Driving Barcelona to Figueres and Cadeques for Dali?

Can’t you rent the car the day you plan to visit?

We did this last year, coming from France. You can definitely get a train to Figueres to see the Teatre Museu Dali. Getting to Cadaques we found a little trickier. There is a direct bus from Figueres to Cadaques but it doesn't go very frequently. The actual house is in Port Lligat which was about (a very pleasant) half an hour walk from where the bus dropped us in Cadaques. We wound up taking the bus there but then arranging for a taxi to take us back to Figueres after our visit. If we had more flexibility with time that day we could have taken the bus back. If you are going from Barcelona I believe there are several organised tours to Figueres/Cadaques you can also take, if you don't want to deal with the train/bus or renting a car.

Even tho it was a bit challenging to get to Cadaques I felt it was totally worth it- I enjoyed the Teatre Museu but seeing the house was extra special. Good luck!

I traveled from Figueres to Cadaques by bus in 2016. I did that while based in beautiful, historic Girona, which is north of Barcelona and therefore allows for a shorter trip to Figueres and Cadaques. I saw the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres in 2019, when I spent a few nights in Figueres. In other words, I haven't done what you plan to do. I share this information to assist you in your planning:

• Figueres is not a particularly interesting town, aside from the Dali Theatre-Museum. On the other hand, you'll probably find Figueres hotel rates considerably cheaper than they are in Barcelona and Girona.

• Figueres has two train stations. The fast trains from Barcelona/Girona stop at the Figueres Vilafont Station. The slower trains go to the Figueres Station. The departure point for the buses to Cadaques is outside the Figueres Station.

• There's a city bus in Figueres that connects the two train stations. It doesn't stop at the Dali Theatre-Museum, but it gets you quite a bit closer. I don't know the frequency of that bus (Google Maps may have that info), but I discovered the bus doesn't wait for the train if the train is late. The DT-M is walkable from the Figueres Vilafont Station (and the Figueres Station is a bit closer), but it's probably about a 20-minute walk.

• The DT-M sells out for some entry times, though I suspect not usually very far in advance. On the day of my visit, a French bus tour arrived after I did, which made the museum considerably more crowded. I wouldn't be surprised if that tour group bought all the entry tickets for one of the time blocks. It wouldn't be safe simply to show up at the DT-M, expecting to buy a ticket and get in immediately. You might be sold a ticket for several hours later, which would be a real problem on a day trip.

• The ticket for the DT-M also covers the fabulous jewelry collection located in a separate building nearby. You can visit the jewelry collection before the time on the DT-M ticket--or at least that was the policy in 2019. If you don't waste time trying to photograph the jewelry, as I did, you probably need less than 30 minutes to see it, but try to allow time to do so, because it is stunning.

• I haven't been to the Dali house at Port Lligat, but that one does sell out early. I think capacity is very limited, and I wouldn't expect any concessions if you arrived late due to some sort of transportation snafu. Therefore, I'd be inclined to make the Port Lligat house my first stop.

• Cadaques itself is very pretty-a white-cube town with bougainvillea (in season). I'm sure it is sometimes overrun with tourists, but I was there on a Tuesday in July 2016, and there weren't very many people about. From the bus station it's a downhill walk to the port, through the pretty town; that means it's uphill on the way back. I noticed a sign pointing the way to Port Lligat somewhere down at the port, so it seems you could walk from the Dali house to Cadaques port and then wander uphill in the direction of the bus station.

• If you opt for a fast train between Barcelona and Figueres, you can probably save considerable money by buying those tickets early. Last minute purchase would be rather pricey.

• The bus trip from Figueres to Cadaques is very scenic. Although I'm sure the road is safe, I don't know how much opportunity the driver would have to enjoy the scenery; the last part of the drive is very curvy.

• I doubt a combo bus tour would allow as much time as you want at the DT-M. I am not a fan of surrealism, but I found the DT-M interesting enough to spend close to three hours there, as I recall. The French bus tour was in and out in about an hour; I don't think any of those folks made it up to the second floor. That has been my experience with tour-group visits to art museums--they don't spend a lot of time at each site. At the very least, I'd ask hard questions about how the tour budgets its time.

Looking into it further and getting the bus feedback from many, I think we will opt to do the train to Figueres and then the bus to Cadeques. If things are running late we can opt for a taxi back to Figueres. Seems like there are many trains between Barcelona and Figueres so no need to hassle with a car. I don't see any reason to stay overnight in either Figueres or Cadeques, so we'll just make it an all day trip!

I don't see any reason to stay overnight in either Figueres or Cadeques, so we'll just make it an all day trip!

Dali has fans worldwide interested in his life work on different levels that go to see the museum and to visit his house year round. That said, do what you want there is no universal or ideal plan to visit.