Girona is a very beautiful city situated in the north of Catalunya and it is the capital of the province of Girona. I like to visit Girona from time to time: far from the crows, it has kept its traditions and original charm and one can eat VERY WELL in Girona. The main sights in Girona are mostly concentrated at Barri Vell (Old Quarter), the area enclosed inside the medieval walls. The Cathedral of Girona (XII-XVIIIth centuries) dedicated to Saint Mary, even if it does not look very impressive from outside, has the longest Gothic nave in the world (22,98m). This cathedral also had a famous bell-ringer, his name was Josafat, and his story is not very different from Notre Dame’s Quasimodo.
But Girona is famous for its Call Jueu (Jewish Quarter), one of the best kept Jewish Quarters in all Europe, with old stone houses and narrow and labyrinth streets, it’s like traveling back in time. This time I took my time to visit the ensemble well, which comprises the old synagogue, the ritual baths (wrongly called Arab baths) and the Jewish museum.
In the afternoon I did the walk on the top of the walls, with a nice perspective over the main sights.
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My tips :
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Girona is an excellent base camp to do lots of mini day trips around. Always sleeping in Girona you can visit charming medieval villages, fishermen towns on the coast or do some hicks on the mountains;
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Girona can also be visit in a day trip from Barcelona. The direct train to Girona takes only one hour.
