GIRONA FLOWER FESTIVAL (Temps de Flors)

Every May  Girona covers itself in Flowers for the Girona Flower Festival or Temps de Flor

This year will be no exception..

Parks and gardens offer free admission (though monument and heritage sites do make a charge so worth checking in advance).

The scent of lilies and jasmine drifts through the narrow medieval lanes while staircases, cloisters and ancient stone walls explode with colour

Public buildings and private gardens are decorated with magnificent floral motifs,  created by both professionals and amateurs,  transforming the medieval city into a spectacle of glorious scents, textures and colours.

Don’t miss the Cathedral, Sant Lluc church, Sant Feliu basilica, Sant Marti church and the Arab Baths amongst other flower bedecked delights. Many spaces in the old quarter to which the public are not normally invited open their doors to visitors.

One of the real pleasures of Temps de Flors is the chance to wander through hidden courtyards, aristocratic townhouses and secret gardens that are rarely open to the public.b

What began as a modest flower competition more than seventy years ago has grown into one of Catalonia’s most spectacular spring festivals

This year’s edition features more than 140 floral installations spread across over 100 locations throughout the city.

The festival has extended evening openings in some locations and some displays can also be enjoyed after dark, when illuminated floral installations give the old city an entirely different atmosphere

Huge numbers of visitors are drawn to the Old City to wander and enjoy the decorations embellishing the ancient stones and historic buildings and enjoy the charm and originality of the artistry.

Wear comfortable shoes — Girona’s old town is beautiful but famously hilly, with plenty of cobbled streets and steps. And bear in mind that mornings and weekday visits are the best way to enjoy the displays before the biggest crowds arrive.

And for anyone interested in Gardens, Girona’s Botanic Gardens at Cap Roig, Calella de Palafrugell are well worth a visit with an added bonus of a fabulous  walk along the cliffs from Calella with  tunnels and small bays adding to its charm.

In 1924 Col. and Madame de Woevodsky built a castle, planted 40ha with pines and laid out the garden passion and vision.

The Gardens run to the edge of the cliffs, glimpses of turquoise Mediterranean jewel like between the pines trees. Some steep paths and tricky steps make it manageable with care for those with mobility issues.

A delightful, sprawling layout with beautiful vistas, hidden paths and surprises at every turn. Lovely picnic area (but no café) with  playground against a stunning backdrop of aqua blue water.

Arrangements of cactus, of iris, of shrubs and flowering trees are works of art, the only danger the temptation to linger too long and miss the plane.

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