Finding accommodation in Girona is very difficult during the months of September and February because this coincides with the start of the educational semesters. Student residences usually fill up very quickly and have a waiting list. So, if you want to secure yourself a decent place to stay, the best thing to do is reserve your accommodation a few months before the start of your semester even though in many cases this means having to pay for a number of months when you're not using it. June and July are the easiest months to find accommodation, since there are many university students who finish their courses at this time and consequently leave their accommodation.
Girona is a beautiful, peaceful city and its neighbourhoods offer many different options. Because it is a small city, with 100,000 inhabitants, any neighbourhood you live in is just a short distance from the 3 university campuses where the different faculties are located, with good public transport links. We recommend that you give less importance to the neighbourhood you live in and focus more on the accommodation itself. Here we give you the lowdown on each neighbourhood with its main characteristics: Barri Vell This is the most touristy and well-known neighbourhood, where many films and series set in historical periods have been filmed, such as Game of Thrones, and where the majority of tourist attractions are to be found: Girona Cathedral, the Church of Sant Feliu, the Jewish Quarter, etc. The Barri Vell Campus is located in this neighbourhood. You also have many restaurants, bars and discotheques nearby. The buildings in this neighbourhood are old and the streets are narrow, so you may find the accommodation has little natural light and if the building has not been renovated, the thermal insulation could be pretty poor. This is the most sought-after neighbourhood, both by students and tourists, so the rental price for a flat or a room tends to be higher than average. Montilivi This is a residential family neighbourhood which is very quiet and has many green spaces. It is where the Campus Montilivi is located. There are usually not many student flats available in this area but it is where the 2 main student halls of residence are located: the Residència RESA and Residència Unihabit. There are not many restaurants or leisure facilities in the area. Eixample / Mercadal / Devesa. This is the centre of Girona, where there is more accommodation available. It is where you'll find the bus and train stations. There are lots of restaurants and all kinds of shops here. There are also parks where you can go for a stroll or do outdoor sports. Sant Narcís / Santa Eugènia. In the west of the city, these are residential neighbourhoods with flats from the 1960s and 70s so it is slightly cheaper to live here than in other parts of the city. The area has a vibrant cultural and intergenerational life. Sant Ponç / Fontajau / Domeny. As with Sant Narcís and Santa Eugènia, these neighbourhoods have flats that were built in the second half of the 20th century, and they are vibrant, lively neighbourhoods. You will find some reasonably priced accommodation here. Sant Daniel / Montjuïc. These neighbourhoods are mostly made up of houses rather than flats so there are very few options for students here. They are the most peaceful neighbourhoods in Girona. Because they are situated on a mountain, there may be few public transport options and a car or motorcycle might be needed to get around. Font de la Pólvora / Vila-roja. These are neighbourhoods with a strong Roma culture, with this community making up the majority of the population. There are usually few options for members of the university community.
