Girona Tourist Information Office (Oficina de Turisme) Rambla de la Libertat,1 Tel. 972 22 65 75. (now closed-it has moved to the large Catalan regional government building in Placa Hospital).
Girona’s main tourist Information office is in the old towns Rambla, one way to reach it is to just walk across the Pont de Pedra (stone bridge) from the new part of Girona (Eixample) and turn left, you’ll see it next to the river. It has helpful, muti-lingual staff and you can ask for a free map of Girona which covers the old town and some of the newer areas. There are also many other free leaflets and brochures for local and coastal attractions dotted around.
Update 2010. This place has now closed and transferred to the new government building in Placa Hospital, the site of the old hospital, now renovated and added to, to create a new seat of the Catalan Generalitat in Girona.
There’s also a useful, free English magazine called Costa Brava Resident which you can pick up from here at the beginning of each month, which has up-to-date info on local events, local clubs, whats on listings and articles on various subjects associated with living and working here, Catalan traditions and culture. Update-late 2008. No longer published, but try the monthly Catalonia Today magazine.
If you end up living here then this place is well worth re-visiting often to check-out what’s on and to have a browse around, or try http://www.girona.cat/turisme/eng/activitats.php
The city town hall have a fairly good website at www.ajuntament.gi click on the English link at the bottom of the page or follow the links in Catalan to download a PDF map of Girona. The ajuntament website has a lot of additional information. mostly in Catalan and useful for anyone living here who wants to find out more about the many other institutions, and a lot more else, but I stress, only if you can read Catalan, even the Spanish version is rather inadequate at present. They also produce a fortnightly listings guide to what’s on in Girona called ‘La Guia’, pick one up at the tourist office. email: oficinadeturisme@girona.org
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm. Saturdays 8am to 2pm, then 4pm to 8pm, Sundays 9am to 2pm.
There’s also a small tourist office near to where the tourist coaches park called the Punt de Benviguts or ‘welcome point’.
Punt de Benvinguda (welcome point).
Servicios turísticos y de central de reservas
Berenguer Carnicer, 3, 17001 Girona. Teléfono: 972 211 678 Fax: 972 221 135 E- mail: pbturisme@ajgirona.org
Another Girona tourist information place is inside Girona train station but it’s only open during the summer months, unmanned at lunchtimes and a small stand, so don’t expect too much in the way of maps etc. However, there is a permanent electronic Information point (in red) at the same spot with a screen and keyboard connected to the Girona ajuntament web site, so at least there’s something.
Girona airport also has a tourist information desk in the arrivals hall.
Girona Walks. There are official guides (Guies de Girona) here are the details:
Daily departures (except Monday) from April to 1st November, 10.30 a.m. Meet at the Punt De Benvinguda office (photo above), price 10 euros per person, kids under 14 free. Tour lasts about 2 hours www.puntdebenvinguda.com
For the current weather in Girona;
www.ajuntament.gi/turisme/eng/girona_meteo.php
Essential Girona Tourist Information.
If Calling Spain the country code +34
Emergency telephone numbers.
National Police Tel. 091 / 972 486 001
Guardia Urbana Tel. 062
Municipal Police Tel.092 / 972 419 092
Catalan Autonomous Police (Mossos D’Esquadra) Tel. 088 / 972 181 800
Fire Brigade (Bombers in Catalan) tel. 112 / 972 208 650
General Emergency tel. 112
Medical Emergency tel. 061
Ambulance Tel. 972 410 010
Red Cross Tel. 972 222 222
Girona Hospital (called Dr.Trueta) tel. 972 940 200 / Santa Caterina Hospital in nearby Salt Tel. 972 182 600
Emergency Vet (24hrs) tel. 972 218 668
Dental emergencies (24hrs) tel 972 232 911
Useful Telephone numbers.
