Girona sits about 40 minutes inland from the Costa Brava beaches, and once a year at the end of October it throws the party the coast does not have. The Fires de Sant Narcís run for ten days around the saint's feast on 29 October, and they take over the whole city: the Devesa park for the fairground, the medieval quarter for the traditional side, and stages in every neighbourhood.
What to expect. A gathering of gegants — the towering carried figures — plus sardana circles, habanera singing, street theatre and processions through the old streets. The Devesa fills with rides and the concert stages run late. It is an unusually good one for families in the daytime and turns into a proper night out after dark. Nearly all of it is free.
Practical bit. This is the point in the year when the Costa Brava has emptied out and the inland is at its best — the Empordà vineyards are picked, the Garrotxa is turning, and the roads are clear. Girona is 30 to 45 minutes from most of the coast by car. Park on the edge of the centre; the old town is closed off and walking it is the point.
