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The best way to see Girona from Barcelona is a small-group minivan day: $113.83 per adult for two travelers, rated 4.9 from 8,367 reviews. For Girona alone, the Game of Thrones walk starts at $40.05 per adult, but you take the train yourself. Pick the minivan for Girona and the coast.
Verified on via the Viator partner API (prices, ratings, availability).
Anyone with one free day in Barcelona eventually asks the same question: is Girona worth it, and what is the easiest way to get there? We think it is worth a full day. The old town sits on a hill above the Onyar and Ter rivers, with a medieval Jewish quarter, city walls, the Eiffel Bridge and a Gothic cathedral all within a short walk of one another. This guide compares the nine day tours from Barcelona that we would actually book. Each one was checked on the Viator partner API on October 15, 2026, for departures from October 29 to December 27, 2026.
Two things decide the choice more than the name of the tour: how many hours the day spends on the road, and how much of it is spent in Girona. The walking tours last two to two and a half hours, and you take the train yourself. The coach and minivan days run from eight and a half to eleven and a half hours and include the transfer. The combo that adds Montserrat is the longest day on the list, and the Dalí day spends part of its time in Figueres rather than Girona. Prices run from $40.05 to $267.85 per adult for two travelers, with a median of $113.83. Every product on the list offers free cancellation with a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure.
If you want one recommendation, the Girona and Costa Brava minivan day is the one we would book. It covers the city and the coast without a train to plan, and it runs on all 60 dates in the window. Check its dates and options on Viator. Where a listing leaves a detail open, such as the meeting point, we say so and tell you what to confirm before you pay.
Why Girona Is Worth a Full Day
Girona lies about 62 miles (100 km) northeast of Barcelona, a short train ride away. The Iberians founded the settlement, and the Romans later named it Gerunda and made it a stop on the Via Augusta, the road that linked Iberia with Rome. The old town is compact, so the main sights sit close together, but the hill makes every walk feel longer than the map suggests.
Three landmarks come up in almost every listing. El Call, the Jewish quarter, is described in the tour listings as one of the best-preserved medieval Jewish quarters in Europe, and its narrow stone streets are the reason many walks spend time there. The city walls run along the hill and appear on several routes, although we could not confirm their opening hours or the climb for this article. The Pont de les Peixateries Velles, known as the Eiffel Bridge, was built in 1877 in a workshop associated with Gustave Eiffel. It crosses the Onyar and is one of the most photographed points in the city.
The cathedral is the anchor stop on most itineraries. The listings describe its nave as the widest unsupported Gothic nave in the world, and one of them calls it the largest. The listings describe this claim. The climb to the top involves many steps. The official combined pass, which covers the cathedral and other city monuments, costs EUR 12 (Girona Tourism Office, checked October 15, 2026). The official page does not show a single adult cathedral rate; check the current price on the official site before you go.
Game of Thrones fans will recognize parts of the old town. The listings for two of the tours say that season six was filmed in Girona, and that several old-town streets and the cathedral steps appear in the show.
Timing matters too. Girona is mild in autumn and winter, but cooler than the coast, with chilly mornings and evenings, and rain is possible on any day in the window. Crowds are lighter than in summer. National holidays in Spain fall on December 6, December 8 and December 25. Check opening hours for the cathedral and museums on those dates.
The Nine Girona Day Trips Compared
Products 1 to 3 are Girona-only. Products 4 to 9 are Girona plus: the day adds Montserrat, the Costa Brava, Figueres or Blanes, and Girona is one part of a longer day. Each row follows the order of the cards below.
| Experience | Duration | Price per adult (2 travelers) | Rating (reviews) | Free cancellation | Days available |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Game of Thrones Walking Tour in Girona | 2 hours | $40.05 | 4.88 (472) | Yes | 58 of 60 |
| 2. Girona History and Legends Small-Group Walk | 2.5 hours | $45.77 | 4.87 (357) | Yes | 58 of 60 |
| 3. Girona Full Day Tour by Coach | 10 hours | $56.07 | 4.77 (282) | Yes | 26 of 60 |
| 4. Montserrat, Girona and Costa Brava Combo | 11.5 hours | $108.70 to $114.43 | 4.87 (7,323) | Yes | 57 of 60 |
| 5. Girona and Costa Brava Minivan, Hotel Pickup | 10 hours | $113.83 | 4.90 (8,367) | Yes | 60 of 60 |
| 6. Girona and Dalí Museum Minivan | 10 hours | $113.83 | 4.92 (3,388) | Yes | 51 of 60 |
| 7. Costa Brava Day with a Girona Stop | 9 hours | $114.44 | 4.96 (493) | Yes | 59 of 60 |
| 8. Game of Thrones Coach Day with Lunch in Blanes | 8.5 hours | $120.16 | 4.83 (223) | Yes | 56 of 60 |
| 9. Private Girona and Costa Brava Tour | 10 hours | $267.85 | 4.96 (471) | Yes | 60 of 60 |
Prices and availability checked on the Viator partner API on October 15, 2026, for departures from October 29 to December 27, 2026 (60 days); they can change. Ratings are Viator ratings. Days available counts the dates in that window when the tour can be booked for two adults.
