Be warned, this post contains spoilers.
Situated just an hour north of Barcelona, Girona is home to beautiful architecture, delicious food, and many shooting sites of the fantasy series: Game of Thrones. If you’re a fan of the show, make sure to visit the city of Girona during your time in Barcelona.
How to get to Girona
Girona is accessible by train, bus, or car share. The regional trains (El Renfe) or high speed trains (AVE) leave from Barcelona Sants station, while buses and car shares leave from a range of different places in the city. Tickets cost around €20-€35 return. To read more about getting to Girona and things to do there, read our blog post.
Game of Thrones
Season 6 of the series was filmed more predominately in Spain than past seasons, Girona in particular was used to film some parts of the King’s Landing and Old Town. Many scenes showing Braavos were also shot in Girona. All these places are extremely accessible and can be seen in just a few hours, leaving you with the rest of the day to explore all that Girona has to offer…
The Monastery of Girona
The monastery of Girona (Sant Pere de Galligants) was used to depict the Citadel in Oldtown that Samwell Tarley goes to to train as a Maester. He also brings Gilly and Sam along with him in this scene.
The monastery itself dates back to the year 992, and was built by monks just outside Girona’s original city wall. Since 1857, it has served as the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia.
Plaça del Jurats
The scene where Arya watches a play about the lives of her family members and her father’s death in a square in Braavos was actually filmed in Girona’s Plaça del Jurats. Today, the plaza is used for local concerts and theatre in the city, making it the perfect place to film this scene.
The stabbing of Arya Stark
Before the play scene, Arya is sent to the square to kill Lady Crane but instead warns her about the Waif. As a result, the Waif stabs Arya in the stomach as she tries to escape by jumping off a bridge. This bridge is actually located between the monastery of Girona and Plaza del Jurats, making these three locations easy to see at the same time.
Streets in Girona
The majority of Arya Stark’s scenes in season 6 were filmed in the streets of Girona. For example, the scenes where she is blind and a beggar, as well as when she is being chased by the Waif. In fact, the scene when Arya is temporarily blind, was actually filmed on the steps of Carrer Bisbe Cartanyà. This is also where Arya’s training with the Waif was shot.
The scene where Arya jumps and falls into the food market to escape the Waif was filmed on the steps of the Sant Martí Sacosta church. Ayra then rolls down Pujada Sant Domènec, the street that leads from the church into downtown Girona. Continuing her escape through various alleyways, she passes through the city’s Carrer Sant Lorenç, a dark alley with archways and walls made of stone.
Arya eventually makes her way to the Banys Arabs, Girona’s Arab Baths. These baths were built in the late 12th century and were in public use for at least two whole centuries. Since then, they have been privately owned and later restored by the government of Catalonia in the 1920’s. It is here where Arya’s chase with the Waif ends.
The Cathedral of Girona
Girona’s cathedral (Catedral de Santa Maria) was used as the Sept of Baelor in season 6, Margaery’s atonement being filmed on the steps just outside the cathedral, above Plaça de la Catedral.
At the end of the season the building is destroyed by Cersei Lannister using CGI. The season ends with the Sept exploding in a green fiery blaze and Cersei watching the destruction she has caused from a tower far-away. Although this scene was heavily edited in production, the building is still recognisable as the Cathedral of Girona.
We also recommend visiting the defensive wall around Girona for fantastic views of the city which include the cathedral, the monastery, and the surrounding mountains.
As always, let us know in the comments if you go to any of these places on your visit to Girona, or send us a photo through the Apartment Barcelona facebook page.
Winter is coming…
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