Girona FAQ's cont'd;
What about outside of Girona, any nice places to live in that you recommend?
One or two come to mind, like Sant Gregori and the Vall de Sant Daniel, both which are just a few kms. from Girona. Just on the outskirts of Girona there's also Fornells de la Selva which is quite nice and has had a lot of new developments and an International school. About 20 minutes away, heading south, past the airport there's also these two places which we thought looked OK, Caldes de Malavella and Macanet de la Selva.
Any public loos in town?
Ah, yes they're not really big on public loo's anywhere in Spain it seems, and Girona is no exception. There are some just by the main tourist office in the old town La Rambla, Devesa park and in the Placa Independencia, and of course inside Girona train station. If you get caught short just try walking into the nearest cafe or bar which is taken as the norm, although I have seen signs in the windows of some bars saying that you must be a paying customer to use the toilets (serveis / lavabo/aseos).
What about the medical services?
I'll cover this big subject in more detail within the 'Living Here' pages when time permits but my own experience and that of my wife's have been positive. We both work here and pay into the social security system so don't have any private medical cover. If you don't work and pay taxes you can still sign-up to the Catalan NHS, which costs around 90€/mth.
Need a translation service? try this Co. for a quote just choose which languages you need translated.
Translation Service
How can I get hooked-up to English/Sky TV?
If you want to get Sky TV then pick-up a free copy of the Costa Brava Resident magazine and look in there for Co's that advertise these services. Many seem to be around the Barcelona area or on the coast.
Update March 09: I've heard that this magazine is no longer being published, due to a lack of advertisers.
Do you know of any good hotels in Girona?
Try here Check Hotel Prices & Availability in GironaPersonally I've never stayed in any of the hotels in Girona so I'd suggest you take a look at one of the several travel websites that give opinions of people who have stayed in Girona hotels, and then make your own decisions on where to stay. Through people I know the Hotel Historic, Ciutat and Peninsula seem good choices and well located.
Do you know of any good restaurants in Girona?
Depends on what price level and quality of dining experience you are looking for, but thats why I created the Girona Restaurants/more Girona restaurants pages here to offer a personal opinion.
Any good bars in Girona? Try any of these four.
The River Cafe, (Girona Old Town). It's just beside the steps of St Feliu church and gets very busy with a young-ish crowd at weekends and has a side-room with comfy leather sofas and nice, easy listening music. There's a few outdoor tables and a food menu is also available, open till late.
Boheme. Overlooking the open plaza near the Girona main justice (Jujats) building, it has a rather garish red-velvet interior and serves a nice range of Cocktails. Extensive outdoor seating is available if you can't stand the colour scheme inside!
Bar Nuria, faces the busy C/Barcelona but the outdoor seating is set away from the road and it''s next to a fenced-off kids playground so we find it's a good place for an outdoor drink and you can watch the kids playing next door. It offers a daily lunch menu at around 9€ or a selection of Tapas. The surrounding trees, now pruned used to attract huge flocks of birds at dusk.
La Cercle, in C/ Ciutadans in the Girona old town area, just past the town hall building. Long and narrow as you enter but it has one or two cosy areas further on inside with comfy seating and pleasant, not-too-loud music so that you can hear yourself speak.
Las Carpas, Parc de la Devesa (late May to Sept.) You should really get along here and experience this place if you are in Girona during the summer months. Devesa park plays host to a handful of outdoor temporary bars with floodlights that illuminate the tree canopy above. Sit amongst the tall plane trees, walk or stumble from one bar to another and listen to cool music till the early hours. Walk into the park from anywhere along the Passeig Devesa and you'll see the lights from the bars or hear the music, it's a great way to finish-off the night. Weekly live music (Wednesday's mostly) in at least one of the bars. Please note, most have security personnel and will not allow anyone under 18 or families with kids to enter.
I'm staying in Girona and I've got a car, are there any nice beaches nearby?
Yes, I guess the nearest beach heading in an easterly direction is at St Feliu de Guixols which is about 30 mins. driving on the C-65 road. You'll see signs for St.Feliu inside the Girona area so they should'nt be too hard to spot. If you find yourself in St. Feliu it's also worth picking up the signs for S'Agaro nearby, which has a nice beach called Sant Pol and some fine beach-side restaurants.
A touch further but also very nice are the little coves at Callela de Palafrugell and the beach at Tossa de Mar is good for families.
What days are public holidays in Girona? (Don't expect much to be open shop-wise) The main ones are below but, many cities in this region will have their own 'special' days so what may be a holiday in Girona, might not be in somewhere like Barcelona.
1 January: New Year's Day
6 January: Epiphany
6 April: Good Friday
9 April: Easter Monday
1 May: Labour Day
24 June: Saint John's Day
15 August:
Assumption of the Virgin Mary
11 September: National
Day of Catalonia
12 October: Spanish National Day
1 November: All Saints' Day
6 December:
Constitution Day
8 December: Immaculate Conception
25 December: Christmas Day
26 December:
Boxing Day
Plus, the 25th July and the 29th October
(St. Narcis)
How
about the current economic climate?
Well, here's no different and I see a lot of retail businesses closing. Unemployment is on the rise and for more details on this and benefits see our Living Here pages