Figueres
Most people arrive in Figueres for one reason: the Dalí museum, the second most visited in Spain after the Prado. Many come on a day trip from Barcelona or the Costa Brava hotels, see the museum, and leave by afternoon.
Highlights
Castell de Sant Ferran
Vast 18th century fortress with underground cisterns.
Old Town
Walkable core with cafes and quiet squares.
Placa de les Patates
Laid-back square good for a drink on the terrace.
Sant Pere Church
Gothic church in the town centre.
Theatre Museu Gala Salvador Dali
Dali's own museum, built inside a bombed theatre.
Sightseeing
Things to do
Local food and drinks
Local traditions
Do's and don'ts
Practical
About Figueres
Give it a night and it opens up. The Old Town is small and walkable, with cafes on quiet side streets and a slower pace than Barcelona. This is the heart of the Empordà, wine country with good food and a growing reputation for both, so Figueres works as a base for exploring the region.
Things to know
Good to know
History
Figueres grew as a market town in the Empordà plain, and in the 18th century the Spanish crown built the huge Castell de Sant Ferran fortress above it to guard the road from France. That fortress saw action into the 20th century and briefly held the last Republican parliament during the Spanish Civil War.
The war also gutted the town theatre, which sat vacant for decades. Salvador Dali, born in Figueres in 1904, later turned that ruin into his own museum, opened in 1974. It made the town a fixed point on the art map and remains its main draw today.
Photo: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons