Watch out, this post contains spoilers.
Girona is a city just forty minutes from Barcelona. It’s home to beautiful architecture, delicious food, stunning scenery, and coolest of all: shooting sites for Game of Thrones (GOT). Girona is super accessible by either train, bus, or car share, and if you’re a fan of the show, we definitely recommend visiting Girona during your time in Barcelona.
Season 6 of Game of Thrones was filmed more in Spain than past seasons, and Girona was used for some parts of the King’s Landing and Old Town. Many scenes showing Braavos were also shot in Girona.
The Monastery of Girona
The Monastery of Girona, also known as Sant Pere de Galligants, was used as 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 992 AD and was built by monks just outside Girona’s original city wall. Since 1857, it has served as the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia.
Plaza del Jurats
These days, Plaza del Jurats is used for local concerts and theatre in the city, making this square even more perfect as the shooting location for the play that Arya watches which depicts the lives and deaths of her family members.
The stabbing of Arya Stark
Before Arya watches the play, she is sent to Plaza del Jurats to kill Lady Crane. Instead, she 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. The bridge in question is located between the Monastery and Plaza del Jurats, meaning that fans can see all three of these locations within walking distance of each other.
Streets in Girona
The majority of Arya Stark’s scene were in fact filmed on the streets of Girona. One scene, when Arya is temporarily blind and a beggar was filmed on the steps of Carrer del Bisbe Cartañà. This is also where Arya’s training with the Waif was shot.
Another scene filmed within the streets of the city is the one where Arya jumps and falls into the food market to escape the Waif. This scene was filmed on the steps of the Sant Marti Sacosta church. Ayra then rolls down Pujada Sant Domenec, the street that leads from the church into downtown Girona. Continuing her escape through various alleyways, she passes through the city’s Carrer Sant Lorenc, a dark alley with archways and walls made of stone.
Girona’s Arab Baths
In her escape from the Waif, Arya eventually ends up in the Banys Arabs, Girona’s Arab Baths. Built in the late 12th century, these baths were in public use for at least two centuries. Since then, they have been privately owned and later restored by the government of Catalonia in the 1920’s.
Girona Cathedral
La Catedral de Santa Maria, Girona’s Cathedral, is an important landmark that was repeatedly used during season 6 as the Sept of Baelor. One important scene filmed at the cathedral is Margaery’s atonement, shot on the steps just outside.
At the end of the season, the building is destroyed by Cersei Lannister in a fiery green blaze. Although this scene was shot using CGI, the building is still recognisable as the Cathedral of Girona.
As a city, Girona is full of mediaeval architecture and landmarks- great for any dedicated and hard-core Game of Thrones fan.
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.