Our Spontaneous Trip to Girona, Spain

Just outside of Barcelona, there’s an amazing little city named Girona that we knew nothing about before visiting Spain. We’d picked a few towns within driving distance of Barcelona to explore, but we had no plans. And we definitely had no idea beforehand that Girona was one of the sites where they filmed one of the shows we love so much - Game of Thrones!  

The last full season of Game of Thrones was filmed in Girona, and upon visiting, you can see why. It’s an amazing, historic, medieval town filled with picturesque buildings, a colorful waterfront, and stunning architecture. You can still find roads built by the Romans, old Gothic cathedrals, medieval walls, and winding cobblestone streets that twist through the old town and Jewish Quarter.

Oh, and aside from the incredible history of the place, there’s a lot of places to eat and drink and go out dancing. We were able to find a few great spots in town while we were there... As usual, I’m always looking for fabulous vegan restaurants and Veggana did not disappoint. The chef is all about fresh ingredients and you can tell that vegan cooking is his passion. The food is delicious, the service was perfect, and they have a great local white wine. The restaurant also has cool photos of vegan movements inside and even a little area with healthy, prepared take-home options. I'd highly recommend it if you're trying to find vegan food in Girona. We also discovered the best coffee shop in town, which just so happened to be on the first floor of the building where we stayed. Espresso Mafia has friendly baristas, incredible coffee, and gets rave reviews. When people say this place is a “must-do” for coffee lovers, they aren’t kidding. The space is cool, sleek, and minimalist, and the espresso is great. [caption id="attachment_476" align="aligncenter" width="800"]

Espresso Mafia // Cafe Lola[/caption] For live rumba music and dancing, there’s a club called Lola Café that’s amazing. Locals and tourists alike come out to dance, and it’s so much fun! The interior is decorated in a cool baroque style with lots of wood, stone, and mirrors. They serve wine and lots of cocktails, and there’s great live music a few times a week.  

So what else did we do in Girona? We wandered around, checking out many parts of the old city, complete with ancient stone archways, forums, and even the Arab Baths. It was very cool to visit and snap photos of places we recognized from the sixth season Game of Thrones, of course! Girona makes an excellent quick trip from Barcelona if you have a day to spare and explore. We found it to be a little gem of a destination!