Girona Day Trip from Barcelona by Train

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.

Table of Contents

Getting from Barcelona to Girona by train

A Girona day trip from Barcelona is very easy to do 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. 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.

Finally, three important facts about buying your train tickets from Barcelona to Girona: 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 and you need to go through a security check which might take some time.

How to get around in Girona

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

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

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 to that later.

Highlights of what to do in Girona

Walk The City Wall

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.

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

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.

Cross Some Pedestrian Bridges

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 Gustav Eiffel. Name sound familiar? It should, that’s the architect behind the Eiffel Tour.

bridge in Girona designed by Gustav Eiffel — Gustav Eiffel designed this bridge in Girona

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.

Geek Out At Some Game Of Thrones Filming Locations

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.

Stairs in front of the Cathedral in Girona — Do you recognise the view from GoT?

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 vegan restaurant B-12 has a great lunch menu, you can choose a starter, main, dessert and drink for a very reasonable price. Their craft beer is supposed to be amazing but I don’t drink beer, so I didn’t try any myself.

Why a Girona day trip from Barcelona is worth it

Girona is definitely worth visiting if you are a Game of Thrones or Gustav Eiffel fan, if you enjoy city walls and pedestrian bridges or if you just like walking around a medieval city.

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.

Other day trips from Barcelona you might like

FAQ

Is Girona worth a day trip?

Short answer: 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.