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A Perfect Girona Day Trip from Barcelona by Train

Are you considering doing a Girona day trip from Barcelona? You should, it’s beautiful!

I was really unsure if I should do a day trip from Barcelona to Girona by train because I wasn’t sure if Girona is worth visiting. But when I got there I loved it. Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for city walls, where you can walk on top of, and for colourful houses next to some water.

Girona has both and much more. Continue reading to find out why my Girona day trip from Barcelona was one of my favourite day trips. 

🤩 I love this private walking tour of Girona because all the entrance fees are included!

Getting from Barcelona to Girona by train

Girona day trip from Barcelona
Don’t you just love those colourful houses next to the river?

A trip to Girona is one of the best day trips from Barcelona by public transportation. There are multiple direct trains from Barcelona to Girona every day which takes about 40 minutes. You can check the train times here.

I went from Barcelona to Girona by high-speed train which sets off at Barcelona Sants station. If you do the same and buy your ticket on the same day I would recommend getting there at least half an hour earlier. The train station is very big, and it took me some time to get my ticket sorted. 

The easiest way to get your ticket from Barcelona to Girona is at the grey Renfe machines (the Spanish railway service), not at the orange machines for regional trains (I queued up there for nothing).

You can also get your ticket from Barcelona to Girona from a clerk, for that, you have to draw a number and wait your turn. The numbers are not in any order I could recognise, so there’s no saying how long you have to queue up for and there were a lot of people waiting when I was there. So, better to stick to the machines.

3 important tips for the Girona Barcelona train

There are three important facts you should know before heading to the train station to take a high speed train:

  • It’s cheaper to get a return ticket than two one-way tickets, so you need to know the exact train you want to take back.
  • For high-speed trains, you need your passport number to buy the ticket.
  • You need to go through a security check which might take some time. 

The advantage of taking a Girona tour from Barcelona

It’s perfectly easy to get a train from Barcelona to Girona and explore the city on your own. The only advantage of taking a Girona day tour from Barcelona is if you want to combine your visit to Girona with another destination.

With a guided tour, you can combine the trip to Girona with a trip to the beautiful Costa Brava, the stunning coastal region in the north of Catalonia.

Top Pick
Barcelona to Cadaqués

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Girona and Costa Brava Small-Group Tour from Barcelona

✅ Walking tour of Girona

✅ Visit to a small authentic coastal village

✅ Small group (max 8 people)

How to get around in Girona

View of colourful houses in Girona
Walk around the beautiful city to discover amazing views

The Girona train station is just a short walk away from the town centre. And the old town of the medieval city of Girona is relatively small, so you can explore the entire old city on foot.

In my opinion, that’s the best way of exploring a city anyway. You can already take in so much of the atmosphere of a city by just walking through its narrow streets.

I recommend seeing everything in the city you want and afterwards heading back towards the train station on top of the city walls. From the city walls, you have an amazing view of the city but more on that later.

Highlights of what to do in Girona

1. Walk the city wall

city walls of Girona
Me, super excited about being on the Girona city walls

The Girona day trip from Barcelona is worth it if you love walkable city walls like me. I don’t know what it is about them, but it’s just so cool to be able to walk on old walls halfway surrounding a city. You always get the best views from the city walls.

As cool as the viewing points in Barcelona are, there’s just something about viewing a city from its walls.

There are multiple towers you can walk up to. The tower furthest to the east seems to be the most popular with guided tours. But if you’re physically capable might as well walk up every tower and enjoy the city view from a different angle. 

A little tip: only enter the city walls in the east, behind the cathedral, if you visited everything you wanted there. Then you can head back towards the train station on the city wall, otherwise, you have to go back on yourself. 

🤩 I love this walking tour of Girona for being affordable and giving a great overview of Girona!

2. Cross some pedestrian bridges

bridge in Girona designed by Gustav Eiffel
The Eiffel Bridge in Girona designed by Gustave Eiffel

A day trip to Girona is worth visiting if you enjoy walking over pedestrian bridges and you like colourful houses next to the waterfront. 

There are a lot of pedestrian bridges you can walk over in Girona. The most famous bridge is Pont de les Peixateries Velles which was designed by Gustave Eiffel. Name sound familiar? It should, that’s the architect behind the famous Eiffel Tower. 

Don’t miss out on some of the other bridges either though. The bridges themselves might not be that special but the views are. My favourite view was from Pont d’en Gómez o de la princesa

When I visited in mid-October the water level was very low but you could still see the reflection of the colourful houses which made it a stunning view. 

