Girona and Dalí’s World – Best day trip from Barcelona

Barcelona is probably one of the best cities to visit in the world. It has a wide range of culture, activities, gastronomy and the weather is great. But, do you want to make the most of your visit to Barcelona? Tell your family and friends that you’ve done «much more»?

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Take a day trip to one of the most fascinating places
in Catalonia: Girona with a previous visit to Salvador
Dalí’s hometown, Figueres.

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>>> Best way to get there: Whether you are traveling solo or looking for a tour, make sure you travel by the AVE high-speed train. Just sit back and relax while the AVE bullet train takes you to Girona in no time. Why? It’s fast, efficient and comfortable. You will cover 100 km to Girona in just under half an hour and, in the end, you will spend less time traveling and more time to enjoy Girona.

 

For the best day trip you can combine Girona with a previous visit to Salvador Dalí’s hometown Figueres. Once there, the magic begins:

 

The unique Dalí

 

If I die, I will not die completely.  This quote from Empordà’s genius is a great metaphor of Dalí’s Museum, the best place to dig into the artist world but also a great chance to enjoy art and have fun at the same time. Once there, just by paying a little attention to the façade you will realise that it is packed with the typical breads of the region… and on the roof there are giant eggs!

Inside, from the wood-and-satin sofa shaped after the lips of actress Mae West to the Rainy Cadillac –Yes, it rains inside-, every detail will definitely fascinate you. Dalí also made one of the first holographic paintings: you walk into the hall and you see a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, you walk closer and you will see a nude of Dalí’s wife-muse Gala. Incredible but true. Crazy but true. It’s surrealism. It’s Dalí, and he is eternal.

 

>>> My favourite: Talking about eternity, and remembering that Diamonds are forever, a plus to your visit is to admire the permanent exhibition ‘Dalí Jewels‘. It is an extensive collection of jewellery works made by the artist between 1941 and 1970 which perfectly illustrates the various phases of his artistic evolution. The collection includes thirty-nine gold jewels and precious stones and the twenty-seven drawings and paintings on paper that Salvador Dalí made for the jewels designs.

 

The Amazing Girona

 

 

Girona is the perfect city to spend one day strolling around and discovering its hidden treasures. One of them is the Tapestry of the Creation, a unique piece that dates back to the eleventh century.

Walking along the narrow streets of the Jewish quarter –one of the best kept in Europe-,

admiring the colourful houses standing on the riverfront of Onyar,

visiting its historical buildings like the Cathedral or the Arab baths,

you will feel that you have travelled back to the Middle Age.

It is not a coincidence that Game of Thrones has chosen Girona as a new location for next season.

 

>>> Worth a visit: Talking about filming, the Museum of Cinema – Tomàs Mallol Collection is one of the most important Cinema Museums in Europe. It holds 20,000 pieces, nearly 8,000 objects and almost 10,000 documents with fixed images (photographs, posters, prints, drawings and paintings) from the mid-seventeenth century to 1970. The bulk of the collection is from the years between the second half of the eighteenth century and the first third of the twentieth.

 

Mediterranean and innovative cuisine

 

The wide range of bars and restaurants is also a good reason to go to Girona. Great places and great food, a lot of them based on the delicious –and healthy-, Mediterranean cuisine.

And guess in which city can you find the best restaurant in the world? After winning this recognition in 2013, El Celler de Can Roca has again reached the top of the prestigious The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list with the creativity and hard work of the Roca brothers: Joan’s thoughtful but original cooking, the amazing wine pairings suggested by sommelier Josep and the original and vibrant desserts created by Jordi, named in 2014 World’s best pastry chef.

 

>>> An absolute must! The youngest of the Roca’s brothers also owns Rocambolesc, an incredible ice cream shop with innovative and delicious flavours, made ​​with 100% natural ingredients. The vintage look of the place, inspired by the fantasy world of Willy Wonka’s character of Roald Dahl’s Chocolate Factory, is really worth a visit.

 

 

So, why don’t you save a day of your holidays and make easy day trip from Barcelona? Girona-Figueres is an excellent choice and we offer the fastest and most comfortable way to enjoy it.