Girona Airport tel. 972 186 600
Girona Bus/Coach station Information tel. 972 212 319
Girona Train station-Information tel. 972 240 202
RENFE tel. 902 240 202 www.renfe.es
British Consulate in Barcelona tel. 93 366 6200, British Embassy in Madrid tel.933 666 200
USA tel. 93 280 2227
Credit Card cancellation (Mastercard, Visa, Eurocard: Tel. 915 192 100
Girona Taxi-Information tel.972 222 323 / 972 203 377
Taxis adapted for disabled persons: tel. 972 222 323 / 972 203 377
International directory enquiries tel. 11825
Directory enquiries tel. 11888 / 11822 / 11811
Living here, these are the different Utility Co’s details;
Aigues de Girona (water Co.) tel. 972 440 067
Fecsa-Endesa (electric Co.) tel. 972 011 200
Gas Natural tel. Emergencies 900 750 750 / Info. 902 250 365www.gasnaturaldistribucion.com
Bottled Gas tel. 972 202 900
Telefonica (tel. problems) tel.1002
Ono is a Cable TV Co. that also offers broadband and telephone services, sold usually as a package www.ono.es
Internet Cafes, internet access points.
Some places that offer Internet access also offer low cost telephone calls and money transfer services, look for shops that display a ‘Locutori’ sign as these places have booths for making cheap international calls and usually have a few PC’s with internet access. Prices average around 2€ /Hr. Or try these places below.
Cafe Irlandesa , C/ Ciutadans 20 (Old Town) Tel.972 426 300 Have a Guinness and surf the net!
The Youth hostel or ‘Alberge’ in the old town (C/Ciutadans) has some terminals (if you are staying there).
This is a list of public buildings with free internet access, that’s operated by the local authority www.ajuntament.gi
L’Estacio Espai Jove , C/ Sta. Eugenia (the old railway station), near the new train/bus station.
Centre Civic Santa Eugenia
Centre Civic Sant Narcis
Centre Civic Pla de Palau
Centre Civic Onyar
Centre Civic Pont Major
Centre Civic Ter
Biblioteca (Library) Antonia Adroher
Biblioteca Salvador Allende
Biblioteca Ernest Lluch
Biblioteca Just M. Casero
Pavello Fontajau
Pavello de Palau(also where they have basketball matches)
Piscina (swimming pool) Santa Eugenia-Can Gibert
Punt de lectura de Torre Gironella
Wi-Fi zones in Girona. The number of wi-fi internet access points seems to be increasing within Girona all the time. The local authorities are gradually increasing free access points within certain boroughs.
Some hotels like the Carlemany have net access for guests. Recently, I saw a restaurant called Agora in C/ Marques de Camps, offering wi-fi, but there are more new ones every day. However, it’s worth checking here http://wi-fi.jiwire.com/browse-hotspot-all-spain-es-catalonia–2449.htm
Finally, Charlemagne reconquered it in 785 and made it one of the fourteen original countships of Catalonia. Thus it was wrested temporarily from the Moors, who were driven out finally in 1015. Guifre the 1st incorporated Girona into the countship of Barcelona in 878.
Alfonso the 1st of Aragon declared Girona to be a city in the 11th century. The ancient countship later became a duchy (1351) when King Pere the 3rd of Arago gave the title of Duke to his first-born son, Joan. In 1414, King Ferran the 1st in turn gave the title of Prince of Girona to his first-born son Alfons. The title is currently carried by Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the first Borbón to do so.
The 12th century saw a flourishing of the Jewish community of Girona, with one of the most important Kabbalistic schools in Europe. The Rabbi of Girona, known as Nahmanides or Ramban was appointed Great Rabbi of Catalonia. The history of the Jewish community of Girona ended in 1492, when the Spanish monarchy expelled all the Jews from Spain.
Today, the Jewish ghetto or Call is one of the best preserved in Europe and is a major attraction for tourists. On the north side of the old city is Montjuic (or hill of the Jews in medieval Catalan), where an important religious cemetery was located.
During its long history Girona has undergone twenty-five sieges and been captured seven times. It was besieged by the French royal armies in 1653, again in 1684, and twice in 1694. In May, 1809, it was beseiged by 35,000 French Napoleonic troops, and held out obstinately under the leadership of Alvarez until disease and famine compelled it to capitulate on the 12th December.
Finally, the French conquered the city in 1809, after 7 months of siege. Girona was center of Ter department during French rule between 1809-1813. The defensive walls were demolished at the end of the 19th century to allow for the expansion of the city. In recent years, the missing parts of the city walls on the eastern side of the city have been reconstructed. Called the Passeig de la Murallait now forms a free to use tourist route around the old city.
