Golf Trip Planner logo
Golf Trip PlannerPrivate Concierge
Golf guide • Spain • Catalonia

Golf in Girona: a Catalan old town and the pines of the Costa Brava

Girona, a medieval Catalan city about a hundred kilometres north-east of Barcelona, gives access to three first-rate courses: Camiral's Stadium Course, chosen for the 2031 Ryder Cup, some twenty minutes away, then Empordà Golf and Golf de Pals, beneath the pines of the Costa Brava, three quarters of an hour away. Come to combine championship golf, an old town and great restaurants, ideally in spring and autumn.

Plan this tripUpdated

Girona is a city to explore on foot: the colourful facades lined up above the Onyar, the cathedral with its Gothic nave, one of the widest in the world, and the stepped lanes of the Call, the old Jewish quarter. Four rivers meet here, the Ter, the Onyar, the Galligants and the Güell, and you can walk all the way round the upper town on its ramparts. It is a calm, compact base, ten kilometres from its airport, with the buzz of a university city and a food scene out of all proportion to its size.

The golf lies all around. To the south, at Caldes de Malavella, the Camiral estate, formerly PGA Catalunya, has two courses, including the Stadium Course, regularly ranked among the best in continental Europe and selected for the 2031 Ryder Cup. To the east, on the Empordà plain, among rice fields and pinewoods near the sea, Empordà Golf and Golf de Pals almost touch: you can play both in a single day.

Girona has no major course within the city itself; it is a base by choice. The Stadium is about twenty minutes by road, Pals and Empordà around three quarters of an hour. Three to five nights let you play all three, keep an evening for a great restaurant and a day for Figueres and the Dalí museum, or for the medieval village of Pals.

The courses

Fairway lined with stone pines and oaks, a white bunker near the green, bluish mountains in the distance

Camiral Stadium Course

  • Architect: Neil Coles; Ángel Gallardo
  • Opened 1999
  • 18 holes

Designed by Neil Coles and Ángel Gallardo and opened in 1999, the Stadium Course was conceived from the outset for major tournaments. More than 6,500 metres long from the championship tees, it winds between pines, heather and several large lakes that isolate some of the greens, with fast, well-defended putting surfaces. It hosted the Spanish Open in 2000, 2009 and 2014 and the DP World Tour's Catalunya Championship in 2022, and will stage the 2031 Ryder Cup. A demanding course best kept for regular players; the neighbouring Tour Course is more forgiving.

Signature hole. The 13th is the hole the club showcases, ranked among the hundred best holes in Europe; the lakeside green at the 3rd and the long par-3 11th complete the picture.

Official website

Empordà Golf (Forest)

  • Architect: Robert von Hagge; Rick Baril
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Robert von Hagge's first project in Spain, Empordà Golf lies at Gualta, among the rice fields of Pals, with two 18-hole courses of opposite character. The Forest, par 72 and 6,165 metres, is played through pinewood: tighter fairways, raised greens guarded by well-placed bunkers, and water in play, notably at the 6th. The design rewards strategy more than power, and the pines shelter you from the wind. The Dunes, more open and spectacular, offers a change the next day. The Terraverda hotel is on site.

Signature hole. The 13th, a 485-metre dog-leg par 5, demands a well-placed drive before an approach defended by a strategic bunker.

Official website

Golf de Pals

  • Architect: F. W. Hawtree
  • Opened 1966
  • 18 holes
  • Par 73

The Costa Brava's first course, Golf de Pals was laid out by F. W. Hawtree: nine holes in 1966, eighteen in 1970. It occupies old dunes planted with stone pines, a short walk from the beach, and its owners had every tree that could be felled marked. Par 73 and 6,263 metres from the white tees, it asks for accuracy rather than length on narrow fairways, with fast, true greens. It hosted the Spanish Open in 1972. A flat course that is a pleasure to walk, ideal for every level.

Official website

Where to stay

Palau Fugit

An old-town palace turned hotel, set against Girona's oldest ramparts, and a member of Small Luxury Hotels. Two wings, the stone Palauet and the lighter Pavelló, around a patio with a pool and a fountain by the artist Frederic Amat. Back from the Stadium, book an hour in the Cova d'Aigua, its warm-water pool, then climb to El Terrat for a vermouth facing the ramparts.

Hotel Casa Cacao

The Roca brothers' hotel, opened in 2020 above their chocolate workshop in a listed building on Plaça de Catalunya, on the banks of the Onyar. Just fifteen rooms, quietly decorated in natural materials. The tasting breakfast is served on the roof terrace, facing the old town: save it for a morning with a late tee time. The house closes for part of August and at Christmas.