🤩 I love this private tour of Girona because all the entrance fees are included!

3. Geek out at some Game of Thrones filming locations

Stairs in front of the Cathedral in Girona
Location of the Girona Walk of Shame from Margery

The one thing Girona is internationally most known for is that it was a filming location for Game of Thrones.

Once you wander around the medieval town you immediately know why the town is one of the filming locations for the HBO hit series. You can actually recognise the locations as well when you stand in front of them and look up the scene on your phone.

Just the year before I visited Girona, I visited Dubrovnik in Croatia, another filming location, and even though the two cities are very different in many regards, Girona still reminded me of Dubrovnik with its city wall and medieval city streets. 

The most recognisable locations are the steps leading up to the cathedral, where Queen Margery was about to have her walk of shame. Cerci had her walk of shame in Dubrovnik. 

In Carrer del Bisbe Josep Cartañà, just behind the cathedral, Arya was begging on the streets of Braavos.

You can find a detailed list of all the filming locations at gameofthronesspain.com.

🤩 Take a Game of Thrones walking tour so you don’t miss any filming locations!

4. Visit the Arab Baths in Girona

A historic Arab bath with a small pool with columns around it in the middle
The Arab baths were also a Game of Thrones filming location

The Arab baths in Girona, the Banys Àrabs, were first built in the 12th century and since the early 20th century the baths are open to the public as a museum.

It’s one of the best-preserved Romanesque public baths from this time so it’s a great place to visit for all history lovers.

But it’s also another perfect spot for Game of Thrones fans. The scene of Water Gardens of Dorne was filmed there.

🤩 Learn about the history of Girona from a knowledgable tour guide!

5. Wander through the Jewish quarter

A fork in a path; both paths are very narrow with cobblestones in Girona
The Jewish quarter in the historic center of Girona

The Jewish Quarter is located in the old town of Girona, near the Onyar River and it’s one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in Europe.

It was inhabited by the Jewish community until the 15th century and today it’s one of the most popular tourist attractions in Girona.

You can just wander through the narrow cobblestone streets or you can visit the museum of Jewish history in the building of the last synagogue in Girona.

Where to go for vegan food in Girona

A great place for lunch is at Plaça del Vi, you get a nice view of the square and luckily the only vegan restaurant in Girona is also located there. There is also one vegan food stall at the market, but it was already closed when I arrived in Girona.

The best restaurant in Girona for vegans is B-12. It has a great lunch menu, you can choose a starter, main, dessert and drink for a very reasonable price. The prices are so much cheaper than in the vegan restaurants I visited in Barcelona.

Their craft beer is supposed to be amazing but I don’t drink beer, so I didn’t try any myself. 

Is Girona worth visiting?

Cathedral in Girona
Girona cathedral

Girona is definitely worth visiting for all Game of Thrones fans or Gustav Eiffel admirers. It’s also one of the best places to be if you enjoy city walls and pedestrian bridges or if you just like walking around a medieval city. 

In my opinion, Girona is one of the best medieval towns in Europe.

I really enjoyed my Girona day trip from Barcelona. I spent about four and a half hours there, but I could easily have spent some more time there. In general, I think a day trip is still enough to see everything of interest in Girona. 

FAQ about a Girona day trip from Barcelona

Is Girona worth a day trip?

Girona is definitely worth a day trip from Barcelona or from Figueres. I would recommend setting off early though so you have enough time in Girona.

How do I spend a day in Girona?

The best thing to do in Girona is simply to walk around. Walk on top of the city wall and enjoy the view of the city, walk over many pedestrian bridges and marvel at the reflection of the colourful houses in the river and walk through the old town and think about the Game of Thrones scene which took place here.

Is Girona walkable?

Girona is the perfect place to discover on foot, even the train station is just a short walk from the city centre.

How much time to spend in Girona?

One day is enough to see all the highlights of this gorgeous medieval city. You should at least spend 4 hours in Girona, but more is definitely better.

Final thoughts: Barcelona to Girona day trip

This day trip to Girona from Barcelona was my favourite day trip from Barcelona. I just loved the colourful houses and the pedestrian bridges. Walking on the city walls and discovering Game of Thrones filming locations was also an amazing experience.

So, if you spend a few days in Barcelona and you have time for a day trip, I highly recommend doing a day trip to Girona.

🤩 I love this private walking tour of Girona for visiting all the best attractions!

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colourful houses next to a river and a bridge; text says "Day Trip to GIRONA"