Girona, Costa Brava & Medieval Villages Day Trip from Barcelona

4.99

(147 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the first thing I’d notice in Girona to be the hush — even with a group of us trailing behind our guide, there was this quiet between the stone walls. Our guide Marta pointed out a bakery window with tiny pastries dusted in sugar. She told us about the Jewish Quarter, how people still find old keys hidden in walls here. The cathedral steps were steeper than I thought (my calves complained), but that view over the rooftops — red and gold tiles, laundry flapping — felt like something out of a film. Actually, it was: Marta grinned and showed us where Game of Thrones filmed a scene. I tried to take a photo but mostly ended up with my thumb in it.

Peratallada came next, and honestly, it looked like someone pressed pause on time. The stones underfoot were worn smooth and cool even though the sun was out. We wandered through alleyways so narrow I had to turn sideways at one point (awkward backpack moment). There was an old man sweeping his doorstep who nodded as we passed; he didn’t say much but smiled when our guide tried to greet him in Catalan. It smelled faintly of rosemary and something earthy — maybe just the age of everything settling into itself.

By the time we reached Calella de Palafrugell, my head was full of stories and my feet were ready for sand. The air tasted salty and sharp near the water. I found a spot by some fishing boats painted blue and white — ate grilled sardines with lemon at a little restaurant Marta recommended (she said her cousin worked there; not sure if she was joking). Two hours went by fast. Some people swam; I just sat there watching kids run between umbrellas, thinking about how different this all felt from Barcelona’s rush. I still think about that light on the water sometimes.