Girona & San Feliu de Guixols

General information about Girona & San Feliu de Guixols

We visit Barcelona on a fairly regular basis but decided this visit to explore some more of Catalonia something we had not done for a number of years. We chose to return after a number of years to Girona but to spend more time there than we had previously. Our second destination had to be a seaside town but one preferably small, pretty and relatively unspoilt and after a great deal of research chose San Feliu de Guixols which turned out to be a great choice. You need to always say the full name San Feliu de Guixols as there is more than one San Feliu in the area.

Girona

The city of Girona is one of the Catalonia’s provincial capitals, it is a historic city with much to see and a reputation for excellent food and drink and also always seems to feel like an affluent small city, manageable & attractive. It is a centre for cycling holidays and many top professional cyclists are based close to the city. The train & bus station are in the new part of the town and the city is very walkable.

Girona airport has many low cost flights which specialise in Costa Brava holidays therefore it is easy to book a flight only and explore yourself, there is a regular bus from the airport to the main bus station.

San Feliu de Guixols

San Feliu de Guixols is on the Costa Brava coast about an hour by bus from Girona and ninety minutes north of Barcelona. It has a lovely town beach and some lovely buildings built when many affluent residents lived in the town. There is an upmarket beach resort S’Agaro just round the coast. The bus station is on the edge of the centre about ten minutes walk from the beach front.

Hotels in Girona & San Feliu de Guixols

Girona

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.hotels.com. We chose to stay in the new part as it was convenient for the bus and train stations and only five minutes walk to the old part of the city.

San Feliu de Guixols

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.hotels.com. We wanted to stay in the main part of the old town rather than the beach area of S’Agaro, there are not very many options but we chose well with Can Segura, Carrer de San Pere, 11, a small hotel in the centre with a very good restaurant. The rooms are simply decorated but suit the location and the restaurant is excellent, a great choice for lunch.

Restaurants & Tapas Bars

Girona

There is some excellent eating to be had in Girona both in restaurants and tapas bars, the main concentration is in the old part although there are also many places in the new part and the Praca de la Indepencia is lined with bars & restaurants, although not all are great it is worth sitting outside for a drink.

Llevataps, Placa de l’Oli 1, was on my list to try and we went for lunch on our first day and enjoyed an excellent menu del dia, top quality cooking in a lovely setting. They have an excellent a la carte menu available in the evening.

L’Estrella del Mar, Carrer de la Cort Reial, 17, is one of two or three fish & seafood restaurants in this area, we chose this after reading good reports. There is no menu as such, the owner talked us through the seafood & fish available and everything is weighed immediately in order that you know the price. Top quality produce and service and while not cheap it is value for money.

El Balco, Carrer de les Hortes, 16, this is in the new part of the city, just across the red bridge from the old part. The look of this small place immediately appealed to me and the reports were excellent, it specialises in meats and is run by a charming Argentinian guy. We booked for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the food we chose was excellently cooked, fabulous wine list and great service, not cheap but worth every euro.

El Pou del Call, Carrer de la Forca, 14, on the road up to the Cathedral we found this restaurant which we had visited many years ago. We chose from the a la carte menu but there is an excellent menu del dia menu and we enjoyed our lunch. There are mixed comments and while perhaps the service can be slightly offhand we would not hesitate to return.

Can Roca, Ctra. De Talaia 42,  this was where one of the world’s top restaurants El Celler de Can Roca started, the original premises before they moved down the road and still run by the family. It is only ten minutes from the centre on the  L5 bus and so worth a visit. We arrived just before 1pm and had a drink at the bar part, it is a real local place and tables fill very quickly. We got a table and had the outstanding 4 course menu with a bottle of wine for 12 Euros each. It was excellent cooking, the service friendly and by the time we left the queue was unbelievable. A must for any future visit.

Artusi, Placa de les Castanyes , we found this place when there was a one off street food festival and we enjoyed their choices, we returned for a drink at lunchtime, the staff are very pleasant but overworked. They offer a menu del dia which we didn’t try and they were turning customers away, there are mixed reviews but we would give it a try for lunch. They have a small selection of pinxtos at the bar.

Txalaka, Carrer Bonastruc de Porta, 4, this Basque restaurant is only five minutes away from the Praca de la Independencia in the new part. It has probably the best and definitely the largest display of Basque Pinxtos I have ever seen. Unusually there is no standing at the bar, tables only but you can then go and choose your pinxtos and the staff  will serve your drinks at the table. Friendly, excellent food and great value a must in Girona.

Zanpanzar, Carrer de la Cort Reial, 12, is another Basque bar but in the old part and with a very different feel, it is the usual stand at the bar and grab a pinxto or two and order a drink but there is also a seated part with waiter service. A favourite during our stay.

Cercle, Carrer  Nou del Teatre, 1, wish we had found this earlier in our stay, we loved this bar, friendly service, a good choice of well priced drinks, including wine and vermut and decent tapas. It had a great atmosphere and a very mixed clientele.

Federal Café, Carrer de la Forca, 9, we visited this café a couple of times but only for a drink, pleasant service and very popular for food which looked good, definitely not typical Spanish offerings. They also have places in Barcelona, Madrid & Valencia.

