in 12 months!

We usually stay down on the coast as there are some beautiful towns & villages down there. If you want to stay by the sea then Begur would be my no. 1 recommendation followed closely by Tossa de Mar. They are only about 40 minutes from Girona. Begur has some Cuban links and there is a Cuban festival there on the first weekend of September. There are lovely little coves, lots of little fishing villages and beautiful coastal footpaths to explore.

Heading north / north-west from Girona, there is beautiful countryside full of mountains, valleys and beautiful medieval towns. Drive the loop of the Garrotxa volcanic national park around Banyoles, Besalu, Olot & Santa Pau. It is fantastic.

Towards Begur, you have the medieval towns of Pals & Peratallada which are well worth a visit.

Further up the coast is the fishing village of Cadaques and Port Lligat, where you can visit Salvador Dali's house & workshop. On the way is the medieval town of Sant Pere Pescador and the greek / roman ruins of Empuries.

Back in Girona itself, a couple of days would be enough to see the main sights and explore the town. You can walk around the old quarter, the city walls, enjoy the many shops, tapas bars etc... There was a tapas festival when we were there last september. Each bar has it's own signature one, and you get a tapas & beer for 2 quid. You can vote for your favourite. Also in September there is a festival, re-enacting scenes from the Napoleonic sieges of the early 1800's. We were woken one morning to the sound of cannons & gunfire going off outide our building. We had breakfast in the nearby square watching this fantastic street theatre.

We also love good food, and heard about a restaurant in Girona called Cellar de Can Roca. It was the number 2 restaurant in the world last year. We tried to book before the holiday last year but there was an 11 month waiting list for a friday or saturday night. So we booked for this year and will be going when we are over there next month. Since we booked it has moved up a spot and is now voted number 1 in the world. Yippee! The reason I am telling you about it is that you may get a midweek sitting at short notice, or possibly get a cancellation. Our itinerary was already planned last year so only the friday or saturday suited.

Here is an article from the Telegraph with an itinerary to see the main sights.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destination/spain/104245/36-Hours-In...-Girona.html



I am looking at car hire myself at the moment. Last year I only paid €122 for a compact car for 9 days(it should have been about a Ford Focus but they upgraded me to a very large Citroen!) I usually book thru www.ebookers.ie or www.arguscarhire.com but the prices are over €200 for 9 days this time. I am hoping that they will come down over the next few weeks once the summer rush is over!

Even though we were staying in Girona for a few days before heading to the coast, it was cheaper to rent the car and keep it for the whole holiday instead of taking taxis from / to the airport and renting a car for the days in between. If you are staying the old part of Girona, then there is free parking just outside the old walls. Take a look at the street called Carrer Muralla on google maps.

I'm sure you will enjoy your holiday. We definitely feel like we will keep going back there time & time again.

If I can offer any further advice, please let me know.

Best of luck,
JT.

john kinsella

I went to Celler de Can Roca last year in Girona. (9month waiting list then)

As poster mentioned above its the best restaurant in the world now.

Best experience of my life. Give them a shout for a cancellation, doubt they will have one but worth a try.

Expensive though at €550 for the 2 of us for full tasting menu and matching wines.

Girona Old Town is beautiful.

Bring a phrase Catalan phrase book if you can. I found not much English speakers around but they will try their best if you show a bit of effort.

Enjoy

THANKS FOR THAT. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. DEF WONT BE TRYING THAT PLACE TO EAT. MY BUDGET JUST ISNT IN IT. SOUNDS LOVELY THOUGH. HOPE YOU BOTH ENJOY/ENJOYED IT.