Few small cities have a culinary reputation like Girona’s. With El Celler de Can Roca at its heart and a dense constellation of Michelin restaurants and wineries around it, the area has become a place people choose to live because of the food. Here is how that shapes the property market, and where to buy for it.
The anchor: El Celler de Can Roca
At the centre of it all is El Celler de Can Roca, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant run by the Roca brothers — Joan in the kitchen, Josep on wine, Jordi on pastry. Twice named the World’s Best Restaurant (2013 and 2015) and marking its 40th anniversary in 2026, it has done more than any single institution to put Girona on the global map. Around it sits a remarkable cluster of Michelin kitchens and Empordà wineries, making the wider area a genuine gastronomy economy rather than a single famous address.
Why food shapes the property market
A world-class food culture matters to buyers in a concrete way: it sustains year-round, international, high-quality demand. Together with the heritage old town, the renowned cycling community and fast links to Barcelona, the gastronomy gives Girona a lifestyle pull that holds up out of season — the opposite of a beach resort. For people buying a home around something they love, the restaurants and wineries are a real, durable reason to be here.
Where to buy for the gastronomy life
There are two natural ways in. The first is the city of Girona itself — walkable to the restaurant scene and a 38-minute train from Barcelona — where the historic Barri Vell is the prime district. The second is the countryside: a masía or country house in the Gironès or Baix Empordà, within a short drive of the restaurants and wineries, set among the medieval villages of Peratallada, Monells and Madremanya that are themselves prized for their food and beauty. City convenience or country space — the choice is the familiar one, around an unusually good table.
Prices, briefly
Girona city averages around €2,715/m² asking in 2026 (idealista), with the Barri Vell the most expensive district at around €4,276/m². In the countryside, restored masías are priced by land and heritage rather than €/m² — roughly €1.5m–€4m for a good farmhouse, and €4m–€10m and beyond for trophy estates. See our guides to the old town and the masías of the Empordà for the detail.
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Frequently asked questions
What is El Celler de Can Roca?
El Celler de Can Roca is the three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Girona run by the Roca brothers — Joan, Josep and Jordi. It has twice been named the World’s Best Restaurant (in 2013 and 2015) and is the anchor of Girona’s international reputation as a gastronomic capital. The restaurant marks its 40th anniversary in 2026.
Why does gastronomy matter for buying property in Girona?
Because it underpins year-round, international, high-quality demand. Girona and the surrounding Empordà have a dense cluster of Michelin restaurants and celebrated wineries, which — together with the heritage city and the cycling scene — give the area a lifestyle pull that sustains property values without relying on beach seasonality. For lifestyle buyers, the food culture is a genuine reason to be here.
Where should I buy to be in Girona’s gastronomy belt?
Two main options: the city of Girona itself, for walkable access to the restaurant scene and the AVE; or the surrounding Gironès and Baix Empordà countryside and villages, for a masía or country house within a short drive of the restaurants and wineries. The villages of the Empordà — Peratallada, Monells, Madremanya — are especially prized for this.
How much does property cost in and around Girona?
Girona city averages around €2,715/m² asking in 2026 (idealista), with the historic Barri Vell the most expensive district at around €4,276/m². In the countryside, restored masías are priced by land and heritage rather than €/m² — roughly €1.5m–€4m for a good farmhouse, and €4m–€10m and beyond for trophy estates.
Is Girona only about food?
No — the food scene is part of a wider lifestyle. Girona combines a celebrated gastronomy with a heritage old town, a renowned international cycling community, fast links to Barcelona and an airport. That blend of culture, sport and connectivity is what makes it more than a one-note destination, and it is why demand holds up year-round.