Catedral de Girona (Santa María)
The cathedral with the widest Gothic nave in the world, atop 90 Baroque steps. Inside, the famous 11th-century Tapestry of Creation.
The essentials
- Tickets
- desde 7,50 €
The world's widest Gothic nave
Climb the 90 steps of the Baroque stairway and, once through the door, you face a single space with no columns to break it up: 22.98 metres wide, the widest Gothic nave in the world. Fifteenth-century master builders argued for years about whether it was safe to span that width with a single vault; in 1417 a board of twelve architects voted in favour, and the gamble paid off. That sheer openness is the first thing that strikes you inside.
From the Romanesque tower to Gothic
The cathedral stands at the highest point of Girona, where a mosque once stood and, earlier still, a Roman temple. Work began in the 11th century in the Romanesque style: from that phase survive the tower, dated to around 1040, and the trapezoidal 12th-century cloister, with capitals carved by Arnau Cadell. From the 13th century onwards Gothic took over, and the building was not considered finished until the 18th century, when the façade and stairway went up. That is why you can read it from bottom to top as a summary of six centuries of architecture.
The Tapestry of Creation and the Game of Thrones steps
The piece most people come for is in the Treasury Museum: the Tapestry of Creation, an 11th–12th-century Romanesque embroidery showing Christ creating the world, with the days of creation, the winds and the months of the year. It is one of the few of its kind preserved in Europe. The Treasury also holds the Beatus of Girona, one of the most famous illuminated copies of the Apocalypse. And outside, that fan-shaped stairway down to the square appeared in Game of Thrones: the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing was filmed here.
Hours, price and how to get there
The cathedral opens daily; in high season (April to October) it usually closes around 8 pm and in winter earlier, about 7 pm, with reduced hours on Sunday and holiday mornings. The combined ticket with the basilica of Sant Feliu costs about €7.50 (with reduced rates and the audioguide included), and there is a joint ticket with the Museu d'Art around €12; Girona residents and children under 7 go free. Because hours and prices change by season, confirm the day's details on the official website before you go. You reach it on foot: it sits at the top of the old town, about ten minutes from the river Onyar up through the Call.
Our tip
We recommend going up first thing in the morning: the light slants in through the windows and the stairway is still empty for the photo. Set aside at least an hour to see the nave, the cloister and the Treasury without rushing. And since you are already up there, chain the visit with the Arab Baths and a walk through the Call, both a couple of minutes downhill. If you come for Game of Thrones, note that the façade in the series is the 18th-century Baroque one, not the medieval one.
Frequently asked questions
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Other places in Girona
Banys Àrabs
monumentoDespite the name, these are 12th-century Romanesque baths inspired by hammams. The cold room with its domed octagonal lantern is the most photographed.
Cases de l'Onyar i Pont de les Peixateries Velles
puenteThe colourful houses over the river and the red iron bridge built by Eiffel's firm in 1877. Girona's definitive postcard view.
El Call (barrio judío)
barrioOne of the best-preserved medieval Jewish quarters in Europe: very narrow stone alleys and the Museum of Jewish History.
Basílica de Sant Feliu
monumentoRomanesque-Gothic church with a bell tower truncated by lightning, the tallest in the city. It holds Roman early-Christian sarcophagi.
Passeig de la Muralla
miradorFree walk along the top of the old Carolingian walls, with towers to climb and the best views over the rooftops and surrounding hills.
Revetlla de Sant Joan
fiestaThe Nit de Sant Joan is free and open to all, lighting up Girona on the night of 23–24 June (the 24th is a public holiday across Catalonia). Bonfires blaze in neighbourhoods and squares, the Flama del Canigó arrives at the Plaça del Vi, and coca and cava fill the tables: an inland midsummer festival, no beach, right beside the Onyar.
Temps de Flors
fiestaEvery May, Girona's Barri Vell becomes an ephemeral garden: Temps de Flors fills more than 100 spaces across the medieval old town — the cathedral, the Arab baths, private courtyards that only open for the occasion — with around 140 floral installations. Nine days, free admission, and over 400,000 visitors at the last edition.
Fires de Sant Narcís
fiestaThe Fires de Sant Narcís are Girona's Festa Major: roughly ten days in late October, around the 29th, with over 200 free events. Documented since the 14th century, it is the oldest fair in Catalonia, featuring the famous fira d'atraccions in the Parc de la Devesa and the old town spilling out into the streets.
Navidad en Girona
fiestaDecember turns Girona into one of Catalonia's most beautiful postcards: the Barri Vell and the bridges over the Onyar are lit up from late November, there's a free Christmas market in the Plaça de la Independència, and the Cathedral can be visited without queues — all with tourism at its lowest and crisp, dry cold.
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