Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
beautifulmedievalcity,witholdandnewtownsdividedbytheriver,whichiscrisscrossedby
footbridges, with pastel-coloured houses reflected in the waters below. The compact wedge
of land that comprises the old town contains all the sights and monuments, and it takes only
half an hour or so to walk from end to end - making historic Girona an easily manageable
and very enjoyable day-trip from Barcelona.
Catedral
Pl. de la Catedral • Mon-Sat 10am-7.30pm (Nov-March 10am-6.30pm), Sun 10am-2pm • €7, includes audio-
guide and visit to nave, treasury and cloister, Sun free & under-7s free • catedraldegirona.org
Centrepiece of the old city is the Catedral , a mighty Gothic structure approached by a mag-
nificent flight of seventeenth-century Baroque steps. Inside, there are no aisles, just one tre-
mendous Gothic nave vault with a span of 22m. This emphasis on width and height is a fea-
tureofCatalan-Gothic,withits“hallchurches”,ofwhich,unsurprisingly,Girona'sistheulti-
mate example. The displayed treasures of the cathedral include the famous eleventh-century
“Creation Tapestry” - the best piece of Romanesque textile in existence. But it's the exquis-
iteRomanesque cloisters (1180-1210)thatmakethestrongestimpression,boastingminutely
carved figures and scenes on double columns.
Banys Arabs
C/Ferran el Catòlic • April-Sept Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun & hols 10am-2pm; Oct-March Mon-Sat
10am-2pm • €2, under-16s €1 • 972 190 797, banysarabs.cat
Through the twin-towered Portal de Sobreportas, below the cathedral, are the intact remains
of Girona's so-called Banys Arabs , the best-preserved ancient baths in Spain after those
at Granada. Probably designed by Moorish craftsmen in the thirteenth century, a couple of
hundred years after the Moors' occupation of Girona had ended, they feature three principal
rooms for different temperatures, with an underfloor heating system.
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