The Nine Girona Day Trips, One by One
1. Game of Thrones Walking Tour in Girona
Pick this walk if you want Girona for a morning and you are happy to take the train yourself. The guide carries an iPad that compares scenes from the show with the real streets, so you can match a street to its scene. The tour starts at Plaça de Sant Feliu and runs two hours on foot. The guide has a background in medieval history. At $40.05 per adult for two travelers, it is the cheapest seat on this list. The price does not include the train, gratuities, food, drinks or hotel pickup, so budget for those.
- Game of Thrones filming spots in the old town
- iPad with show scenes beside the real streets
- Guide with a medieval history background
2. Girona History and Legends, Small-Group Walk
Choose this walk if the history of the town matters more than the show. The group goes through the medieval quarter, the Jewish quarter, the old walls and the houses that line the Onyar River. The listing is clear that the main monuments are seen from the outside, so the cathedral is a view stop on this walk rather than a visit. The story begins with the Iberian origins of the town and the Roman name Gerunda, and its place on the Via Augusta. The group is small, so questions are easy to ask. You meet at Sant Feliu Square, beside the River Caffe. The train is not included, so you reach Girona yourself. If you want to go inside the cathedral, plan a separate visit. The walk costs $45.77 per adult for two travelers.
- Medieval and Jewish quarters with the old walls
- Colorful houses along the Onyar River
- Small group, 2.5 hours on foot
3. Girona Full Day Tour by Coach from Barcelona
This is the lowest-priced coach day. The coach is air-conditioned and leaves from Barcelona. The inclusions cover entry to the cathedral and the Basilica of Sant Feliu. The guided tour of Girona is an option you select rather than a standard inclusion, so check your booking before you assume a guide will walk with you. Without the guide, the old town is yours to plan, and the cathedral, the Jewish quarter and the medieval walls sit within a short walk of one another. The catch is the calendar: only 26 of the 60 dates in the window are open, so book early for November and December. The listing names Barcelona Nord as the coach departure, but the API returned no stop name, so confirm the exact point in your booking confirmation. Hotel pickup and food are not included. At $56.07 per adult for two travelers, it is the best value on the list if the coach suits you and your dates fit.
- Air-conditioned coach from Barcelona
- Entry to the cathedral and Basilica of Sant Feliu
- Guided Girona tour available as an option
4. Montserrat, Girona and Costa Brava in One Day
This is the tour for the traveler who asks whether one day can hold everything. The honest answer is yes, but Girona is one of three stops on the day. The route includes entrance to Montserrat Abbey, time on the mountain, a stop in Girona for the old town, the walls and the Eiffel Bridge, and the castle at Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava. A professional multilingual guide leads the group. Lunch is not included unless you pick an upgrade, and tips are optional. Check mobility needs for the mountain before booking; access is by rack railway and funicular, per the Turistren page. The API does not name the Barcelona departure point, so confirm it in your booking confirmation. It has the largest review count among the combos. Book it for the abbey and the coast.
- Montserrat Abbey entrance included
- Girona stop: old town, walls, Eiffel Bridge
- Tossa de Mar castle on the Costa Brava
5. Girona and Costa Brava Minivan with Hotel Pickup
This is the recommendation in the answer box, and the reason is simple: it covers Girona and the coast with the fewest moving parts. A minivan collects you from your Barcelona hotel or apartment between 8 and 9 a.m., and the group is capped at eight guests, so the walk in Girona stays easy to follow. The route covers the city walls, the Jewish Quarter and the Arab baths, then the medieval village of Pals, and a walking tour of Calella de Palafrugell on the coast. Ten hours is long, so plan an early night. Food and drinks are not included, and gratuities are optional. It runs on all 60 dates in the window, which makes it the safest pick if your dates are still flexible. It has the largest review count on the list, and you do not need to plan a train or a return connection.