El Café, Carrer Ciutadans 1, this small café offers simple food at lunchtime along with drinks then at night there is tapas and more drinks, a slight price rise in the evening and a different atmosphere but great both day & night & friendly staff, they also have occasional live music.

La Reserva Espai de Gourmet, Carrer de les Hortes, 3, pleasant shop specialising in various cold meats but also serving drinks inside and in the small terrace. Well worth a stop and an early evening offer of cava with Jamon is good value.

Konig, have several places around the city some in the Praca de la Independencia and one near San Feliu church with a lovely garden. Did not try the food but a lot of choice and decent drinks but service can be slow, not a gourmet destination but a decent pit-stop.

Casa Moner, Carrer de Santa Clara, 46, just off the Praca de la Independencia, is a very smart bakers, great for breakfast and they also do a lunch deal. They have a number of branches around the city.

San Feliu de Guixols

Can Kiku, Carrer Major, 10-12, is a modern style restaurant in one of the main pedestrianised streets, they also have an excellent grocers shop attached. The speciality is grilled meats but there is a wide choice of dishes on the excellent set lunch menu. It is also a pleasant stop for a wine or cava on the terrace.

Meraki, Burger-Gastrobar, Carrer Major, 30, was a great find for our stay, an oriental look is evident in the menu and also the décor. They have a wide selection of dishes, including burgers which looked great. The drinks choice is excellent with some very good wine and vermut plus of course beer and spirits.

Can Elisa, Placa del Mercat, 23, I had read good reports about Can Elisa and we were delighted with our decision to try it for the set lunch menu. There is a terrace and a very pleasant room, the food was very good and the service friendly, great value.

Can Segura, Carrer de San Pere, 11, is the restaurant attached to the hotel of the same name. It was apparent during our stay that this is one of the most popular places for the locals to lunch. We ate on the terrace on our last day and the menu del dia was top notch, totally understood its popularity.

El Trinquet, Carrer de San Pere, 26, this highly rated place was a must and we loved it, top notch tapas dishes, all with a twist, great drinks choices and friendly staff. Outstanding quality on all fronts and it was definitely a favourite during our stay.

Viader Vins, Carrer d’Anselm Clavé, 9, is a delicatessen, a fabulous wine shop and a wine bar. It is run by two ladies who I understand are third generation in the wine business. The expansion to a wine bar with tapas and some top notch wines by the glass let us sit outside sipping wine and watching life in San Feliu, the complimentary plate of savoury pastries during the day was the icing on the cake.

La Vermuteria, Carrer de San Pere, 33, we only had the chance to pop in on a couple of occasions for a wine and vermut but wish we had been able to try the food, especially the menu del dia but just too many places to try.

Cerveceria Hot Dog, Carrer de Sant Antoni, 40, as everyone says do not be put off by the name, this is an incredibly popular place, packed with locals enjoying the good simple tapas and larger dishes. The staff are friendly, the prices very reasonable and it is definitely more than a Hot Dog place.

La Gabia Dels Mussols, Av. de la Platja, lovely cool looking white bar on the beach, great setting decent drinks but service not great. Definitely a must for at least one visit, there is also a food menu but there are mixed comments. Go for a sunset drink then perhaps go elsewhere to eat.

Alan’s Bar, Carrer de Sant Llorenç, 28, this is the late night haunt in the old town, pleasant service and good drinks, just what you need to find for your nightcap.

Drink

Girona is on the edge of the wine region D.O. Emporda, the majority of the wine produced is red but they also produce white and rose wines. The reds are high quality and full bodied and the whites flavoursome, the varieties of grape include Carignan (known as Samso here) & Grenache for the reds and white Grenache for the whites.

Cava of course is very popular as Catalonia is home to the Spanish sparkling wine, most good bars will sell cava by the glass and there are some great names to look out for Juve y Camps, a personal favourite, Raventos I Blanc and of course more familiar names such as Freixnet and Cordoniu both of which will have some better examples than the ones normally found at home.

Vermut, having a resurgence in Spain, is also popular here and has been produced from way back in Catalonia particularly around Reus, try both the white and the red (negro) and enjoy.

Culture

Girona

The main sites are in the historic part of the city and include the Cathderal, the church of San Feliu, the historic walls and the coloured houses along the river. Across the river in the newer part is the lovely Praca de la Independencia and there is also a film museum.

San Feliu de Guixols

San Feliu is my idea of a perfect Spanish small resort town, lovely beach, good looking town, excellent food & drink and always good to see the locals heading to the beach with chairs & umbrellas. I suspect July & August would be too busy for me but September was lovely. Enjoy the “moderniste” buildings, the Monastery has a highly rate art museum and take the train that runs along the seafront to see the beach at S’Agaro and the church of Ermita de San Elm high above the town. Also worth visiting are the small town of Palafrugell and the fishing port of Palamos for the Fishing Museum & Fish Auction, easily reached by local bus.

Girona & San Feliu de Guixols Weather Forecast

Girona
14°
Partly Cloudy
08:0417:58 CET
Feels like: 13°C
Wind: 11km/h SW
Humidity: 75%
Pressure: 1007.45mbar
UV index: 0
TueWedThuFriSat
17/3°C
16/4°C
16/6°C
16/3°C
15/3°C

Last Visited 2019 & Last Updated 2019