Other towns and villages in the surrounding area could be great options for accommodation. The most famous is Salt –31,000 inhabitants–, known for being one of the towns with the most cultural diversity in Catalonia. People of a variety of different origins and cultures live in Salt and this makes it especially rich in terms of traditions and customs. There are good public transport links to Girona and it is easy to get to on foot or by bicycle. Salt is where the university centres EUSES and ERAM are located. Apart from Salt, other towns that are well connected with the urban bus service are: Vilablareix, Aiguaviva, Sarrià de Ter and Fornells de la Selva. These are small, quiet, residential towns. A little further away but also good places for accommodation are the towns with train stations with connections to Girona. You can see the connections and timetables for trains
We recommend that you always sign a tenancy agreement with the owner of the property. This contract sets out the rights and obligations of both parties and protects you in the event of any discrepancies. There are two categories of rental contract: one for renting a whole flat, and one for renting a room in a flat share, and each of these contracts can be habitual or temporary. Whole flat: unless you live alone, there will need to be a number of people who come together and all sign the contract to rent the whole flat. If you have a group of friends who want to live together, this is a good option because you can make your own rules and you have a degree of freedom over how you choose to live. The rights and obligations in the contract apply equally to all the tenants. This means that if someone leaves the flat before the end of the contract, those who are still living there have to cover the rent that was paid by this person or find a new tenant who takes on the rights and obligations of the original contract through an annex. Room in a shared house: the contract states that you have a private room exclusively for your own personal use and some communal areas that you share with the other people living in the flat. There tend to be pre-established communal living rules, with regard to cleaning, rest hours, whether or not you can invite people to sleep over, etc. You only pay for your room; if one of your flat mates leaves before the end of the contract, you are not liable for the cost of their room. Tenancy agreements are usually for a minimum of one year and, whenever the tenant wishes to do so, can be extended for up to five years. This is a good option for first year students. In general, the monthly price tends to be lower with these contracts as maximum rents are capped by law; however, it is likely that you'll have to pay rent over the summer months even if you are not there. A temporary rental contract has a fixed duration which could be as little as one month or a whole academic year or even a whole university course. This means that if you're only looking for accommodation for 5 or 10 months, this type of contract is a good option for you. Prices are generally higher than for habitual rental contracts. If you have any queries or you want any legal advice, get in touch with us.
A private room is a shared flat: this is the most popular option with university students due to the price and flexibility. These are flats where people are already living and that, for whatever reason, have one or a number of vacant rooms available to rent. You don't usually have to sign a contract for the whole flat. The contract is usually just for renting a room or you may sign an annex of an original contract. Your flat mates might be young students like you or a family renting out rooms in their home. They may also be older people who rent out rooms so they have company and at the same time top up their pension with a bit of extra income. The price of a room ranges between €270 and €450 per month, including utility bills, depending on its characteristics: location, size, private bathroom, etc. At the start of the contract, tenants are usually asked to pay three months' worth of rent: 1 month to cover the first month of the contract and 1 to 2 months to cover the deposit, which is paid back to you in full when your contract ends, provided there are no damages and you have not breached the terms of the contract in any way. Sometimes you need to pay agency fees, which tend to be around 1 month's rent. Room in student halls of residence: this is a great way to have a private space for yourself whilst also sharing communal spaces with lots of other students and having access to gyms, sports halls, study areas, green spaces, etc. There are only a few places available each year as this is the most sought after form of accommodation and availability is limited. Prices start at €500 per month including utility bills. Halls of residence also charge an admission fee and you are required to pay a deposit which is paid back to you in full when you leave, provided there are no damages. Whole flat: whether you want a whole place to yourself or you want to share a flat with a group of friends, you also have the option of renting a whole flat. A one to two bedroom flat costs around €650 to €800 euros per month. Three to four bedroom flats cost between €800 and €1,200 per month. At the start of the contract, tenants are usually asked to pay four months' worth of rent: 1 month to cover the first month of the contract, 2 months to cover the deposit, which is paid back to you in full when your contract ends, provided there are no damages and you have not breached the terms of the contract in any way, and 1 month to cover agency fees.
There are swindlers who take advantage of the lack of knowledge newcomers have and they publish false advertisements on property portals. They demand reservation fees before you've had a chance to view the flat - even by video call, and when you get to Girona, you find that the flat doesn't exist at all. The recommendations to avoid being swindled are as follows: Always reserve through a recognised estate agency or through the "verified" rooms on the online portal De Pis en Pis. To know if an estate agency is recognised, search its name in Google and check that it has a physical office in the city and good reviews. If you reserve your accommodation directly through a private individual, don't pay for a room or a flat without having visited it in person or seeing it via video call and without a draft contract showing the details of the property owner (name and surnames, address and DNI). Never make payments through platforms where they make you enter your debit or credit card details which could be imitating platforms like Airbnb or Booking. Where possible, provided you make your payments by bank transfer to a bank account with a Spanish IBAN. The Spanish IBAN number always starts with "ES" and 2 digits. Example: ES04. If you doubt the veracity of an advertisement, get in touch with the Accommodation Office and we will advise you without commitment.