TAKE A WALK AROUND THE STREETS OF GIRONA LIKE ARYA STARK!
GIRONA CATHEDRAL: The Great Sept of Baelor staircase.
The exterior of the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona turned into the most important religious building in Westeros, The Great Sept of Baelor.
The scene where Jamie climbs up the stairs of the Sept on his horse in order to meet the High Sparrow is filmed on the endless staircase of this Cathedral.
The Cathedral, which has the widest Gothic nave in the world (22,98 metres), is situated in the historic city centre of Girona. You can also see around the square of this Cathedral remains of the roman wall that surrounded the city.
Unfortunately, the Cathedral doesn’t have the same view overlooking the sea as it does in the series. This is trick effect added digitally, because in the GOT universe The Great Sept of Baelor is closed to the water. Bun in reality, Girona is not a coastal city so don’t expect to hear some seagulls if you pay a visit to the city.
GIRONA OLD TOWN: Braavos.
In season six of the show, Arya Stark wandered around Braavos. A route that can be used to get to know the old part of the city of Girona. The iconic stair where we encounter Arya’s character blind and begging for some money is located a few steps away from the Cathedral, in Obispo Josep Cartañà Street (Carrer del Bisbe Josep Cartañà).
Following her steps, in the second episode Arya visits a market in a desperate attempt to find her way out of the city. In the real world these market stalls where placed on the Paseo Arqueológico of Girona. With its gardens and cobbled streets this was the perfect scenery in Girona to house a medieval market.
There is one moment in the frantic chase between the Waif and Arya when the latter enters a bathhouse in order to scape (and to let us, the viewers, catch some air too). The steam that fills the scene doesn’t let us appreciate the spectacular interiors of Girona’s Arab Baths, reminiscent of Muslim baths from the North of Africa.
Also in Braavos, Arya finds out about what has happened to her family because she sees it all played out in a theatre performance. The square where this play takes place is named Plaza dels Jurats, in the city centre of Girona.
As well as in the show, in the real world this square is the spot where many plays and some concerts outdoors are performed in Girona. So if you are lucky enough to visit the city when this kind of display happens you can feel just like Arya looking at the stage. (We just hope the show doesn’t have anything to do with your family’s destiny).
Finally, the Waif dressed up as an old lady finds Arya and stabs her on a Braavos bridge (Puente de Galligants). Arya is forced to throw herself to the river in order to scape.
Luckily for her, (if we can say so about a girl who has just been stabbed) the current of Braavos took her away from the Waif and cushioned the fall.
However, the real river course below Puente de Galligants is totally dry and filled with foliage. But you can still try and, standing on the middle point of the bridge as Arya did, imagine the sound of water. And far far away the outline of the Titan of Braavos protecting the city. Staying in Barcelona but you too want to travel to Braavos in Girona? We have the perfect GOT tour for you here!
Game of Thrones revolutionised the city of Girona, to the point that Jordi Roca invented an exclusive ice cream called ‘La mano de Jamie Lannister’ (Jamie Lannister’s hand). This famous chef from Girona won the inaugural award of ‘Best pastry chef in the world’ in 2014 and he is also de pastry chef in the famous restaurant El Celler de Can Roca.
It regards to his peculiar ice cream, it is just available in the most famous ice cream parlour in the city: Rocambolesc. If you like mango and orange-flavoured desserts you have to try it!
MONASTERY OF SANT PERE DE GALLIGANTS: Oldtown.
Only a few metres away from Puente de Galligants we encounter the Monastery of Sant Pere de Galligants. In the show, it is depicted as the citadel in Oldtown where Sam wants to train as a Maester to get to know more about the White Walkers and how to defeat them.
Nowadays the building is used as the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia in Girona. So you can be just like Sam and walk pass its doors searching for information about creatures that existed years and years ago.
There are many tours in the city of Girona to visit all of its Game of Thrones locations. You’ll feel as if you were another character within this medieval universe.
