EVERYTHING We Learned After 1 Week in GIRONA! (watch this before you go)
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- Thinking of going to Girona? Here is what we learned
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0:00 Nobody will tell you this
0:41 The Travel Itself (plane and train)
1:50 Location location location!!!
2:42 Our Airbnb is a mess
3:25 We did ZERO route planning beforehand
4:57 What is a CHICKEN PASS!?
5:15 Do Not BUNK in the afternoon
6:15 The car drivers are the best in the world
7:30 The best roads in the world
8:20 Make friends with the locals
9:35 So much pro cyclists!
10:27 You need to speak some Spanish...
11:15 THEY MAKE YOU PAY FOR YOUR WATER!!!
12:20 Nobody is in a rush here....
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Great video. We just returned from a stay in that area and other areas of Spain A few comments and observations based on that.
Cars - While the Spanish drivers are generally very good when dealing with cyclists, there are exceptions so as others said, be careful, especially in the city. There also can be lots of French tourists in the Girona/Costa Brava areas during the school breaks and I had a couple close calls with them. Mallorca is also bad because so many of the drivers are rubber-necking tourists, not locals
Trains - in theory, bikes can only travel on the fast trains if they are in quite small bags. We had to use regional trains because we had loaded touring bikes. There are no designated bike areas, like on the French trains, and there is no limit on how many tickets are sold so you may be standing holding your bike for your journey. Also, I'm not sure if there are any regional trains to Girona on Sundays - I couldn't find one but that may be because the local and regional train websites are terrible and the apps are non-existent. In contrast, the French ones are fantastic.
Planes - flying from Vancouver, Lufthansa allows you to take your bike as your checked bag if you only have carry on bags. The checked bag fee was $75 Cdn each way. Air Canada, Westjet and Air Transat (and many American airlines) have relatively low bike fees but suck. KLM/AF's bike fees are high.
Spanish/English - I was really surprised how much English was spoken by people working in the supermarkets in Girona. You expect the bike stores to speak English but often I would speak in (poor) Spanish and clerks would respond kindly in decent English
Prices - if you are preparing your own food and drink, Spain is really cheap compared to Canada and the US
Stay - I now find Booking.com much better than AirBnb for quality and quantity of listings and prices. Plus you can see the exact location before you book and you get the name of the property and/or listing agency so you can look online to see if it is cheaper to book directly. We got a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment in the old town in October for a very reasonable price.
Apologies for the long comment but thought it might be helpful to others
Wow thanks for sharing, very usefull!!!! Agreed on booking dot com, airbnb isn't has good as it used to be.
Water is Spain is like 20c/liter at the food store, otherwise they like to charge tourists for it
As a Canadian retired, i have been living in Spain for 15 yrs now, so biking is very important form me and the best.
I would add another positive point about cycling in Spain compared to North America: you can ride 100km without stopping for a red light. The roundabout are so great and respected by car drivers which is so amazing. Few weeks ago, my ride of 160km, i slowed down once at the intersection, no red lights and no stop signs.
You should also know that Spain has the highest number of bar/resto/coffee places per habitant in Europe and coffee/beer and wine are way cheaper than Italy and France.
Another advice for cyclists is to start your ride early like 7:30-8am, so your ride could end by 2pm, time for lunch and rest with the beer/wine.
Thanks for sharing!!
Here's a tip if you come with car. You can easily park in Pavelló de Fontajau, Konig La Font, and Ocine Theaters, there's a lot of parking and it's so close to the old town.
Girona is a Catalan speaking city, so if you wanna integrate, just learn some words in Catalan, such as bon dia (goor morning), si us plau (please), gràcies (thank you), adéu (good bye)...
I love this kind of video and I like how you love my cycling city. You're all benvinguts (welcome).
wow thanks for the additional tips!!
I just returned from a magical week in Girona and basically experienced everything that you mention in this video. Paying for water was the only downside, but it was a small price to pay when you consider the incredible cycling there. Great video guys!
awesome! glad to help
Love it! Definitely on my list of places to ride looks epic 💪
Absolutely worth it!!!