Hotel Camiral

To sleep beside the first tee: the Camiral estate's five-star hotel, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, has 145 rooms and suites, six kilometres from Girona airport. For a four-ball, ask for a duplex suite; some have a kitchen. Indoor and outdoor thermal baths, a twenty-metre pool and six places to eat and drink, Origin among them. The old town is about twenty minutes away.

Courtyard of a medieval stone house, a potted olive tree, a wrought-iron table and two glasses beneath an arcade

Where to dine

El Celler de Can Roca

Opened in 1986 by the brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca next to their parents' bar, it has held three Michelin stars since 2009 and has twice been named the world's best restaurant. Joan runs the savoury side, Josep the cellar, Jordi the desserts. Bookings open eleven months ahead, at midnight on the first of each month; if your date is taken, join the waiting list. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Can Roca

The bar-restaurant Josep Roca and Montserrat Fontané opened in 1967 in the working-class district of Taialà, where their three sons grew up among the tables before opening El Celler next door. It still serves Catalan home cooking, with a set lunch that includes wine, and the El Celler team eats here every day. Open Monday to Friday, daytime only: the lunch for a day off golf.

Casa Marieta

On Plaça de la Independència, the same family has run this house since 1892, over five generations, and the Generalitat has honoured it among Catalonia's centenary businesses. Catalan market cooking that follows the seasons: duck with pears, salt cod with garlic mousseline, cuttlefish with peas and, to finish, a xuixo from Girona. Open every day for lunch and dinner; in fine weather, ask for the terrace.

Beyond golf

The Call and the ramparts

The Call, the old Jewish quarter, was home to a flourishing community until the expulsion of 1492. Its stepped lanes, around the house of Nahmanides, are among the best preserved in Europe. Just above, the Passeig de la Muralla follows the ramparts of the upper town, with the cathedral, its Gothic nave almost 23 metres wide, and the city's rooftops below.

Figueres and the Dalí museum

Around forty minutes to the north, the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, opened in 1974 in the former municipal theatre, holds the largest collection of the artist's work; he is buried in a crypt beneath the stage. A well-filled, suitably surreal half-day off the course, to combine with lunch in the Empordà.

The medieval village of Pals

After a round at Pals or Empordà, head up to the hilltop village: cobbled lanes, arches, Gothic windows and the Torre de les Hores, a fifteen-metre Romanesque tower. From the Josep Pla viewpoint, the view stretches across the fields of the Empordà to the Medes Islands. Late afternoon is the loveliest time to be there.

Stepped cobbled lane between high stone walls, arched doorways and wrought-iron lanterns

When to go

Spring, from April to June, and autumn, from September to November, offer the best conditions: mild weather, courses in good shape and low light over the Empordà. They are also the wettest seasons, with showers rather than grey weeks. Summer is hot and the coast very busy: take the first tee times. Winter remains playable, cool in the mornings, with frost possible from November to March.

Getting there

Girona-Costa Brava airport (GRO) is about twelve kilometres from the centre, a quarter of an hour by road, and a few minutes from Camiral; its flights are mostly seasonal. Barcelona-El Prat offers more connections: from Barcelona-Sants, the high-speed train reaches Girona in under forty minutes. A car remains essential for the courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Girona?

Camiral's Stadium Course, at Caldes de Malavella, designed by Neil Coles and Ángel Gallardo in 1999. It has hosted three Spanish Opens and will stage the 2031 Ryder Cup.

Where will the 2031 Ryder Cup be played?

At Camiral, formerly PGA Catalunya, at Caldes de Malavella, south of Girona. The Stadium Course is open to visitors, with a maximum handicap of 28 for men and 36 for women.

Which golf courses should I play on the Costa Brava?

Golf de Pals, the Costa Brava's first course, laid out by F. W. Hawtree in 1966, and Empordà Golf at Gualta, with two Robert von Hagge courses. They are neighbours, around three quarters of an hour from Girona.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Girona?

Three to five nights: the Stadium, Pals and Empordà, a great restaurant in town and a half-day in Figueres or the village of Pals.

Which airport should I fly into for a golf trip to Girona?

Girona-Costa Brava airport (GRO), a quarter of an hour from the city, for seasonal flights; otherwise Barcelona-El Prat, then the high-speed train to Girona in under forty minutes.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Girona

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Palm-lined fairway and small lake at sunset, ochre cliffs and the Mediterranean on the horizon
Valencian Community (Costa Blanca)

Alicante

3 courses
Green shaded by stone pines on a hillside, golden grasses and a hazy blue sea on the horizon in late-day light
Catalonia

Barcelona

3 courses
Sloping fairway between stone pines and oaks, limestone cliffs above and the sea in the distance at sunset
Andalusia (Costa del Sol)

Benahavís

4 courses
Explore: Spain →