BITE-SIZE BREAK GIRONA
With a handsome, compact Old Town, photo-ready riverfront and views of the Pyrenees from its walkable medieval walls, the Spanish city draws in daytrippers from the nearby Costa Brava. But as Les Dunn discovers, it’s worth staying longer to make the most of Girona’s thriving food and drink scene
APERITIF AND NIGHTCAP
Vermouth (see p108) is a popular livener in Catalonia, and Girona is on board with the trend. Try the dry white and sweet-tangy red, both homemade, at lively El Vermutet Can Gombau (en-gb.facebook.com/cangombau). For a late-night bar, El Cafè (1 Carrer dels Ciutadans) is suitably low-lit and managed to find us a ratafia, the local aniseedy liqueur made with herbs and citrus peel.
A TASTE FOR ROMANCE
At seemingly every corner in Girona’s Old Town there’s a fetching backdrop, which is why they filmed parts of the TV epic Game of Thrones here. The jasmine-draped Cafè Le Bistrot (lebistrot.cat) proclaims itself ‘the most romantic spot in Spain’, its outdoor tables perched below the steps to a 17th-century church. With a plate of cheeses from the province and a glass of red from the local Empordà denomination, it’s a fine place to linger.