Do you know this lovely Spanish town Girona?

Girona is a city in Spain between the French border and Barcelona. It is lovely small, has a river running through, an astonishing old town and a particular flair.

My first time in the city was in February. I only had a few hours. I spend them walking around the old town and was astonished by the views. And also, by an actual river, because I was not used to that from Barcelona. Which is very dry, and riverbeds are usually empty.

Every spring thousands of visitors arrive in the city to check out the flower festival called Temps de Flors (Catalan name) or in Spanish Tiempo de Flores which translated means Flower Time.

The Flower Festival in Girona takes place in May. For a week they decorated the whole city with beautiful flowers, from real flowers to knitwear or other creative decorations.

When I heard the first time about the festival, I told myself I need to go there. But when it was springtime, I almost forgot about it, if not friend reminded me.

Visiting Tiempo de Flores

So, it was a Saturday morning and my friend and I were in an overcrowded train from Barcelona to the lovely city in the north. The train journey took 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Most of the people departed also at Girona. Which made the train station super crowded for a few minutes.

That the flower festival would be so popular wasn’t something I had expected. Since this festival runs for one week, I thought (and also got told) that the visitors would spread out a bit. However, it was super crowded. But heads up to the organizers or city, because they know how to navigate crowds in the narrow streets of the city!

Some paths were one way and paths were very strictly separated between right and left (just like car roads). Although there were a huge amount of people, I did not feel overwhelmed by the chaos.

First, I thought it was not worth it to visit this flower festival. But the further up the hill I walked, I realized it was definitely worth it. The crowd spread out more. Behind the cathedral was a lovely garden, with a piano player flower sculpture, an absolutely marvelous garden and the city wall.

The city wall is walkable and for free. Including an amazing view of the city. A good idea is also to start from the city and walk up the hill on the city wall. The starting point is at the Jardini de la Muralla.

After a delicious lunch I walked around the city (not the old town area but at the side of the train station) but soon I realized many shops were closed, and that part of town seem very empty.

Girona recommendation to visit

If you want to visit Girona for the flower festival, I recommend doing so during the week.

Even if you are in the area and it is not during the time they held the flower festival, still go. Girona is a beautiful town with a lovely atmosphere. There is also a huge botanic garden, which I haven’t had time to visit, unfortunately.

Additionally, you can reach Girona from Barcelona easily by train. It is also a great stopover if you want to go to the Pyrenees.