- Hotel pickup in Barcelona, 8 to 9 a.m.
- Small group, maximum 8 guests
- Girona, Pals and Calella de Palafrugell in one day
6. Girona and Dalí Museum Minivan Day
Choose this if the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres is the reason you are going. The minivan collects you from your Barcelona hotel, with a maximum of eight guests, and takes you to Girona for a walking tour before the drive to Figueres. There, a guide walks you through the museum. The listing highlights the Dalí Joyas exhibition. What the price does not include is the museum entrance, which the exclusions list as an extra fee. Budget for it separately, and check the museum’s current hours and admission on its official site before you go. Food and drinks are not included either. This is the only product on the list that goes to Figueres, so you get a medieval city and a surrealist museum in one day. It runs on 51 of the 60 dates, so check your date early.
- Guided visit to the Dalí Theatre-Museum, per the listing
- Girona walking tour and the drive to Figueres
- Small group, maximum 8 guests
7. Costa Brava Day with a Girona Stop
This tour is Costa Brava first and Girona second, which is why we label it that way. About an hour goes to Girona, where the group crosses the Eiffel Bridge and sees a Game of Thrones location. The route then heads to the medieval village of Peratallada, which the itinerary gives about an hour, and to Calella de Palafrugell, where the listing gives you two hours of free time. Lunch and gratuities are not included. The listing describes the vehicle in two ways, as a small group vehicle and as private transportation, so check the vehicle type in your booking confirmation. The API did not name the Barcelona meeting point either. It has the highest rating among the group tours on this list, at 4.96 from 493 reviews. Choose it for the coast and a village or two, not for a full day in Girona.
- Eiffel Bridge stop in Girona
- A Game of Thrones location in Girona
- Calella de Palafrugell with two hours free
8. Game of Thrones Coach Day with Lunch in Blanes
This is the Game of Thrones day for a fan who wants the coast too. Per the itinerary, the day starts at 8:45 a.m. at the operator’s office next to the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. The coach goes through Girona, where the guide explains the show locations and the history of the old town, and then stops for lunch in Blanes on the Costa Brava. A medieval castle stop comes on the way back, and the return to Plaça de Catalunya is due at about 5:30 p.m. Ice cream is included, shaped like Jaime Lannister’s golden hand, as the listing puts it. Lunch in a Blanes restaurant is included; gratuities and hotel pickup are not. Girona is one stop in a long day, so if the city is the goal, the walking tours give it more of your attention. The first two dates in the window, October 29 and 30, are closed.
- Game of Thrones locations in Girona
- Lunch in Blanes on the Costa Brava
- Medieval castle stop on the way back
9. Private Girona and Costa Brava Tour from Barcelona
Choose this when pace and privacy matter more than price. A private vehicle picks you up at your Barcelona hotel, and the route goes to Girona, Pals and Calella de Palafrugell at a pace you set within the listed itinerary. The highlights name the cathedral, the Jewish Quarter and the Eiffel Bridge in Girona, the medieval village of Pals, and the Camí de Ronda coastal path in Calella. The listing describes the cathedral as the largest Gothic nave in the world. It is the most expensive product here, and it runs on all 60 dates. The $267.85 figure is per adult for two travelers. Our price data covers two adults only; check the price for your group on the live page. Food, drinks and gratuities are not included.
- Private vehicle and guide
- Cathedral, Jewish Quarter and Eiffel Bridge in Girona
- Pals and the Camí de Ronda coastal path
Preparing the Trip
Get data as you land, so the train times and the meeting point are on your phone before you leave the airport.
Get my eSIMUseful for a trip with long coach days, a hilly old town and a mountain stop.
Get coveredOnly this private tour and the Girona and Costa Brava minivan day in card 5 run on all 60 dates in the window, so they are the safest picks if your dates are fixed.
Book my private Girona dayTravel Tips for Girona
The train. Trains leave from Barcelona Sants. Timetable aggregators put the fastest journeys at about 40 minutes, with slower services taking longer, so treat that figure as an estimate. Check Renfe on the day of travel before you plan the connection. The old town sits on a hill, so allow time for the climb from the station. Plan the return train before you leave, so the last hours of the day are not spent looking up timetables. That is the main planning risk of a self-guided day.
Who handles the transfer. The two walking tours do not include transport, so the train fare is yours to buy. The minivan and private products collect you at your hotel. They save the planning, but they add road time, and the longest days are the ones that include a coast or a mountain.
