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Barcelona may be the place that initially brings most travelers to Catalonia, but Girona ended up being one of my favorite places from our entire trip through Northern Spain. It has many of the things I loved about Barcelona – incredible architecture, layers of history, narrow streets and really good food – but everything is packed into a much smaller, more walkable city. Add Tossa de Mar less than an hour away, and you get something completely different: a beautiful Mediterranean beach sitting beneath the walls of a historic medieval town.
Both Girona and Tossa de Mar are easy enough to visit as day trips from Barcelona, but I think that would be selling this part of Catalonia short. This 3 day Girona and Costa Brava itinerary gives you time to actually enjoy Girona instead of racing through its biggest sights, while still setting aside a full day for Tossa de Mar and the Mediterranean.
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Girona and Costa Brava Itinerary at a Glance
For this itinerary, I would spend at least two nights in Girona. I recommend staying close to downtown, which is veryyyy walkable (more on this later!).
Tossa de Mar is a short drive from Girona, making it an easy side trip. With my version of the itinerary, you’ll spend two days exploring Girona, and the third day head to Tossa de Mar in the morning. Technically – this itinerary will work well if you wanted to spend three nights in Girona and switch the second and third day as well.
Day 1: Arrive and Explore Girona
I wouldn’t try to schedule every major attraction for your first afternoon. Girona is compact, but there is enough here that it’s worth giving yourself some room to wander instead of treating the city like a checklist. Start your Girona itinerary by checking into your hotel, dropping off your luggage and heading through Girona’s Bari Vell and Jewish Quarter – toward the Onyar River, where you’ll get your first view of Girona’s colorful riverfront!
Explore Girona’s Jewish Quarter
Make your way through Bari Vell (old downtown) into Girona’s Jewish Quarter, or El Call. This is where I would stop worrying about following Google Maps perfectly and just start wandering! The narrow stone streets, staircases and passageways are part of what makes Girona so atmospheric, and this is one of those areas where taking a wrong turn is honestly part of the experience.
Girona had one of the most important Jewish communities in medieval Catalonia, and the Jewish Quarter remains one of the best-preserved in Europe. Unfortunately, the Jewish community was expelled from Spain in 1492 if they declined to convert – so although it’s called the “Jewish Quarter”, it has actually been many years since the area was occupied by a Jewish community.
If you’re particularly interested in this history, you can also visit the Museum of Jewish History, but I would consider that an optional addition depending on how much time you have. I didn’t make it there, so it’s on my list for my next visit!
When walking through the Jewish quarter, don’t forget to bring your camera and your wallet! Work your way through the narrow streets, in and out of boutique and souvenir shops – and don’t forget to stop for some espresso or gelato!
Walk Along the Onyar River and Cross the Eiffel Bridge
There are a few bridges you can cross over the Onyar River – but the most recognizable is the bright red Pont de les Peixateries Velles. It’s commonly called the Eiffel Bridge because it was designed by Gustave Eiffel’s company before the Eiffel Tower was built in Paris.
Walk through this iconic red bridge and view the pink, orange and yellow houses lining the river front, with the cathedral and church towers rising in the background. They’re not overly polished, but I loved the view regardless. This bridge connects the Jewish Quarter with the main plaza: Plaça de la Independència.
Stop at Plaça de la Independència
After spending time in the tight medieval streets, Plaça de la Independència feels surprisingly open. There’s arcaded buildings surrounding the entire plaza and restaurants filling much of the ground level.
There are plenty of choices to eat around here – but they do fill up quickly! We were recommended to try Restaurant Girona Casa Marieta, which sits right inside the plaza. But unfortunately, we never made it there!
Have a Catalan Dinner
We ended up choosing to eat at Taverna d’El Foment. They serve Catalan cuisine, and everything we ate was delicious. I highly recommend the duck!
After dinner, I would walk through the old town again instead of heading straight back to your hotel. This is one of the biggest reasons I think Girona deserves an overnight stay. I enjoyed just observing the night culture in Spain – people congregating at the local restaurants, laughing, eating and drinking.
Once many of the day-trippers return to Barcelona and restaurants fill up, the streets become noticeably quieter and you can actually enjoy the old stone alleys and riverfront without feeling like you need to hurry toward the train station.
Day 2: Girona Cathedral, Arab Baths and the City Walls
This is the day to see Girona’s major historic sites, but I would give yourself far more breathing room than we did. We managed to fit an enormous amount into our day in Girona, but I don’t necessarily recommend recreating the pace. Like – I showed up at the Arab Baths 10 minutes before closing!
The upside is that I can confidently say you can accomplish a lot here in a short period of time because Girona’s main attractions are so close together. The downside is that I kept finding places I wanted more time to explore, which is why this itinerary spreads Girona across two days instead!
Visit Girona Cathedral
I would start your morning at Girona Cathedral, and this is one attraction I would absolutely pay to go inside.
