Girona and its Surrounding Area

Just over an hour’s drive north from Barcelona lies the city of Girona and its province, which combines all the best elements of the Catalan nation. It includes the famous Costa Brava, and the Coastal Pyrenees, with its extraordinary Garrotxa region.

Costa Brava

The Costa Brava (meaning 'fierce/wild coast') is the northernmost part of the Catalan coast, where the mountains run headlong into the sea, forming the rocky crags which give it the rugged appearance to which it owes its name. Between the headlands are small secluded coves and beaches with pine groves running down to the water’s edge, contrasted here and there with some long, sandy beaches. From the end of the 19th century the old seafaring villages, home to sailors and fishermen, began to attract writers, musicians and artists from Catalunya and elsewhere, who came for inspiration and to enjoy its spectacular beauty.

Today, although many visitors are drawn here in the season, there are many areas that are still wild and untamed. Some in fact are nature reserves, including the Cap de Creus Natural Park in the north, which offers the most spectacular and varied seascapes, with deep waters, towering cliffs and beautiful small islands. The Medes Islands, an underwater nature reserve where some 1345 plant and animal species have been identified, are a favorite haunt for divers. The Aiguamolls de l’Emporda is a protected area of wetlands, home to many interesting species of plants and animals, as well as a haven for over 300 species of migrating birds.

Inland the scenery changes to rolling hills, with fields of wheat and sunflowers, set with picturesque stone-built villages. Further inland again stands the medieval city of Girona; and Figueres, famous for its bizarre Teatre-Museu Dali, associated with the surrealist artist Salvador Dali.

The Coastal Pyrenees

The Coastal Pyrenees are that part of the great mountain range which runs into the Mediterranean at the Cap de Creus peninsula, the northern limit of the Costa Brava. One of its most remarkable features is the volcanic Garrotxa region which contains the finest volcanic landscape in the Iberian Peninsula, and some of the most interesting in Europe. Volcanic eruptions began here 350,000 years ago. At present, they are extinct or dormant, although one erupted as recently as 11,500 years ago! The area, which was declared a Natural Park in 1982, contains about 30 volcanic cones, a few explosive craters, and over 20 basaltic lava flows.

In addition to its geological interest, its exceptionally moist climate has endowed it with lush and varied plant life, and scenery of unusual beauty. The park includes a number of interesting villages, such as Santa Pau, and Castellfollit de la Roca, perched on top of a spectacular lava cliff. Nearby is Fageda de Jorda, a beech wood praised by many poets. Further towards the coast are many other places of interest, such as the Valley of Sant Aniol, with its spectacular gorges and waterfalls, Besalu with its majestic medieval bridge, and the villages along the coast itself.