Welcome to Figueres! A town in which you can immerse into the enigmatic mind of one of the greatest artists the world has ever seen – Salvador Dali. The jewel that he has left behind, the surreal Theatre-Museum, is the centerpiece of the town. Yet Figueres offers much more than just that. There you’ll also find a mighty 18th-century fortress and delightful old town streets full of Modernist architecture, cozy restaurants, and small local shops. Keep reading and discover the best things to do in Figueres, Spain in one day.
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Figueres, Spain FAQ
Figueres is a small town located in Catalonia in the Province of Girona in Spain. It lies about 40km from Girona, 140km from Barcelona, and 25 km from the French border. All of that makes Figueres a great one-day trip idea both from Catalonia and Occitanie in the South of France.
Sure! Figueres is a unique place to see in Catalonia, that not only art lovers or Salvador Dali fans will love. We’re sure that every curious, open-minded traveler will appreciate this artistic wonderland.
Figueres is best known for being the birthplace and final resting place of iconic Surrealist artist Salvador Dali. The town is also home to the Dali Theatre-Museum, a masterpiece of surrealism that the artist designed himself, which attracts thousands of visitors who want to immerse in his imaginative world each year.
Yes, in our opinion Salvador Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres is worth visiting. We’re sure that even people not interested in art will be picking their jaws from the floor several times during the visit.
About Salvador Dali & Surrealism
Salvador Dali was born in Figueres in 1904. He was a painter, sculptor, and the enigmatic genius of Surrealism, who left a memorable mark on the world of art. Dali was a master of illusions, with an uncanny ability to bend reality into extraordinary, mind-bending forms. His art combined with his eccentric personality, trademark mustache, and flamboyant persona made him a cultural icon.
Surrealism started in the early 20th century. Its essence lies in the realm of the subconscious, where dreams, fantasies, and the uncanny blend seamlessly. Dali without a doubt, was a master of this world, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the rational gives way to the irrational. Among Dali’s most famous works you might be already familiar with “The Persistence of Memory” with its melting clocks and “The Elephants” with their spindly legs and elongated trunks.
Things to do in Figueres, Spain in one day
Dali Theatre-Museum
Visiting Dali Theatre-Museum (es. Teatre-Museu Dalí) is undoubtedly the best thing to do in Figueres. It’s housed in a former municipal theater that was converted by Dali himself into his biggest surrealist masterpiece. Inside you’ll find significant parts of his life’s work, like paintings, sketches, drawings, sculptures, illusions, and three-dimensional installations. All of that will allow you to take a peek into the bizarre yet captivating world of Salvador Dali. It’s a great, visually stimulating experience.
Note: inside Figueres Dali Museum you won’t find his most famous pieces.
Before you enter the Dali Theatre-Museum be sure to take a good look at the building and its surroundings as it features even more artist’s work. Look for a man in an armoire with the baguette on his helmet, a Torre Galatea decorated with an array of white eggs at the top and loaves of bread on its walls, or a man with a diving suit.
A museum is also a place where the master of surrealism is buried. According to his last will, Salvador Dali was buried in a crypt under the former stage floor (now an exhibition hall with a dome) with an unmarked tomb on which thousands of unaware people walk directly each year.
Book now: Girona and Figueres Full-Day Tour with Hotel Pick Up
Dali Museum tickets
During July and August, entrance to the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres costs €21 for adult tickets and €14 for children (9-18 years old). In other months it’s €17 and €13 (November 2024). Tickets can, and should be, bought online. For current prices, opening hours, useful information, and online tickets visit tickets.salvador-dali.org website.
Tickets include entrance to Dali Jewels Collection located in the same complex as well as free entrance to Empordà Museum and 30% off at the Toy Museum of Catalonia.
How much time will you need at Dali Theatre-Museum? Reserve at least 3 hours to fully experience everything.
If you’re curious about our opinion about the museum, keep reading and you’ll find it at the end of the post.
Dali Jewels Exhibition
In the same complex as the Dali Theatre-Museum, but with a separate entrance, you’ll find the Dali Jewels Collection permanent exhibition (es. Dalí Joies). It’s quite small but a very interesting display of jewelry designed by Salvador Dali and made in New York by Argentinian-born goldsmith Carlos Alemany.
