The Eixample neighbourhood
Even though the city’s old town (linked to the corresponding URL), which stands on the upper side of the Onyar River, is the most visited area of Girona, the Eixample neighbourhood is its true geographical centre and beating heart. It is home to a plethora of shops, restaurants, bars, hotels and terraces, which explains why you will always find people enjoying a casual stroll around its squares and along its streets, boulevards and avenues. Many of the people you see out and about will be residents of the Eixample itself, which makes up a large part of Girona’s total population.
Roughly 47,000 people, or 45% of Girona’s total population, live in this neighbourhood, which tends to be bustling with people during the day but generally very quiet at night. The almost constant flow of people and vehicles in the Eixample is also explained by the fact that Girona’s train and bus stations are located on the outskirts of the neighbourhood and that it is crossed by several of the city’s main roads.
Owing to its proximity to the city’s university faculties, the neighbourhood also has a sizeable student population during the academic year. This means that it has a fun and vibrant atmosphere during term time.
The Eixample district came into existence in the early 20th century as part of a project executed by Eugeni Camplloch, whose grand idea was to create a neighbourhood of geometric streets and squares of considerable width to accommodate the city’s growing population, with more and more people attracted to the provincial capital by its rapid industrialisation and the heightened need for labour. The city was also connected to the main transportation networks of the time and would go on to be connected to those that developed in the following years.
Over time, the neighbourhood continued to grow outwards, and more buildings were built. At the administrative level, today’s Eixample neighbourhood is much greater in size than the early plans that Camplloc had drawn up accounted for.
One of the most popular locations in the Eixample neighbourhood is the point at which it meets the Onyar, where a canalised river bed is overlooked by colourful houses on both sides of the water. Both sides of the river are connected by several footbridges. One of the most famous ones is the ‘Eiffel Bridge’ – officially known as the Pont de les Peixateries Velles (Old Fishmongers Bridge) – which was built in 1877.
Migdia Park is another pleasant place to go for a walk. This green space in the heart of the city, which serves as a delightful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, is cherished by young and old alike. The park is home to a popular restaurant with a terrace that offers lovely views across the pond. It comes highly recommended all year round but is particularly delightful in the warm summer months.
On one side of the park is the Carles Rahola Library: a quadrangular prism with an original façade that was designed by the architects Mario Corea, Lluis Moran and Sebastián Guerrico. When it opened in 2015, it was the largest of all of Girona’s public libraries. During the day, sunlight floods into the library through the huge floor-to-ceiling glass windows of its façade. Later, when night falls, the building emits a warm glow, lighting up the surrounding blocks of flats.
No less striking is the city’s train station, which has two waiting areas on two different levels: one which feeds into a raised area for standard train journeys, and another which feeds into a series of underground platforms that are exclusively for high-speed train journeys.
Nearby plans
Related plans
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