The Catalan city of Girona is the smart choice for those who have found Barcelona just a bit too much...Founded by the Romans, the old town has a strong medieval feel with its looming gothic Cathedral which proved an ideal backdrop for Game of Thrones.
Visiting the Arab Baths is a reminder of Girona's more complicated past, as is El Call, the former Jewish Quarter which is one of the best preserved in Spain. There's a Museum of Jewish History where you can learn more about it.
Walking the restored city walls gives you great views of the city with the Pyrenees forming a backdrop, and at the west end is the picturesque Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants where you will find the Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya. Views of the River Onyar, and the pretty painted houses that back on to it, are also some of the most photographed, especially the Casa Masó - home of Girona's favourite architect, Rafael Masó. Two of his best works (Farinera Teixidor and La Punxa) are near the railway station.
As for food and drink, there are great places to eat all over town, but one quirky place is Federal which was created on the concept of being in a remote part of Australia...For atmosphere, the Plaça de la Independència has a nice hubbub in the evenings thanks to being an enclosed square. But whatever you eat make sure leave some space for Girona's local super-charged custard doughnut, the xuixo - patisseries all over town sell them.
If you want to be here for a festival, then you can come pretty much any time you like as there are festivals most months.
Highlights
Wander around the Medieval town, Jewish quarter (El Call) and whist there, why not visit the Jewish history museum
Visit the Cathedral - especially if you are a Game of Thrones fan
Explore the 3km city walls
Visit the Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants - home of the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia
Station stroll ideas
Waiting for a train? Got an hour or two to spare and fancy seeing some sights while stretching your legs? Here are some details of a 3km stroll around Medieval Girona which takes in the main sights on the way and a google map that has a suggested walk.
Guided tours
If you are looking for a guided tour, I'd recommend getting in touch with Anna.
Luggage
If you want to stroll without a care in the world, including your luggage, you could try using the nannybag app to find a place that will take your bags.
If you want to get an idea of what the place is like before you go, here are a couple of videos.
In this article I find out what the 'point' is, explore the medieval quarter, (a location for Game of Thrones), then on an beyond the vast city walls
...and here's a short video featuring Girona at night
Getting there
Girona is 3 hours from Nimes, 3 1⁄4 hours from Avignon and 4 1⁄4 hours from Lyon.
If you are coming directly from Paris high-speed trains take 6 hours to reach Girona or you could take the night train from Paris to Cerbere and then hop on a local train which will take around an hour.
Useful links
Tourist info: https://www.girona.cat/turisme
Where next?
How about Barcelona?