Although modelled on earlier Islamic and Roman bathhouses, the Banys Àrabs are a finely preserved, 12th-century Christian affair in Romanesque style (restored in the 13th century). The baths contain an apodyterium (changing room), with a small octagonal pool framed by slender pillars, followed by a frigidarium and tepidarium (with respectively cold and warm water) and a caldarium (a kind of sauna) heated by an underfloor furnace.
Banys Àrabs
Girona
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
20.5 MILES
The first name that pops into your head when you lay eyes on this red castle-like building, topped with giant eggs and stylised Oscar-like statues and…
18.11 MILES
The evocative seaside archaeological site of Empúries, 1.5km northwest of central L'Escala, immerses you in a strategic Greek, and later Roman, trading…
8.3 MILES
If you’re intrigued by artist Salvador Dalí, the Castell de Púbol is an essential piece of the puzzle. Between Girona and Palafrugell (22km northwest of…
0.05 MILES
Towering over a flight of 86 steps rising from Plaça de la Catedral, Girona's imposing cathedral is far more ancient than its billowing baroque facade…
20.78 MILES
The allure of the Illes Medes, seven islets off L'Estartit beach, lies in their range of depths (down to 50m), kaleidoscopic marine life, and underwater…
Monestir de Sant Pere de Rodes
29.02 MILES
Views of distant Pyrenean peaks and the deep-blue Mediterranean combine with a spectacular piece of Romanesque architecture at this hillside monastery,…
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0.15 MILES
Until 1492, Girona was home to Catalonia’s second-most important medieval Jewish community, after Barcelona, and one of the country's finest Jewish…
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29.69 MILES
Centuries of styles clash in Vic’s exquisite cathedral. Most of the neoclassical exterior dates to the 18th century, but the seven-storey Romanesque bell…
Nearby Girona attractions
0.02 MILES
A walk along Girona’s majestic medieval walls is a wonderful way to soak up the city landscape. There are several access points, including a lane east of…
2. Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants
0.05 MILES
This beautiful 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque Benedectine monastery has a sublime bell tower and a splendid cloister featuring otherworldly animals and…
3. Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya–Girona
0.05 MILES
Girona's archeology museum hosts old-school exhibits that date from prehistoric to medieval times, including pre-Roman Iberian amphorae, Roman mosaics,…
0.05 MILES
Towering over a flight of 86 steps rising from Plaça de la Catedral, Girona's imposing cathedral is far more ancient than its billowing baroque facade…
0.06 MILES
Just downhill from the cathedral stands Girona’s second great church, with its landmark truncated bell tower. The nave is majestic with Gothic ribbed…
0.1 MILES
Next to the cathedral, in the 12th- to 16th-century Palau Episcopal, this art gallery impresses with the scale and variety of its collection. Around 8500…
0.1 MILES
Eighteenth-century cloisters lend an appropriately antique feel to this journey from Roman Girona to medieval times to the present day. The museum's…
0.15 MILES
Rustic gardens with the ruins of some old walls that were once used as barracks by German soldiers during the Peninsular War in the 19th century.