Girona in 3 days

Catalonia's walled river city: colour-stacked houses, a Jewish quarter and Game of Thrones steps. Best time to visit: April-June and September-October. Average daily budget: $110 to $190 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: Barri Vell (Old Town), Stone lanes, arcaded Rambla and the cathedral staircase at its heart.

Morning: Girona Cathedral. Climb the 86-step baroque staircase and see Europe's widest Gothic nave.

Afternoon: Explore Barri Vell (Old Town), Stone lanes, arcaded Rambla and the cathedral staircase at its heart.

Evening: Walk the city walls. Follow the Passeig de la Muralla for rooftop and hillside views end to end.

Eat: Xuixo, a fried cream-filled Girona pastry

Day 2, Go deeper

Base: El Call, The dense former Jewish quarter with its museum and narrow stepped alleys.

Morning: El Call Jewish quarter. Wander the medieval alleys and the Museum of Jewish History.

Afternoon: Explore El Call, The dense former Jewish quarter with its museum and narrow stepped alleys.

Evening: Onyar river houses. Shoot the colour-stacked facades from Pont de les Peixateries Velles.

Eat: Botifarra with mongetes and escalivada

Day 3, Hidden side

Base: Mercadal & Eixample, The modern side across the river with shops, tapas bars and better-value hotels.

Morning: The Arab Baths, a 12th-century bathhouse with a skylit octagonal pool.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Mercadal & Eixample, The modern side across the river with shops, tapas bars and better-value hotels.

Evening: Sant Feliu church's Roman and early Christian sarcophagi set into its walls.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Suquet de peix, Costa Brava fish stew

Hidden gems

The Arab Baths, a 12th-century bathhouse with a skylit octagonal pool.
Sant Feliu church's Roman and early Christian sarcophagi set into its walls.
Casa Masó, the riverside home of architect Rafael Masó, open by tour.
Cinema Museum, an unusually good collection of pre-cinema optical devices.

Getting around

Girona-Costa Brava airport is 20 minutes out with mostly low-cost routes, and high-speed trains reach Barcelona in 38 minutes and Figueres in 15. The old town is entirely walkable, if steep and stepped, and the train and bus stations sit a 15-minute walk west. Buses serve Costa Brava towns in summer, but a car makes coves, Besalú and Pyrenean villages far easier.

Safety

Girona is one of Spain's safest cities, with occasional pickpocketing on the Rambla and around the cathedral the main risk. The real issues are physical: steep stairways, polished stone that turns slick in rain and long wall walks with little shade in summer heat. Some Call alleys are poorly lit at night, and Catalan protest marches can close central streets.

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