Thanks for the very informative video. I was just there on a family trip over New Year’s, partly to scout it out for a potential bike trip. It looks fantastic and I’m planning a trip this spring. I wondered if you thought it was easy to meet fellow cyclists of similar abilities.
Fantastic advice 👍 I've just found your channel - new subscriber here 🙂
Great video, helpful info! Good vibes
Thank you !! :)
super helpful. thanks soooo much. you guys are great.
awesome!!
Thanks, super Information !
My pleasure!
I'm going to Girona for the first time next week and cannot wait to hit up these roads and stunning scenery! Great video 👌👌👌
My pleasure! I hope youll enjoy!
Looking forward to my long weekend in Girona, thanks for the great tips guys
enjoy!!!
Thanks guys some great tips
thanks for watching!
This is super helpful thanks! Does anywhere do organised rides do you know?
Thanks!! I'd say Eat Sleep Cycle is the place for group rides
This is so informative. This is definitely way more realistic and practical review on a cycling location for sure. This will help me plan all of my headaches in advanced haha.
Riding around cars in the US is a nightmare I hate it
Thanks!! Glad I could help
I have a few just been in Girona 5 weeks.....
1. Starting a route can be a mess - the roads can be super complex and roads / paths literally on top of each other
2. TAKE TIME TO ACCLIMATISE! The amount of accidents and little things you won't be used to....cycling on the other side of the road, stingers or fault plastic speed bumps (caused me a day 1 crash), turns that turn tighter and tighter, Surfaces can be glass which is super smooth but very little traction.....please be careful until used to it
3. Weather can quickly change as I found out at the top of Rocacorba....started raining and had a freezing wet decent or rim brakes non the less!
4. City centre traffic and roads can be super dangerous....stop at all the signs and double check everything....once out the city its fine but don't take Spanish roundabouts lane discipline for granted!
5. Connect up with Eat sleep cycle, Veldrom, Service course for advise...group rides etc
6. Don't underestimate food and drink as in this video you could be out there hours with zero places to stock up
Cheers!
Thanks for sharing!!!
Salut Charles!
I’m going to Girona in late February / early March and this video was helpful. May I ask when was this filmed? And maybe if you can speak of what to bring in terms of clothing. Not to sure if I should bring a winter jacket or just warmers and wind brake gilet or jacket. Any tips you have are valuable! Cheers!
I spent 2 weeks there this past June. I didn't ever get charged for TAP water, you have to ask for it specifically. Maybe you guys were eating at the high brow type places. LOL. I tried to meet some of the local riders that are on Zwift and FB before I came, many of the well known are pretty aloof and weren't as helpful as I would have been if someone contact me coming to my city. I found the best method is to meet at the stone bridge (Pont de Pedra) as its a gathering place for many rides and you can just ask to join. Get a local to take you around as many of the best roads are the back roads that don't always show up on a large scale map, also don't worry about being lost you can always find your way back. I agree about the drivers! They are world class friendly, but please don't abuse their friendliness!!!!!! My biggest challenge was often finding a public water spigot: Churches and playgrounds/parks often were great places.....I would drink what was left in my bottles, then drink one bottle and fill 2 up and head out, worked out great. Girona is a great place to ride with friends; I've gone to other places in Europe to bag some of the famous climbs only to find myself riding alone for most of the time. Its "lumpy" terrain so you will get some elevation without much effort.
Awesome!! Thanks for sharing man
Great info! I’m gonna save this video for reference…. 😎🍻
Thanks dude :)
Great video! What are your 3 favorite rides around Girona? I'll be there on my own for 3 days of bucket list cycling before my family arrives. Is Rocacorba worth it? Els Angels looks amazing. Costa Brava is a must. What do you think?? Also is solo cycling safe there?
Very good video, thanks for sharing. Girona is one of my bucket list places to visit and ride my bike.
