Girona Flower Festival

Welcome to Girona Temps de Flors

Girona is a popular tourist destination year-round that still offers its visitors a welcome respite from gigantic crowds and queues. Its tourist numbers, while high, remain manageable, unlike those in Barcelona. It’s easy to visit the Gothic Cathedral and take a leisurely stroll through the Jewish Quarter. It only takes a moment to kiss the famous Lioness of Girona statue to make sure you come back to visit Girona one day.

This all comes crashing down every May, when the streets of Girona experience levels of crowding similar to the fate of La Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Lines snake around the block to visit the cathedral and the Arab Baths. Popular restaurants add flower petals to soups and salads.

We are talking, of course, about Girona Temps de Flors, the Flower Festival that takes over the city streets, bridges, and corners every May.

What is the Girona Flower Festival?

Today, Girona Temps de Flors is a massive celebration of flowers and blooms of all sorts. It began as a humble exhibit organized in 1954 by several flower enthusiasts in a city theatre building. The exhibit was small enough to fit into the main salon during intermissions. Upon its success, the following year, the floral exhibit moved to a more spacious city library hall.

The Sant Pere de Galligants monastery (Carrer de Santa Llúcia, 8) and the Sant Domènec monastery (Plaça de Sant Domènec, 11) played host to the floral festival after that. It soon became clear that even one venue wasn’t enough, so the festival eventually took over the whole Old Town in Girona.

History of Temps de Flors milestones

• In 1979, the festival was held under the auspices of the Florist and Gardener Association (Associació dels Amics de les Flors i dels Jardins) for the first time.
• In 1983, the Association of Patrons of Ancient Girona (Associació d’Amics de la Girona Antiga) joined to allow private patios and gardens to be included on the list of the festival venues.
• In 1992, the municipal government of Girona took over organizing the Girona Flower Festival, realizing its vital importance to the city.

Girona Temps de Flors in 2026

In 2026, the Girona Flower Festival takes place between May 9 and 17, 2026, with 113 spaces and hundreds of installations to visit.

Girona Temps de Flors 2026 Events

Every year, the Flower Festival programme counts over a hundred venues from city parks and historic sites to shop windows and private terraces. The floral exhibits and flower carpets are open both during the day and at night, with opening hours specific to the type of venue:

• Flors de dia (“Daytime flowers”): Open daily from 9:30 to 21:00, all venues.
• Flors de nit (“Flowers at night”): Sunday to Friday until 23:00 and Saturdays until 24:00, 17 indoor venues.

With 113 spaces to visit for Temps de Flors 2026, you’re spoiled for choice. This year, the festival organizers have mapped out three routes that will allow visitors to experience all that the Flower Festival has to offer:

Additionally, the most popular attractions are lush and grand floral installations in the Old Town of Girona that are often labelled a must-see:

• Catedral de Girona (Plaça de la Catedral, s/n)
  The Girona Cathedral is one of the most important architectural sites in Spain, built between the 11th and 17th centuries
  
• Plaça dels Jurats
  A square in the very centre of the Old Town of Girona
  
• La Basilica de Sant Feliu (Plaça de Sant Feliu, 29)
  The basilica that used to be the main city church before the cathedral was built
  
• Banys Àrabs (Carrer de Ferran el Catòlic, s/n)
  The Arab Baths were built in the Romanesque style in the 12th century
  
• Casal de Sarraïnes (Carrer de Ferran el Catòlic, s/n)
  A two-storey building next to the Arab Baths
  
• Casa Lleó Avinay (Carrer de Sant Llorenç)
  The house that until 1492 had belonged to one of the richest Jewish residents of Girona
  
• Torre Gironella / Jardins dels Alemanys (Carrer de la Muralla, 2)
  A former spot of the 17th-century barracks for the mercenary German soldiers

The Flower Festival competitions

Traditionally, several competitions with cash prizes are awarded during Temps de Flors, incentivizing residents and local businesses to prepare for the festival long before it begins. A dose of healthy competition helps everyone!

Temps de Flors have held the following competitions over the years:

1. Concurs de flors, awarding prizes in many categories, from rose bouquets to deciduous plants and cacti.
2. Concurs d’aparadors, celebrating the best-dressed shop window and the best interior decoration for hotels, restaurants, and local businesses. The winning criteria include the originality of the idea, usage of fresh and growing flowers, and the artistic execution.
3. Just for flowers, rewarding the best short film at the festival. At the beginning of Temps de Flors, participants draw the future filming locations of their films out of a hat. Filming and editing take place over 36 hours.

In 2026, Girona Temps de Flors welcomes participants in concurs d’aparadors, celebrating the 22nd edition of Mostra d’Aparadorisme i Decoració Interior.

Where to stay in Girona during Temps de Flors

If you’re planning to visit Girona during Temps de Flors, be sure to reserve your accommodation early. The city has no shortage of hotels, but they do sell out quickly, especially the most reasonably priced ones.

💡Travel tip: Try visiting Temps de Flors during the week (May 11-15, 2026) if feasible. Not only will you have more luck with hotel bookings, but you will also avoid some of the crowds at the festival’s top spots.

Last-minute hotel availability for Temps de Flors 2026

Take a look at the accommodation available as the Flower Festival 2026 approaches.

Tips for visiting Girona during Temps de Flors

A few more insider tips will help you enjoy your Girona visit to the fullest:

• Check out popular sights and attractions in Girona. You will want a few things to do in between admiring the flowers!
• Parking in Girona is hard. When booking your hotel, pay attention to the parking options, if any. Your chances of finding accommodation in Girona with parking increase the further away from the Old Town you go. Try Eixample for stays that are still walking distance to the historic sites and Temps de Flors major venues.
• Make a game plan for dining. Reservations are recommended at Girona’s most popular spots even outside of major events. If you have a list of specific restaurants in Girona you want to visit, it’s worth giving them a call or making an online reservation, if available.
• Watch your belongings like a hawk. Pickpocketing is a major headache in Spain’s most popular cities, and Girona is, sadly, no exception. Be mindful of your bags; don’t put any valuables in your back pockets, and keep your stuff close when dining on terraces or having coffee outside.

Enjoy the flowers!