Girona: where to eat, sleep, shop and stay
What to do
Catalonians are fanatical about food. Learn your Iberico from your serrano with a walking food tour through the Old Town and renowned el lleó food market with Girona Food Tours, ending at Rocambolesc, the legendary quirky gelato shop that would look at home in a Tim Burton film. Cycling in Girona has grown monumentally in recent years. For a leisurely introduction, try the Vias Verdes to S’Agaro route, which will take you on a winding path through cava vineyards and lemon farms to the idyllic coves near Sant Feliu. (gironafoodtours.com)
Where to eat
No trip to Girona would be complete without a visit to the iconic El Celler De Can Roca. A family affair to the core, brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca serve up a menu of international fusion food, with inspiration coming from overseas trips they take every August in search of new ingredients. Expect dishes such as Iberian suckling pig and caramelised olives, brought to your table still attached to an entire olive tree. Its firm reputation in the city - and three Michelin stars - means that you need to book at least two months in advance. 1477 Restaurant at Hotel Camiral keeps simplicity at the heart of its cooking. Executive Chef Francisco Hernandez works each dish around one key ingredient, always using the very best in local artisan produce (cellercanroca
Where to stay
Find city solace in the form of Hotel Camiral, Girona’s only five-star hotel. The contemporary but unassuming bolthole is located 20 minutes outside the city’s centre and 30 minutes from Costa Brava’s charming selection of alcove beaches. Based within golfers’ paradise, PGA Catalunya Resort, each of Camiral’s 149 bedrooms have a light, airy feel, complete with hand-painted Spanish tiles and sumptuous Egyptian cotton linens. Rooms overlook the Pyrenees mountains as well as the hotel’s 25-metre infinity pool. Clara was a guest of Hotel Camiral. Rooms from £145 (hotelcamiral.com)
Where to shop
Shopping in Girona is a sheer joy; its labyrinth of winding lanes and boutique stores means you could easily spend a day browsing without seeing the same cobbled pavement twice. Visit Despiral in the Jewish Quarter, a laidback-luxe concept store stocking espadrilles through to eyewear. Each section of the store is carefully curated to cover a different style of dressing. head to plastiC store for 1970s band T-shirts and rockabilly records twice your age.
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