Question… what would be a good ballpark budget for a 2 week trip to Girona? I live in Dallas Tx, so the airplane ticket would vary, but it would be nice to know an estimated cost of the trip to Girona for 2 weeks. Thanks much in advance!
What a stunning location! Would love to make it there one day!
Literally a buttload of the biking channels I follow are either out of, or spent time there!
best place in the world!!
Great video. Can’t wait to get to Girona. Will you be riding to Andora as well or is that too far ? Thanks for putting those out.
some pro cyclist choose Andora for it sub 3% tax rate and good riding (very hilly)! the problem wiht Andora is it gets cold in the winter due to altitude, around 0 degrees as girona is 15-20 all winter
Charles and Tristan make a great team. So what's going on? You guys deserve more subscribers. I'm trying to do my part by watching the videos twice. 😉
Thanks dude!! We appreciate your support. We'll get there one day :) !!
Mr. Luigi, our #1 fan❤
@@TristanTaillon If you guys ever visit North Carolina, stop by for a visit. You can have all the tap water you want...FOR FREE!!! 🥤🥤🥤🤣🤣🤣
Lived in Spain off and on - asking for water from the tap: agau del grifo. Literally, water from the tap. Works. Also, surprised that since you don't speak much spanish you didn't get a good phrase book for both day to day stuff and especially, food. There are small pocket size guides to food in Spain which help a lot. Looks like a great trip I hope to make next spring! Hope you made it to the Cinema Museum - really neat small museum on the history of film.
Thanks for sharing!
Such an awesome video! As a Girona citizen I agree on everything that you said 👌🏽. Great piece of advice and suberp colour grading!
Thanks Alina :)
I watched your video while on the trainer. I’m booking my trip
Thanks!!! Worth the trip
Awesome information. I lived in Girona in 2010. I was not back into cycling then. But it is an amazing place. And am planning to go back next year to do some serious cycling in the area.
Thanks Kevin!!! Definitely worth it
I would love to see a video about how to pack your bike for a plane flight. Do you pack at home/hotel? I‘ve heard about some bike packing companys directly at the airport and they can pack your bike for some charge.
Definitely a good idea. The problem is that filming takes a lot of time and I'm often in a rush packing the bike bags ahahaha. But next trip I'll try!!!
I have never heard of companies packing your bike for you at airports. Some airports will sell you the boxes and you pack the bike yourself. Some airports have machines that will wrap your luggage, boxes or whatever in plastic wrap.
How is the weather in January? I am ok with cold, just wondering about what the rain is like. Thanks for putting this video together. Super helpful!
Hummm never been on January, I’ll be back in March this year
@@CharlesOuimet - My cousin and I are going March 13 - 20th. Happy little coincidence the Volta de Catalyuna is around those dates.
Don't worry about the rain in January, it's one of the most dry months in Girona.
How much did it cost to bring the bikes on the plane? And would you recommend your airline?
I am planning a similar trip.
Thanks in advance
Great video! Have wondered about Girona. Oh yeah, in some Asian countries they charge you for water too. Don't expect napkins either! I have found that only in North America is water free.
Thanks :)
Hi thanks, I'm planning on coming. can I ask about cycling on the main roads? I would like to go from Girona centre to Banyoles and Rocacorba (surprise surprise). it seems difficult to avoid the dual carriageways. Is this a problem or you just ride in the margin? best wishes, James.
The margin in fine !
Check my Strava from two weeks ago I did it
Great video. A question, is it affordable if one wants to spend most of the winter there(ie Nov to March)?
it relative to where you are from! But for canadian it's not that expensive
@@CharlesOuimet good. I'm Canadian too. :)
Just FYI if you use the 'fast' train. You cannot take a complete bike on it. Thus you have to take your bike in a box still.. sucky if you already assembled it, OR take the wheels off and 'claim' its a sort of folding bike.
Thanks for the info! We did take the fast train on our way back and had our bikes in the bike bag!
