Discover Cadaqués, pearl of the Costa Brava

A few dozen kilometers from the French border, it is a charming all-white coastal village, an old fishing village that has become a little jet-set but still in a great authentic juice.

Enclosed in the heart of the sublime natural park of Cap de Creus, offering swimming and historic hikes, Cadaqués is irradiated by the universe of Salvador Dalí.

The delirious Catalan master lived there in a house which is now open to the public, as did his Theater-Museum in Figueres and the castle of his muse, in Púbol.

In short, the three summits of the essential “Dalinian triangle”.

To discover

• Partner stay in Spain |

  8 days |

  The authentic Andalusian treasures

Let yourself live in Cadaqués

Cadaqués "the white" and its church which dominates the village.

Dotan / Adobe Stock

To approach this enchanting village, you have to drink a coffee at the

Casino

counter

, the picturesque municipal bistro facing the sea, a meeting place for colorful regulars. Surrounded by mountains and accessible by a small road, only since the 1960s, Cadaqués has not experienced the anarchic development of the large seaside resorts of the Costa Brava. It is a very beautiful village with white houses adorned with bougainvillea, whose cobbled streets run down from the church to flow into the sea, surrounded by a few creeks. The beautiful postcard! An authentic and endearing allure for this little Catalan Saint Trop ', without really any beaches, but which attracts crowds of trendy travelers every summer. If the 16th century church contains a baroque altarpiece as unexpected as it is exceptional, the surrounding alleys give way to a quiet stroll to the seaside,more frequented, but where you quickly take to the open sea in a sea kayak, aboard an old rig, or to explore the surrounding seabed, with the local diving clubs.

Read also: 45 hotels and guesthouses that will make you dream in Catalonia

Browse the "Dalinian triangle"

Salvador Dalí's house transformed into a museum in Port Lligat.

Roman Babakin / Adobe Stock

Two kilometers from Cadaqués, in the sublime cove of

Port Lligat

, a visit to the Salvador Dalí House-Museum is a must in the region. Acquired in the 1930s, this beautiful set of white fishermen's houses was transformed by the artist with his legendary taste for frenzied surrealism. A host of works, fetish objects and symbols adorn the rooms, garden, swimming pool, workshop, etc. Fans can continue with a sea walk in the coves of the Cap de Creus on board the

Gala,

the

sharp

Catalan master, a small fishing boat moored in front of his house.

After Cadaqués, it is in

Figueres

, birthplace of Salvador Dalí, that we explore the formidable Dalí Theater-Museum, arranged by the artist himself in the old theater of the city and which remains one of the most famous museums. most frequented in Spain. There, the maestro gives free rein to his most crazy fantasies, carried by his burlesque genius. An artistic journey where works of youth, surrealist compositions and ultimate traits flirt, Dalí being buried in the very heart of his museum. And then, few people know, the Theater-Museum is open in the evening in August, for an unforgettable

Dalí by night,

in an even more quirky atmosphere.

To complete this "Dalinian triangle", in the heart of a territory that shaped the inspiration of the one who called himself the "Great Masturbator", you must also discover in

Púbol

, a pleasant medieval village in the countryside, the Gala Castle-Museum -Dalì, from the 11th century, decorated by the artist for his wife and muse Gala.

There is a very pleasant romantic garden full of trees where emblematic statues of wading elephants frolic.

Explore the Cap de Creus Natural Park

Breathtaking view of Cap de Creus on the Costa Brava.

Yuriy Brykaylo / Adobe Stock

A stone's throw north of Cadaqués, the

Cap de Creus

point at the eastern end of Spain, where the Pyrenees flow into the Mediterranean. Classified as a natural park, its 14,000 hectares stretch out to the sea in a generous wild mess of rocks and endemic vegetation of shrubs and maquis, cut out by cliffs reaching nearly 700 meters and paradisiacal coves. A small motorable road winds its way to the end of Cap de Creus, dominated by a lonely lighthouse facing the intense Mediterranean azure. MTB routes and a footpath also connect Cadaqués to the Cape by the coast, in splendid landscapes, exposed to the rising sun that Dalí loved to be the first Spanish citizen to contemplate from his bedroom in Port Lligat. If the crystalline waters of Cap de Creus lend themselves admirably to sea kayaking,for snorkeling and scuba diving, the park also has a small vineyard and the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes

, a

superb 11th century Benedictine complex perched in the heart of a very wild environment, to be explored along a hiking trail or by road.

Read the file: Spain: the

Figaro

travel guide

PRACTICAL NOTEBOOK

Information:

from the tourist offices of Cadaqués, Catalonia and Spain

.

GO

Perpignan-Rivesaltes Airport in France is a gateway to get to Cadaqués.

Barcelona International Airport, connected to France by direct scheduled and low cost flights, is also a good option.

In both cases, possibilities to rent a car on arrival.

Read also: Spain is tightening the screws again for French tourists as the big August departures approach