After visiting so many churches and cathedrals around Europe, it can be tempting to think you’ve already seen enough of them – but Girona’s Cathedral was 1000% worth it for me. Of course, the cathedral itself is beautiful, but I loved walking outside into its plaza, upstairs to see old stained glass windows – and especially the museum and treasury.
I wasn’t expecting that part to be nearly as interesting as it was, and it made the experience feel different from some of the other cathedrals we had visited during the trip. The collection includes religious artwork, historic objects and the famous medieval Tapestry of Creation, which was easily one of the more unusual pieces we saw inside a church.
I would plan on spending at least an hour here, and potentially longer if you enjoy history or art!
Walk to the Arab Baths
From the Cathedral, the Arab Baths are only a short walk away. Despite their name, these are not surviving Muslim baths but rather a medieval Romanesque bathhouse inspired by Roman and Islamic bathing traditions.
We arrived very close to closing – genuinely around ten minutes before they shut the doors!
But don’t worry if you only have a few minutes – it honestly only takes about 10 minutes to walk through the museum.
The most memorable part is the central room (at the beginning) with columns surrounding a small octagonal pool beneath an opening in the ceiling (pictured here).
The baths are fairly small and don’t require a huge amount of time. They are a few other rooms where you can watch some videos about the historic practices as well.
But, even if you take your time I can’t imagine this being more than a 30 minute adventure.
Give Yourself Time to Wander
The beautiful thing about Girona is that you don’t need to fill every moment of your schedule to relax and take in the city. Some of my favorite moments were simply walking through the old streets and seeing where they led rather than rushing directly from attraction to attraction.
After visiting the Cathedral and Arab Baths, I would deliberately leave some empty space in the schedule. Walk back through the Jewish Quarter, explore the little shops and follow whichever staircases or alleys look interesting!
Grab some lunch and try a xuixo!
It’s Girona’s signature pastry – essentially a fried, sugar-coated pastry filled with custard, and yes, it’s every bit as indulgent as that sounds.
I love trying foods that are specifically associated with a destination, and this is exactly the kind of thing I wouldn’t skip in Girona!
You can find xuixos at bakeries around the city, so you don’t need to build your entire afternoon around tracking down one particular shop.
Find Your Way Up to the City Walls
Then comes one of my favorite parts of Girona: the Passeig de la Muralla.
I say “find your way” very intentionally because getting onto the walls turned into a bit of an adventure for me. I could see where I wanted to go, but figuring out the correct entrance and how to actually get up there was less obvious than expected!
Anyway, I had a great time wandering up and down staircases trying to figure out which ones led to the main wall. There are multiple ways to access the wall. I started near the Arab baths and climbed UP – and followed the trail until it started to go downhill. It’s a nice path as it crosses next to some forested trails as well. I wandered into the parking lot, then started found a hilly entrance at the far end. I wandered around for a while before finally finding the right way.
Apparently if you walk INSIDE the walls, you’ll be able to see several staircases and entrances from here. But honestly, just enjoy exploring it.
I really recommend watching the sunset from here, but leave some time to explore and find your way up the wall. Walking along Girona’s old defensive walls gives you a completely different perspective of the city, and you can climb into several towers along the route for even better views. From up here, you look over tiled rooftops, the Cathedral, church towers and the hills surrounding Girona.
My personal favorite was the second tower (from the top). I think it has the best view!
Note there are stairs and elevation changes, so this isn’t just a flat promenade. I actually liked that because it made it feel more like an experience than a simple viewpoint! Just wear good walking shoes and be prepared for a bit of exercise.
Day 3: Tossa de Mar and the Costa Brava
Today I recommend trading Girona’s stone streets for the warm Mediterranean coast!
Get an early start and head toward Tossa de Mar. It’s about a 30-40 minute drive, but there are some bus routes too! We visited Tossa de Mar from Girona and arrived early enough that parking wasn’t an issue at all, which made the morning incredibly easy.
Here you can walk through the famous Vila Vella, Tossa de Mar’s medieval old town. Then take a dip in the beautiful Mediterranean waters, and lay out at the beach. And if you forget your beach gear, there are plenty of stores nearby that carry everything you need.
Read my full Tossa de Mar guide to get a better feel of the town.
Stay as long as you want, grab lunch in town and then decide whether you want to return to Girona, continue to Barcelona or stay overnight in Tossa de Mar.
Where To Eat in Girona
Although Girona has plenty of restaurants to choose from depending on where you end up that evening. If you’re planning your entire trip around food, Girona is also home to El Celler de Can Roca, one of the top rated restaurants in the WORLD. But, this is absolutely not something you casually decide to visit after arriving. Reservations need to be planned well in advance. Read my full guide COMING SOON.
Like I already said – we enjoyed our meal at Taverna d’El Foment. But here are other restaurant recommendations that we either tried or were recommended by our host.