Mobility and walking. Girona’s old town is hilly, with cobbled streets and steps. The city’s accessibility page is the place to check route-level detail, and we did not extract step counts or ramp locations for this article. Plan several hours of walking on uneven streets. The coast days also include walks in Pals and Calella de Palafrugell, so expect more of the same underfoot. Montserrat is reached by rack railway and funicular on public transport. Check mobility needs for the mountain before booking.
Tipping. Tipping is optional in Spain. Guides are customarily tipped when the day goes well, and a modest tip in a restaurant for good service is normal. Sources differ on the figures, so we do not quote a percentage. Gratuities are excluded from the price on the Game of Thrones walk, the Dalí day, the Costa Brava day with a Girona stop and the Game of Thrones coach day. They are optional on the minivan day, the private day and the Montserrat combo.
Cancellation. All nine listings offer free cancellation, with a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. Read the policy on the live page before you pay. The rule is written for a full refund, not as a promise of free changes at any time.
Weather and light. Expect mild autumn and winter days, with cooler mornings and evenings, so bring a layer. Rain is possible on any day in the window. The Eiffel Bridge and the riverside houses look best in clear afternoon light.
Booking checks. Before you pay, confirm three things on the listing: the meeting point, the vehicle or coach type, and whether the guide or the entry you want is included. The cards for the coach day with the optional guide, the Montserrat combo and the Costa Brava day with a Girona stop say which of these the API left open. For the Dalí day, museum entrance is not part of the price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to see Girona from Barcelona?
It depends on how much of the day you want in Girona. If the city is the whole day, take the train and book the Game of Thrones walking tour at $40.05 per adult for two travelers, or the history walk at $45.77. If you want Girona and the Costa Brava, the minivan day at $113.83 per adult is the simplest choice, rated 4.9 from 8,367 reviews. Compare the cards.
How long is the train from Barcelona to Girona?
Timetable aggregators put the fastest journeys from Barcelona Sants at about 40 minutes, and slower services take longer. The sources do not agree on an exact figure, so treat 40 minutes as an estimate. Check Renfe for the day you travel, and book your return train before you leave. The train fare is separate from the two walking tours, which do not include transport.
Does the Dalí tour include museum entrance?
No. The Girona and Dalí Museum minivan day includes a walking tour of Girona, the drive to Figueres and a guided tour of the Dalí Theatre-Museum, but its exclusions list entrance fees. The museum ticket is not in the price. Check the museum’s current hours and admission on its official site before you go, because we did not verify those figures for this article.
Which tour has the most reviews and the highest rating?
The Girona and Costa Brava minivan day has the most reviews on the list, with 8,367 and a 4.90 rating. The highest rating is 4.96, held by the Costa Brava day with a Girona stop (493 reviews) and the private day (471 reviews). The two walking tours have 472 and 357 reviews, with ratings of 4.88 and 4.87. See the full table.
Can I cancel these tours for a full refund?
Yes, on all nine listings, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. The policy is written for a full refund and does not promise free changes at any time. Check the cancellation policy on the live page at checkout, and confirm the meeting point and the vehicle in your booking confirmation.
Are these tours suitable for travelers with limited mobility?
Some are better suited than others. The two walking tours last 2 to 2.5 hours on foot, and the old town is hilly, with cobbled streets and steps. The coach, minivan and private days are mostly seated, but they include walking in Girona and in the coastal villages. The Montserrat combo includes time on the mountain. Ask the operator about the walking before you book.
Sources
- Girona Tourism Office: Cathedral of Girona, visiting hours and tickets, accessed October 15, 2026
- Girona Tourism Office: tourism home, accessed October 15, 2026
- Girona Convention Bureau: Accessible Girona, accessed October 15, 2026
- Turistren: Montserrat rack railway and funiculars, accessed October 15, 2026
- Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí: Dalí Theatre-Museum, accessed October 15, 2026
- Trainline: trains from Barcelona Sants to Girona, accessed October 15, 2026
- Everyrail: trains from Barcelona to Girona, accessed October 15, 2026
- Afar: Tipping 101, when and how much to leave in Spain, accessed October 15, 2026
- Catalonia Hotels: tipping in Spain, accessed October 15, 2026
- Wikidata: Girona (Q7038), accessed October 15, 2026
- Viator partner API: tour prices, ratings, reviews and availability for the nine products, checked October 15, 2026 for departures from October 29 to December 27, 2026
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