Yeah for car drivers, you should still be more cautious in your commentary Charles, as there's always the one driver making it look bad for the rest of them who are supernice, they've been a number of severe accidents in and around Girona the past few years. Fairly recently Alina, whom you've met, came very close to losing her dear friend (and Ireland national champ) Imogen Cotter to a van driver who attempted an overtake where he should never have. So please guys, if you go to Girona for cycling and although most drivers will be the nicest, stay alert and careful, do not play it too cocky with overconfidence taking wider lines, stay safe.
Also, for tap water, not a euro thing. In France for instance you'd only pay for tap water at very stupidly fancy places where everything is designed to empty your bank account before you reach dessert anyway.
always stay alert and never take anything for granted!
great video. is it a good spot for a solo trip?
Thanks! Of course, you'd meet lots of cyclist
Ça donne envie d’y aller!
pas mal moins chère que l'islande!
Trek travel offers gravel ride vacations in Girona.
What time of year is best to visit Girona?
hi Charles. we are on our way there on April 17. my question is, aside from covid vaxed anything else you need before arriving there? im from Toronto. thanks in advance.
Hey! I nice you'll love it. If you fly through portugal you need negative test. if you fly directly i dont think you need, but better check gouvernment rules before
@@CharlesOuimet thank you.
We fly through France before landing in Barcelona.
Any routes you strongly recommend?
Roccacorba is a classic!
Which group ride did you join? Heading there in July :)
From East Sleep Cycle cafe
@@CharlesOuimet cheers mate!
Why not fly into Barcelona Girona Airport? It's so close! Ryan Air fly there from the UK 👍
thats great! Unfortunately no flight in girona from canada ahah
@@CharlesOuimet yeah apologies, I realised you were French Canadian after watching a bit more. I assumed you were European. Thanks for the vid, really enjoyed it. Planning a week in Girona in April next year 🤞
Great Video. What time of the year were you there?
Thanks! March 15-30
@@CharlesOuimet Got it! Did you encounter many aggressive dogs? Thanks!
@@riumudamc4686 juste one when riding gravel!!
How come I can't Chromecast your videos to my TV?
no idea hehe
I would love to take a cyçling trip. I need to get my fitness up so I can ride 100 miles a day
Definitely a good idea!
Bro I'm so happy for you! Girona is amazing, all catalunya is amazing for cyclist XD
yeah man!!!
@@CharlesOuimet you should meet with Keira McVitty and Juliet Elliott. They both competed in the Red Hook Crit race. Keira Is based there, Juliet Is there on holiday and they both have a CZcams Channel. It would be awesome to have you collaborate with them for a video💪😁🔥
@@zephyrfpv9871 we had a rooftop party and @keira was the DJ 😎 but no video collab unfortunately, I left too early
@@CharlesOuimet Wow! Didn't expect that, on we'll...summer is around the corner, you should Plan another travel; Costa Brava Is too beautiful to miss 😄
Happy that you felt safe on the roads. Ask lmogen Cotter what she thinks.
One isolated very unfortunate incident
Girona versus Mallorca? Have you been to both and what's your pick?
mallorca for the road and the climbs. girona for the vibe, food and coffee
No! It's illegal in Spain for restaurants or cafes not to provide tap water when requested.
The law states that bars and restaurants must provide free tap water, a measure that has been brought in with the hope of reducing plastic consumption by cutting down on the sale of single use containers of bottled water.
thanks!
3euro for bottle of water is very common across europe, I once got served with dish soap water when I asked for tap water in Amsterdam! Watch out!
wow really!
@@CharlesOuimet true story bro
I've been to Spain many times and i've always been told the tap water in spain isn't drinkable - that's why they don't serve it to you
🎶M-m-m-m-m-my Girona 🎶
hehe!
Don't hesitate to ask us your questions in the comments! 😎
YES :)
More video with Tristan he’s funny!! Et merci pour les tips!!
Hows the skill level for riding in Girona? Just started riding since covid so not sure if i’m ready for such a trip
@@spazero You need to be comfortably able to do 5-6 hours on the bike if you want to have lot's of fun to all the climbs! But they are shorter look that can be done in 3 hours or less too!
