I’ll visit Barcelona with my family (we are 5) the first days of December. We want to visit Dali’s museum in Figueres and we also hear good references on his house in Port Lligat.
1. Is it really worth to visit both?
2. Any suggestions on how to get back and forth there in December from Barcelona? (We prefer not to drive, if possible)
3. Any suggestions on a place for lunch in those areas?
Thank you all
I haven't been to Port Lligat. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres; I'm an art-lover but don't really care for surrealism. The DT-M is quirky enough that I think most people would enjoy it.
I recall an earlier post or two about hitting both the Dali sights on a single day-trip from Barcelona, so I know it's possible (if winter transportation schedules and opening hours aren't different), but it's not something I'd particularly want to do. Here's the way the transportation goes:
From Barcelona to Figueres you'd take the train. There are both fast (55 minutes, but usually more expensive) trains and slower (at least 1 hr. 41 min.) trains. They both depart from Barcelona Sants, but they use different stations in Figueres. The fast trains go to Figueres Vilafant; the slower trains to Figueres. Both stations are something of a walk from the Dali Theatre-Museum, but Figueres is a bit closer. (You can take a look on Google Maps to see their locations.) There's a local bus running between the two stations that has a stop a few blocks from the DT-M, but I don't know how often it runs on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays. It was my impression the bus was scheduled to meet the trains at Figueres Vilafant, but I'm not positive about that. On the day of my trip, the fast train was 15 minutes or so behind schedule, and the bus had already departed, so I'd suggest being prepared either to walk to the DT-M or to budget for a taxi and research taxi telephone numbers prior to arrival in case there isn't a taxi waiting at the station.
From Figueres you'd need to take a bus to Cadaques, then walk 15-20 minutes to Port Lligat or take a taxi. The bus ride was very scenic in the summer. I don't know to what degree taxis are available at Cadaques. The latter is a very picturesque former fishing village, now touristy, with white-cube houses dripping with bougainvillea--though probably not in December. Cadaques might be fairly dead in December; I just don't know. Important: The buses to Cadaques depart from in front of the Figueres train station, not Figueres Vilafant.
My guess is that extending the day trip to Port Lligat would only be really worthwhile if your group has a strong interest in Dali or especially likes "house of" attractions (which I do not). However, I am only guessing since I haven't been there myself.
Both the Dali sights are quicker to reach from Girona, which is a very attractive historic city worth at least a full day by itself. I believe Girona is known for good restaurants, but it doesn't sound as if you have much extra time.
I should mention that I've seen references to one-day bus tours going to both Dali sights. I don't know that they run in the winter, and I think a combo tour would be a distant second choice since you'd be tied to the time the tour company allowed at each sight. A French bus tour showed up at the Dali Theatre-Museum while I was there. It left considerably before I did after spending about half as much time at the DT-M. I don't think any of the tour members went up to the second floor.
Furthermore, the ticket to the DT-M includes entry to the jewelry collection in a separate, nearby building. The collection is fabulous and shouldn't be skipped. If you don't try to take photos (nearly impossible to do successfully), it doesn't take long to see the jewelry collection. I was told one can go there before the entry time specified on your timed ticket for the DT-M itself.
Many thanks, @acraven!
After your advice, I’ll focus on Figueres. My first choice is for us to take the train to Figueres and spend the day there. Also, I found a day tour that covers Girona and Figueres, with 2 hours at Dali’s museum. It’s advertised in GetYourGuide and I’m pondering whether to trust that given cost is significant—especially if the guide does not show.
That said, now I have a clearer idea of what we’ll do and I’m positive we’ll enjoy it :)
Figueres doesn't seem to have a lot of sights other than the Dali Theatre-Museum. I assume there's an interesting church or two, but I walked around a good bit and didn't find it as interesting as most of the many other places I've been in Spain.
What I'd recommend is booking the DT-M as early in the day as you're comfortable with and spending the rest of the day in Girona. Girona has a nice, large historic center. You can walk on part of the wall. There are two historic churches, an art museum, and a Jewish-history museum. I've spent over two full days in Girona and would be glad to go back. It's known for good restaurants, but I haven't taken advantage of that feature.
I imagine there are tours of Girona itself available that don't include transportation (which you can easily arrange yourself), though you could have a very enjoyable time just wandering around. It's a bit of a walk from the train station to the historic area, though I had no problem with it. The northern part of the historic area is more touristy but also has more sights to go inside, so you can decide where to head based on what you're in the mood for.
Keep in mind that the fast trains from Barcelona to Girona and Figueres require seat reservations that are specific to the train you select, which could present a scheduling challenge for part of the trip. Those trains could sell out, but I've never noticed those trains marked "Full" on the Renfe website (unlike the Barcelona-Madrid-Andalucia trains). Tickets on the slower trains can be bought up until 5 minutes before departure and cannot sell out since there is no seat reservation involved. What you might want to do is pre-book the trip up to Figueres (which will save you money) and perhaps also the trip back from Girona to Barcelona late in thea afternoon or in the evening, then grab whatever is convenient and reasonably priced between Figueres and Girona when you've finished what you want to do in Figueres.
Thanks, @acraven! I really like the ideas of prebooking the bookending train trips, keeping the time open for the Figueres-Girona transfer, and doing museum first and Girona later.
Wohoo! I’m excited we will get to do this :)
Many, many thanks to you.
acraven has given you good advice, a great travel plan, as she usually does. I’ll add that I visited the Theater-Museum, the House, and also Gala’s Chateau during a two-day/one-night trip organized by my local museum where I live in France. Before the trip, several others in our group felt as I did, that Dali was interesting, a publicity hound, but nothing more. The House and Chateau gave us insight into their personal lives, relationship, and quirky taste and decor. However, the Theater-Museum opened our eyes to his genius. We spent at least 3 hours there. I’d allow 3-4. We had our own professional guide, one of our museum members, leading us. If you had a car and/or more time, going to the House would be an add-on. The Theater-Museum is the place to go; it’s where Dali is still telling us to go.
There are a lot of casual places to eat near the Theater-Museum before you take the train to Girona. I’ve been to Girona twice; it’s a fascinating, lovely small city, easy to navigate. Bon voyage or bon viatge in Catalan.
Much appreciated, @Elizabeth formerly Bets. What a wonderful community this is! :)
We were in Barcelona for a week in mid-September and took the Spanish Trails “All Things Dali” tour. I highly recommend this tour! Our guide was Paula and she was knowledgeable, interesting, and thoughtful. With 5 in your group you can likely arrange a private tour and would have have a great day!
That sounds interesting! Would you have a link to that tour?
Thx :)
