Girona says it with flowers as Temps de Flors festival begins

Catalonia's northern city of Girona will be blooming this weekend as the 64th edition of its annual flower festival -Temps de Flors- begins on Saturday, until May 19.

Every year, Temps de Flors (Time of Flowers) sees both private and public spaces all over the city festooned with elaborate floral displays that are open to the public.

This year there will be a total of 171 flower arrangements on show in 137 venues, including for the first time in the apse of the city's iconic cathedral and on the Dimoni bridge.

Also new in this edition are two routes suitable for people with reduced mobility, one for motorized disability vehicles and one for people in wheelchairs.  

Both routes are marked on the official map to guide visitors around the displays, which are available for free in each venue and the city's tourist office.

The courtyards and interior patios hosting the floral displays are open from 10am to 10pm, which will be extended to midnight on Wednesday, May 15 and both Saturdays.  

This year also includes the ‘Pla V’ project, in which strategically placed rest areas have been made available to allow visitors to take the weight off their feet during their tour.

Girona's mayor, Marta Madrenas, pointed to the festival's "international resonance" and its importance in "making our architectural heritage visible."

The Temps de Flors festival first began in 1954 but has grown considerably over the years, and today it regularly attracts over 200,000 visitors from both home and abroad.