Spain: Girona or Figueres

Most of us go to Figueres for the Dali Theatre complex. The best sights for me in Girona are the cathedral (lovely cloisters) and the medieval Jewish quarter. The Jewish museum is very interesting, with lots of info on what life was like for everyone in the Middle Ages. I visited them on separate days, in fact on separate trips, in winter when visiting hours in Figueres were shorter. For much of the year it's possible to do both in one day. Get to the Dali just before it opens, spend 2-4 hours seeing it all, then taxi to the train station for the train to Girona.

Girona has a very well-preserved medieval historic center, the only one near Barcelona. If you aren't going and haven't been to Andalucia Girona would be a good choice for something a little different. If you're an art fan, Figueres is great.

Ditto, nothing to add to Chani's answer!

Thank you so much for the information. It is very helpful. Can you also tell me if there is a regular train which goes from Barcelona to Girona, then Figueres and back to Barcelona?

The three cities are linked by trains. All trains to and from Figueres stop in Girona. There are both regular trains (slower and cheaper) and express trains on that route. If you opt for express trains, you can potentially save money by buying your tickets early. Fares on the regular, non-express trains do not vary.

In Figueres the regular and express trains use different stations. Express trains stop at Figueres-Vilafant; regular trains stop at the main "Figueres" station. Both stations are a considerable level walk from the Dali Theatre-Museum, but the Figueres station is just a bit closer. There is a city bus linking the two stations that makes a stop not too far from the museum. The bus schedule seems to be aligned with the schedule for the the express trains. However, if an express train is late, the bus may not wait.

Thank you. This information is a big help.

I shall add, for reference, that Figueres station (served by regional and commuting trains, taking ~2h from Barcelona) is located in "the centre" of Figueres, at 1km (15" walk) from the Dali Museum; and Figueres-Vilafant station (served by high-speed trains, taking 1h from Barcelona), is located in the outskirts of Figueres, at 1.5km (20" walk) from the same museum.

Schedules for regional and commuting trains can be viewed here: https://rodalies.gencat.cat/en/inici/index.html For these trains, tickets are bought at the station (either at the ATMs, available in multiple languages, or at the ticket booths) on the day of departure; seats are not assigned and one can catch any train -according to the type of ticket being bought. There are trains every hour.

For high-speed trains here: https://www.renfe.com/es/en For these trains, it's advised to pre-book online. Seats and specific trains are assigned when the ticket is being bought and changes might or might not be available -much like an aeroplane, depending on the fare

Also, visiting Figueres is more than visiting the Dalí Museum: https://en.visitfigueres.cat/