Although it is easy to find restaurants in Girona, the Oficina de Relacions Exteriors has an unofficial list (with comments) of the more centrally-located ones and, in any case, you can always check the price list that all the establishments have posted at the entrance.
More information: www.ajuntament.gi/web/turisme

The Girona coast, covering L’Alt and El Baix Empordà, is universally known as the Costa Brava, one of the preferred holiday zones for tourists from all over the world. Along more than two hundred kilometres, its untouched nature areas and botanical gardens alternate with fishing villages and cosmopolitan urbanisations. In L’Alt Empordà, you can find Dali’s museum, in Figueres, one of the Spain’s most visited museums, and the ancient ages are present in Empuries, with Roman and Greek remains. Also the inland panorama is extremely varied forested mountains (La Cerdanya), where you can practise ski during winter season, protected natural parks, one of the most important volcanic areas in Europe (La Garrotxa) and a lake that hosted the 1992 Olympic Games rowing events (Banyoles, El Pla de l’Estany).

The city of Girona is the capital of the province. It is placed in El Gironès, on the banks of the Ter and Onyar rivers. Girona, with a population of about 87,000 inhabitants is a small city that still conserves the quality of life that has been lost in larger ones. It is a hectic administrative and university centre, pole of commercial and cultural attraction, with the highest quality of life in Catalonia and almost for the whole Spain.  It is situated in a privileged place, hardly an hour from Barcelona or from the French border and about two from the Pyrenees. Founded by the Romans, it is one of the oldest cities in Catalonia with more than 2,000 years of history. European history! we can say, even the Seat of Carlemany (Charlemagne, Karl de Große, Karel de Grote…) is in the Cathedral. But that’s not the only treasure in the city. Its exceptional old part is one continuous monument of temples, belfries, houses, palaces and walls, and it contains one of the best-preserved Medieval Jewries in Europe. 

…And those are only some of the reasons which make Girona a cute place to stay!, then you will discover the others.
More information: www.ajuntament.gi/web/turisme

The Denominació d’Origen Penedès is centred in the regional capital, Vilafranca del Penedès, with nearby Sant Sadurní d’Anoia the acknowledged centre of Cava production.

• Freixenet – The cava bodegas, at Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, can be easily reached by train. You could take the train from Plaça de Catalunya or from Sants station. Trains depart hourly from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning. The trip takes around 45 minutes, which makes this visit a nice half day trip. The Freixenet distilleries are right across the highway as you exit the train station. Free 1-½ hr. tours are currently available from Monday to Thursday at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 17:00 hours; on Fridays at 10:00, 11:30, 12:00 and 13:00; on weekends 10:00 and 13:00 hours. For more information you can check: www.freixenet.es

• Codorniú – This is by far the most impressive bodega. You would need to drive or take a taxi to visit this beautiful building that was designed by Puig I. Cadafalch. You will enjoy this trip, as it has a cava museum and you will be able to visit the largest underground cellars in the world, as you will be taken around portions of the 26 km long underground cellars by train. The winery is open for visits Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00 and on Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 9:00 to 13:00 only. You can reserve a space on a tour by calling 938 913 342 or by email reservas@codorniu.es.

• Raventós i Blanc – This cava producer is located on the Plaça del Roure. Opens Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00. If you would like to have a visit conducted in English you can phone 938 183 262. If you fancy nice Spanish food after the tour, you can enjoy lunch in the village at Cal Blay on Josep Rivera 7. It opens daily for lunch from 13:00 to 15:30. On Monday to Friday you can enjoy el menú del día for only €12. You can also visit the outdoor local market on Thursdays and Saturdays. For more informaiton you can check: www.calblay.com

While the roots of Sitges’ artsy reputation date back to the late 19th century, when Catalan painter Santiago Rusiñol took up residence there during the summer, the town really came into its own during the 1960s, when it was the only center for the counterculture on the mainland of Spain (then still under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco), and became known as a sort of “Ibiza in miniature”.

Today, Sitges can be considered a dynamic cultural oasis, basing its economy on tourism and culture offering more than 4,500 hotel beds, half of them in four-star hotels. The firm commitment for quality infrastructures has converted Sitges into a first-class destination in terms of tourism of congresses, conferences, seminars and company meetings in the Mediterranean area.

It is also a gay tourist town – in July and August gay men and lesbians visit Sitges as “one of the most popular gay holiday spots in Europe”.

Sitges is very international. Almost 35% of the ca. 25.642 inhabitants are from the Netherlands, Great Britain, France and Scandinavia whose children can attend international schools.

“Montserrat” literally means “jagged (serrated) mountain” in Catalan. It describes the peculiar aspect of the rock formation, which is visible from a great distance. The mountain is composed of strikingly pink conglomerate, a form of sedimentary rock, popular with climbers.

The Virgin of Montserrat is a statue of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ venerated at the Santa María de Montserrat monastery in the Montserrat mountain in Catalonia. It is one of the black Madonnas of Europe, hence its familiar Catalan name, la Moreneta (”The little dark-skinned one”). Believed by some to have been carved in Jerusalem in the early days of the church, it is a Romanesque sculpture in wood from the late 12th century.

Legend has it that the Benedictine monks could not move the statue to construct their monastery, choosing to instead build around it. The statue’s sanctuary is located at the rear of the chapel, where an altar of gold surrounds the icon, and is now a site of pilgrimage.

If you wish to go on your own you can take the train, the FGC, leaving from Metro Espanya every hour from 8:36 – 5:36. Buy a “Trans Montserrat” ticket, which includes the metro to Plaça Espanya, the train to Montserrat-Aeri, cable car up to the top, Sant Joan Funicular and Santa Cova Funicular. You can pick up this ticket for 18,63€ at any FGC station in the city, or better still, at the FGC shop in El Triangle, the huge shopping center to the west at Plaça Catalunya. You’ll get off the FGC cogwheel train at Aeri de Montserrat where you’ll catch the heart-stopping Aeri cable car up to the top of the mountain. The cable car leaves every 15 minutes.