Best value for money:
- Restaurant Girona Casa Marieta
- Restaruant La Tagliatella
- Cafè La Tagliatella
- Cafè le Bistrot
- Fonda d’El Foment
Tapas:
- The River Cafè Girona
- König
- La Cova de la Bruixa
Pinxtos (Basque NOT Catalan)
- Txalaka Girona
Should You Stay in Girona or Tossa de Mar?
For a three-day trip, I would stay in Girona for at least the first two nights. It gives you enough time to see the historic center properly and enjoy Girona after the day-trippers leave, which was one of my favorite parts of being there!
If you have a third night available, then you could either stay in Girona or Tossa de Mar. For me, I would seriously consider spending it in Tossa de Mar before heading into my next destination. The views at Elisabeth by the Sea look WORTHY.
Where To Stay In Girona
There are sooo many cute places to stay in Girona. You’ll want to stay within the Bari Vell or El Call area. Everything is fairly compact in Girona, but you want to make sure you can walk right out of your stay and into the action! We personally stayed near the cathedral, which I thought was perfect.
Here are some of my top recommendations:
- Sleep & Stay Duplex Barri Vell (apartment style)
- Little Home Girona (apartment style)
- Hotel Historic (historic, styled hotel)
- Peninsular (modern hotel with a pool)
Do You Need a Car for This Girona and Costa Brava Itinerary?
Honestly? It depends. If you’re coming from Barcelona, you can take the train fairly easily. But, if it’s part of a larger road trip – hopefully you’ll have a car!
You do not need a car in Girona itself. In fact, once you’re in the historic center, I wouldn’t want one. Almost everything in this itinerary is walkable, and having a car would mostly mean figuring out where to park it.
A rental car becomes much more useful to get to Tossa de Mar – or if you’re looking to get to the outskirts of Girona (like for El Celler de Can Rosa). Driving allowed us to reach Tossa early, park right near the beach and control exactly how long we stayed.
Is Three Days Enough for Girona and Tossa de Mar?
I think three days is the sweet spot for this particular combination. It gives you two days in Girona and one day in Tossa de Mar without constantly packing and unpacking or spending half of the trip in transit.
Could you see Girona in one day? Absolutely. We proved that by doing an almost ridiculous amount in a single day. We visited the major historic areas, squeezed into the Arab Baths right before closing and still made it onto the city walls!
Would I recommend doing it that way if you have more time? No.
Girona was one of those places where I kept thinking, I wish we had another day here. Two days lets you see the major sights while still having time to wander, eat and enjoy the city!
More Things to Do in Girona If You Have Extra Time
If you have extra time in Girona, there are a few easy additions beyond this itinerary. You can hike up to Montjuïc Castlefor more views over the city, visit Sant Pere de Galligants and its archaeology museum, tour Casa Masó along the Onyar River, or stop at Girona’s Museum of Cinema for something completely different from the churches and medieval history. If you want more time outside, the Sant Daniel Valley is also an easy escape from the historic center.
With an extra half or full day, I would also consider visiting the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, about 30–40 minutes north of Girona by train. It’s one of the most unique museums in Catalonia and makes an easy side trip, but I wouldn’t squeeze it into the three-day itinerary unless art is a bigger priority than Tossa de Mar. If I had a fourth day, this is probably where I’d put it.
How This Fits Into a Longer Spain Trip
This 3 day Girona and Costa Brava itinerary fits perfectly after a few days in Barcelona. You can take the train to Girona, spend two nights there and then use Tossa de Mar as your final Costa Brava day before continuing onward.
It also fits really naturally into my longer Northern Spain road trip. From Girona, you can continue toward Zaragoza, San Sebastián, Bilbao and eventually the Picos de Europa instead of backtracking to Barcelona.
For me, though, the biggest reason to spend three days here isn’t simply because there are enough attractions to fill the time. It’s because Girona and Tossa de Mar give you two completely different sides of Catalonia without requiring a huge amount of travel between them.
Girona gives you medieval streets, museums, Catalan food and the kind of city where getting slightly lost is part of the experience. Tossa de Mar gives you the Mediterranean, an old walled town overlooking the beach and an afternoon where you don’t need to do anything more ambitious than swim.
Together, they ended up being one of my favorite combinations from our time in Spain. I hope you’ll fall in love with them too!
Related content: Tossa de Mar Day Trip, How to Spend 3 Days in Barcelona, The Perfect Northern Spain Road Trip Itinerary
Hi, I’m Amber —
A Michigan native now living in Washington with a deep love for travel and the outdoors. What started with church mission trips and years of traveling across the U.S. as a nurse has grown into a passion for exploring destinations across Asia and America through hiking, scenic landscapes, local food, wildlife encounters, and underwater adventures. Sometimes I’m joined by my goldendoodle, Millie, but I’m always traveling with my camera. My goal is to help you feel inspired and confident that travel is possible — no matter where you’re starting from.