3€ for a glas/bottle of water is cheap already here in Europe :)
FFS XD
Bicycling Channel doesn't list "riding your bike" as an option for getting to Girona. Interesting...
Hey guys, bring me una chiquita bonita para me.
See you on Villeneuve track. Open this coming Saturday.
ahah xD
6:15 I am sure Imogen Cotter will disagree
One bad apple unfortunately. It was a learning driver not from town.
best way to get to girona - by bike
not for everyone ahah
In France a whole bunch of us walked into a restaurant and filled up our water bottles in the bathroom and walked out and the guy was going to call the police if we didn't give him money.
wow!! that's wild
well duh! Why would you think it's appropriate to walk into someone's resto/cafe and expect to either use the toilet or take some water without also giving him some of your custom?! That's just common courtesy and I'm amazed you think what you did is ok.
You don't need to speak spanish in Girona, just catalan, the local language
Don’t drink tapwater in Spain !!
The tap water is not dinking water in Spain. They buy bottle of water for themselves.
The tap water in Girona is certainly drinking water. There is, however, the tradition of paying for bottled water with a meal. Even after the introduction of the law recently to force restaurants to provide it when asked, most locals will still order bottled, I believe in part as respect for the restaurant industry, as they do not do big mark ups on beer and wine, and typically receive no tips, so it is a source of income to help keep the industry sustainable. I think a good policy would be to order something to drink with a meal (whatever your choice), but then feel no guilt asking for tap water to fill your bottles if you'll be continuing your ride. But don't go to a local restaurant in a small town and buy a bag of crisps and ask for tap water for a group. There are exceptions, but most of the time you'll get an unpleasant reaction.
L'eau va devenir gratuite, application d'une loi européenne.
wow!!
poor Girona seems to be overrun with cycling youtubers recently...
and how's that a problem?
@@CharlesOuimet I'm sure they welcome the tourism, I just imagine being in a cafe and everyone is there filming themselves talking into a camera, kinda takes away from the atmosphere.
What did we miss? Happy to help y'all!!!
bon vidéo!
Okay, so let me get this straight because I cannot believe what I am seeing. In this video you complain about and/or advise having to pay for water in Girona restaurants, mentioning that to avoid paying for water while dining out you would slide into the restroom to fill up your cycling bidon with water... Okay, that is your prerogative.
BUT... then you sign up for the EF coaching camp paying EUR 9,500 for five days of training camp, seven days in total if you count arrival and departure day!!! What am I missing here? You are complaining about paying for water at the occasional dinner out, but, you are more than happy and willing to shell out EUR 9,500 for a few days of training camp...?? Maybe a reality check is in order? Heads off to you to be able to afford this steep price tag for a relatively ho-hum-hah training camp, in a place, like Girona, where it is more than easy to arrange a "training camp" on your own, if that is what you want. But whatever... with the money you spend on training camps I can see that you can not afford to pay for water... #sarcasm
Welcome to Catalunya guys! Try to speak Catalan!
It similar to french, but it never worked ahah
It seems like every youtube cyclist is in girona
Best place in the world!
!
Catalan … not Spanish
We got to spend Feb/Mar of 2022 there. Found that people really appreciated our attempts at Catalan. There’s a Catalan independence movement that is quite strong in Girona and the people there are very proud of their culture.
My bad!
PERDONA it is not an Spanish word, is a Catalan word (just to clarify, do not want to sound cocky), It means sorry. It is normally used to ask politely someone for his/her attention
Of course Perdona is a spanish word (as well as catalan). It comes from latin. Clarification is unnecesary
Aaaargh Charles!!! They speak Catalan...not Spanish! Way to piss of a Catalan! First tip is to learn a few Catalan phrases. A little goes a long way to be respectful!
oups!!
Hi, going to Girona on Wednesday for a week. Who did you say you should follow on Instagram? Was it ELena?
Just came back from Girona. Amazing city! 🫠
it is!!
Thanks dudes! Useful 🙌
hell yes!