The ancient walled city of GIRONA - an hour and twenty minutes by bus or train from Barcelona - stands on a fortress-like hill, high above the River Onyar. It's been fought over in almost every century since it was the Roman fortress of Gerunda on the Via Augusta, and perhaps more than any other place in Catalunya, it retains the distinct flavour of its erstwhile inhabitants. Following the Moorish conquest of Spain, Girona was an Arab town for over two hundred years, a fact apparent in the maze of narrow streets in the centre, and there was also a continuous Jewish presence here for six hundred years. By the eighteenth century, Girona had been besieged on 21 occasions, and in the nineteenth century it earned itself the nickname "Immortal" by surviving five attacks, of which the longest was a seven-month assault by the French in 1809. Not surprisingly, all this attention has bequeathed the city a hotchpotch of architectural styles, from Roman classicism to modernisme , yet the overall impression for the visitor is of an overwhelmingly beautiful medieval city, whose attraction is heightened by its river setting.

The City Although the bulk of modern Girona lies on the west side of the River Onyar, most visitors spend nearly all their time in the old city , over the river. This thin wedge of land contains all the sights and monuments, and as it takes only half an hour or so to walk from end to end it's easy to explore thoroughly.

trains run every thirty to sixty minutes from Sants Estació and it's an hour and twenty-minutes' ride. The train station (information on 972 207 093) is at Plaça d'Espanya, across the river in the new part of the city - it's a twenty-minute walk into the old centre. There are rather fewer buses from Barcelona's Estácio del Nord (Mon-Sat 6-9 buses daily, Sun 3) and the journey time's roughly the same; Girona's bus station (tel 972 212 319) is around the back of the train station, with frequent services on to the Costa Brava and Figueres. You'll find taxi ranks at the train station, Plaça Catalunya and Plaça Independencia. Incidentally, Girona's airport (tel 972 186 600 for flight information), 13km south of the city centre, is used mainly for Costa Brava charter flights; there's no bus into town, so you'll have little choice but to take a taxi.

There's a summer-only Turisme inside the train station (Mon-Sat 8am-1pm & 3-8pm; tel 972 216 296), while the main office is at Rambla Llibertat 1 (Sept-June Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-2pm & 4-8pm; July & Aug also Sun 9am-2pm; tel 972 226 575), right on the river at the eastern end of the old town. Both offices have useful maps and accommodation lists, English-speaking staff, and bus and train timetables for all onward services. They also sell a combined ticket (Euros4.80, under-16s free) which gives entry to all the major sights we've described. There's an exchange office at the train station, and you'll find banks along the Rambla Llibertat. The post office is at Avda Ramón Folch 2 (Mon-Sat 8am-9pm).