Girona and Figueres: Dalí's country
North of Barcelona, towards France, two towns make a day. In Figueres, Salvador Dalí turned the burned-out theatre where he had first exhibited into the strangest museum in Spain. Girona, on the way, has one of the best-kept medieval centres in Catalonia.
- What it is
- Day trip
- Time to allow
- A full day
- Cost
- Train or a tour, a ticket for the museum
- Best time
- A full day, the museum in the morning
Barcelona this week
Why Girona and Figueres is worth it
Dalí was born in Figueres in 1904. In the 1960s he rebuilt its municipal theatre, ruined in the Civil War, as a museum of his own work, and it opened in 1974. He is buried in its crypt.
The museum is a work of art in itself, crowned with giant eggs, full of his paintings, his optical games and his rooms built as jokes.
Girona, an hour from Barcelona, is a walled city on the river Onyar, with a Gothic cathedral and the lanes of its medieval Jewish quarter, the Call.
What to see
The Dalí Theatre-Museum
The red tower crowned with eggs, the glass dome over the old stage, and inside it Dalí's paintings and his rooms of illusions.
Girona's houses on the Onyar
Coloured houses standing straight out of the river, seen from the iron bridge.
Girona Cathedral
At the top of a long flight of steps, with one of the widest Gothic naves in the world.
The Call
The narrow stone lanes of Girona's medieval Jewish quarter.
How to do it well
- Fast trains run from Barcelona to Girona and Figueres. The museum is a walk from Figueres station.
- Book the Dalí museum ahead: it is one of the most visited in Spain.
- A tour with a guide is easiest if you want both towns in a day.
Where it is
Address
Girona and Figueres, about one and two hours north of Barcelona
Nearest station
Train from Barcelona Sants to Girona and Figueres
Tickets and tours: Girona and the Dalí Museum
Girona and the Dalí Museum: common questions
- Where is the Dalí Museum?
- In Figueres, Dalí's home town, about two hours north of Barcelona by road, less by fast train.
- Is Salvador Dalí buried in his museum?
- Yes, in a crypt beneath the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, since 1989.
- Can you see Girona and Figueres in one day?
- Yes, by train or on a tour. Allow the whole day.
- How much time do you need for Girona and Figueres?
- Allow a full day. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.
What visitors say about Girona and Figueres
Rating from Google
Things to do in Barcelona
- 1Stand inside Gaudí's forest of stone at the Sagrada FamíliaEixampleChurch, 1.5 to 2.5 hours, ticket with a start time, sold online
- 2Sit on Gaudí's mosaic bench at Park GüellGràciaGarden, 1 to 2 hours, ticket with a start time for the monumental area
- 3Walk through the house of bones at Casa BatllóPasseig de GràciaMonument, 1 to 1.5 hours, ticket
- 4Walk among the chimney warriors on La Pedrera's roofPasseig de GràciaMonument, 1 to 1.5 hours, ticket
Artists to see near Girona and Figueres
The museums nearest to here, and the most famous artists on show in each.
Picasso Museum, 117.5 km away
Fundació Joan Miró, 120.0 km away
Where to eat near Girona and Figueres
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in Barcelona. Distances are in a straight line.
- El Xampanyet4.7Tapas bar, Born117.5 km away
- 7 Portes4.4Restaurant, Porxos d'en Xifré117.6 km away
- La Cova Fumada4.6Tavern, Barceloneta117.6 km away
- Can Paixano4.6Cava bar, Born117.7 km away
Hotels near Girona and Figueres
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Barcelona. Distances are in a straight line.
- Hotel Arts Barcelona4.5Five-star hotel, Port Olímpic116.6 km away
- Cotton House Hotel4.6Five-star hotel, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes117.3 km away
- El Palace Barcelona4.6Five-star hotel, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes117.3 km away
- Hotel Casa Fuster4.5Five-star hotel, Passeig de Gràcia117.3 km away