Passeig De La Muralla (Ancient City Walls), Girona (must see)
The Ancient City Walls of Girona are less 鈥渙ld ruins鈥� and more 鈥渟tone showmen.鈥� Their first chapter begins in 1 B.C., when the Romans sketched out fortifications to guard their settlement. Advance to the 14th century, and those Roman bones were built up into the sprawling medieval ramparts that wrapped around Girona like a suit of armor. They were badly needed鈥攖his was a city besieged more than two dozen times, and the walls bore the brunt of it.
By the 19th century, the story took a turn: parts of the walls on the western side were dismantled to let the growing city breathe. The eastern side was simply abandoned. For a while, Girona outgrew its stone corset. But in recent decades, restorers gave the walls back their voice, patching together missing stretches and reopening the walkways.
Now, climbing onto the ramparts is less about survival and more about perspective. From up high, the view spreads across terracotta rooftops, the cathedral鈥檚 bell tower, and, if the day is clear, the serrated outline of the Pyrenees. Towers punctuate the route with higher vantage points, while tucked-away gardens and shaded sections provide breathing spaces along the climb. Arrow slits and narrow windows remind you that these walls weren鈥檛 built for scenery鈥攖hey were built to keep Girona standing.
A full circuit takes an hour or two, though there are plenty of access points if you鈥檇 rather dip in and out. What you鈥檙e walking, though, is not just a wall鈥攊t鈥檚 two millennia of the city deciding when to defend, when to expand, and when to restore. Few places in Girona stitch past and present together with such clarity underfoot.
By the 19th century, the story took a turn: parts of the walls on the western side were dismantled to let the growing city breathe. The eastern side was simply abandoned. For a while, Girona outgrew its stone corset. But in recent decades, restorers gave the walls back their voice, patching together missing stretches and reopening the walkways.
Now, climbing onto the ramparts is less about survival and more about perspective. From up high, the view spreads across terracotta rooftops, the cathedral鈥檚 bell tower, and, if the day is clear, the serrated outline of the Pyrenees. Towers punctuate the route with higher vantage points, while tucked-away gardens and shaded sections provide breathing spaces along the climb. Arrow slits and narrow windows remind you that these walls weren鈥檛 built for scenery鈥攖hey were built to keep Girona standing.
A full circuit takes an hour or two, though there are plenty of access points if you鈥檇 rather dip in and out. What you鈥檙e walking, though, is not just a wall鈥攊t鈥檚 two millennia of the city deciding when to defend, when to expand, and when to restore. Few places in Girona stitch past and present together with such clarity underfoot.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Girona. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Passeig De La Muralla (Ancient City Walls) on Map
Sight Name: Passeig De La Muralla (Ancient City Walls)
Sight Location: Girona, Spain (See walking tours in Girona)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Girona, Spain (See walking tours in Girona)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Girona, Spain
Create Your Own Walk in Girona
Creating your own self-guided walk in Girona is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Girona Introduction Walking Tour
Girona sits in northeastern Catalonia, where every cobblestone seems to gossip about old allegiances and bitter defeats. Long before tourist maps and cafe terraces, Iberian tribes pitched up here in the 6th century BC. The Romans soon followed, stamping the place with the name Gerunda鈥斺�渘ear the river鈥濃�攁 practical nod to the Onyar River, which still slices the city neatly into old and new.
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles
... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles
Game of Thrones Film Sites in Girona
Let鈥檚 do a visualization exercise: Girona鈥檚 medieval quarter, with its stone staircases and cloistered courtyards, suddenly posing as Westeros. Between 2011 and 2019, HBO鈥檚 Game of Thrones roamed Europe in search of backdrops, and Girona ticked all the boxes鈥擱omanesque towers, Gothic facades, and narrow alleys that looked like they鈥檇 been waiting centuries for a camera crew. The city... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.8 Km or 0.5 Miles