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What to Do on a Rainy Day in Girona

window on a rainy day
window on a rainy day | ©tatlin / Pixabay

Girona is often lovely and hot in summer, but if you’re visiting in winter, then the odd rainy day is not that uncommon. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of dry places where you can stay entertained. Here’s our pick of what to do on a rainy day in Girona.

Duck inside the cathedral to keep dry

Building, Cathedral

The Girona Cathedral is a magnificent sight to behold and is one of the most celebrated places in the city. It’s the perfect building to hide inside when it’s raining, marvelling at its vast and cavernous spaces. Built during the 11th and 18th centuries, it comprises a baroque façade, a Romanesque cloister and the widest Gothic nave in the world.

Learn all about the Jewish Quarter

Museum

It may be too wet to explore the Call – Girona’s historic Jewish Quarter – but you can still learn all about it at the Jewish Museum. The museum looks at how the Jewish communities lived here during the 9th to 15th centuries and displays many archaeological finds. Of particular interest is the largest collection of Jewish tombstones in Spain.

Admire the ancient Arabic Baths

Museum

Visiting baths may not seem like the ideal way to keep dry on a rainy afternoon in the city, but actually these ancient baths no longer contain water, and have been turned into a type of museum. It is not known exactly when the Banys Arabs(as they are known in Catalan) were built, but the earliest reference to them was in 1194. The baths are actually Roman in style, but have strong Arabic influences in their motifs and designs.

Visit the Museu del Cinema

Cinema, Museum

What could be more cosy than spending a wet afternoon watching a film? Well, we’re not actually suggesting that you go to the cinema, but instead to the Cinema Museum. Created from the collection of Tomàs Mallol, it features a wide array of artefacts, which follow the history of cinema and the moving image.

Learn about the city at the Museu d'Història de Girona

Monastery, Museum

Of course you can’t beat a rainy day learning all about the place you’re visiting, and the best place to do that is the Girona History Museum. Hidden among the alleyways of the Old Town, the museum follows the evolution of the city, from when very first human remains date back to, all the way until after the Franco era. Housed in an old monastery, it features rooms on various aspects of history and culture – such as sardana dancing or the Spanish Civil War.

Browse the galleries at the Girona Art Museum

Art Gallery, Museum

Marvelling at works in an art gallery is a great way to spend a dry afternoon indoors and escape the rain. The Girona Art Museum contains one of the most important collections of religious art in the province and works date from the Romanesque period to the beginning of the 20th century.

Go for coffee at Context Llibreria Cafe

Cafe, Restaurant

Context Llibreria Cafe, Girona
Girona is packed with quaint cafes and small bakeries, so you’ll have no problem finding somewhere to stay dry with a cup of tea or coffee. One of the best places is Context Llibreria Cafe, which is not only a cafe, but a bookshop and restaurant too. There will be plenty to keep you entertained here, from browsing books to tasting tapas and looking at temporary art exhibits.

Enjoy a meal at one of the oldest restaurants in the city

Restaurant

Casa Marieta sits on the atmospheric Plaça de la Independència and is one of the oldest restaurants in the city, having opened in 1892. With bare stone walls and beautifully carved wooden booths, it’s a great spot to hide away from the rain and sample some Catalan classics. Try the baked snails or the duck with pears. The restaurant also has its own wine cellar, so it’s a good choice for an evening meal too.
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