3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 day weather forecast in Girona

Girona

Often overshadowed by her more glamourous sister Barcelona, Girona is one of the most magical cities in Spain – and one of the most ancient. Originally inhabited by the Ausetani tribe, it was fortified by the Romans and has been fought over regularly since then: it has been besieged twenty-five times so far. More than anywhere else in Catalonia, it retains the flavours left by its various inhabitants. After the Moorish conquest, it was an Arab town for over two hundred years, and there was a continual Jewish presence here for six hundred years until 1492 when all Jews were expelled from the region. From the beginning of the seventeenth century, the French took a strong interest in the city, and attacked it five times before they at last captured it in 1809. Since it was returned to Spain in 1813, life has been a little more peaceful, but “the Immortal”, as it became known after the French attacks, remains a place where adventure seems to lurk around every elegantly carved corner.

Cold in winter and blazing hot in summer, the modern city of Girona is smart, expensive and comfortable, with little to detain the visitor other than a few Art Nouveau buildings by Rafael Masó (the best is the Farinera Teixidor). All the attractions lie in the old quarter, a maze of winding, impossibly narrow streets that combines a fantastical hodgepotch of architectural styles. Dominating the entire city is the enormous Cathedral, once used as a mosque and remodelled after the expulsion of the Moors into one of the finest Gothic edifices in Spain. The soaring nave is the largest of its kind in the world, while the shady cloisters belie the conquering spirit that was needed to amass the vast collection of gold statuary and reliquaries in the Episcopal Palace. Through the twin-towered Portal de Sobreportas below the cathedral, the Banys Arabs is a set of perfectly intact Moorish baths.

Nearby, the Jewish quarter is the best-preserved in western Europe. The streets alone are beautifully evocative; for a more detailed view of the area’s history, head to the fascinating Centre Bonastruc Ca Porta, a complex of rooms, courtyards and adjoining buildings that attempts to recreate Jewish life in medieval Girona, from the bathing rituals to the types of food eaten. Museu de la Historia de la Ciutat has a strange collection of miscellany, ranging from antique plaster saints to a 1920s Olivetti typewriter. Further out, the Museu Arqueologic holds an excellent collection of Roman remains in a former church; from there you can go to the Passeig Arqueologic, which leads up to the old city walls – the perfect place for a romantic stroll.

Like everyone in Catalonia, Gironans pride themselves on their cuisine. There are excellent kosher restaurants in the Jewish quarter; alternatively, try one of the myriad tapas bars scattered around the city. As it is so close to the Costa Brava, fish and seafood are excellent: specialities include hake baked with potatoes in a saffron sauce, and elaborate sarsuelas (fish stews). The chicest bars and restaurants are found by the riverside, where time seems to slip away…