It features 39 gold jewels and precious stones and 27 drawings and paintings on paper that Salvador Dalí made for the jewel designs. Dali jewels are very unique and beautiful, so be sure not to skip this unique thing to do in Figueres.
Entrance to the Dali Jewels Exhibition is included in the ticket to the Salvador Dali Museum. You can’t buy separate tickets only to see this exhibition.
Book now: From Barcelona: Girona, Figueres and Dali Museum Day Tour
Figueres old town streets
Figueres’ old town isn’t too big or incredibly beautiful but it’s definitely worth a good stroll. La Rambla is the town’s main commercial street/square, lined with trees, and many restaurants, cafes, and shops. It’s a great place to relax and watch people going on with their lives. There you can also admire beautiful buildings like Casa Cusí, Casa Casals, Casa Salleres, or Casa Bonaterra. We visited Figueres in December and this was also where the Christmas market was.
On Carrer Monturiol, just one street away from La Rambla, you can also find Salvador Dalí’s birth house (es. Casa Natal de Salvador Dalí). It’s not a museum or any special attraction but you can take a quick look if you’re interested to see where the artist grew up.
Between Dali Museum and La Rambla, there’s Plaza del Ayuntamiento, a Town Hall Square. It’s a very lovely square with a Town Hall and restaurants, as well as nice views over the Church of Saint Peter.
Also, don’t miss Plaça Gala i Salvador Dalí, a square next to the Dali Museum where you will find Dali’s outdoor sculptures.
Discover: Accommodation options in Figueres
Church of Saint Peter
Church of Saint Peter (es. Iglesia de San Pedro) is located right next to the Dali Theatre-Museum. It dates back to the 11th century which makes it the oldest church in Figueres. It was built in the Romanesque style, and later in the 14th century Gothic reconstruction was carried out. In the Church of Saint Peter, Salvador Dalí was baptized, received his First Communion, and his funeral took place. Entrance is free.
Sant Ferran Castle
Sant Ferran Castle (es. Castell de Sant Ferran) is an 18th-century military fortress. It’s located on a small hill on Figueres outskirts, just 20 minutes on foot from Dali Theatre-Museum. It’s considered the largest bastion fortress in Europe, covering a total area of 550k square meters with little over 3 km of outer walls and 10 hectares of moats. In its glory days, it had a capacity to fit 6000 people and 500 horses in its underground stables. During Franco’s dictatorial rule, the fortress was used as a concentration camp and prison.
From the hill and the fortress, you can also admire nice views over the Figueres and its surroundings. You can explore Sant Ferran Castle by yourself or during a guided tour that needs to be booked in advance. It’s a great thing to do in Figueres, don’t miss it.
Entrance to the Sant Ferran Castle costs €5 for individual entrance and €16 for a guided tour (November 2024). For current opening hours, reservations and prices visit castellsantferran.com website.
Other things to do in Figueres in one day
Museu de l’Empordà
If you want to explore the rich history and artistic heritage of the region, be sure to head to Museu de l’Empordà located on La Rambla. Over the four floors, it showcases a diverse collection of artifacts, paintings, and sculptures from the Neolithic period to the present day.
Entrance to Museu de l’Empordà is free with a Dali Museum ticket. Otherwise, it costs €5 for adults and €2.5 for students (November 2024). For current prices and opening hours visit museuemporda.org website.
Museu de la Tècnica de l’Empordà
Technical Museum of the Empordà (es. Museu de la Tècnica de l’Empordà) is one more museum in Figueres that you might want to visit. It’s best known for its wide historical collection of mechanical devices and tools from the late 18th to 20th centuries, like typewriters, watches, phones, calculators, sewing machines, and radios.
Entrance to Museu de la Tècnica de l’Empordà costs €3 (November 2024). It’s open only on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. For current opening hours and more information visit mte.cat website.
Toy Museum of Catalonia
Another interesting thing to do in Figueres during your day trip is to visit the Toy Museum of Catalonia (es. Museu del Joguet de Catalunya). On the museum’s three floors, you’ll find unique displays of over 5000 children’s toys and games from different historical eras, from the end of the 19th century to the current day. Porcelain dolls, mechanical toys, litho tin toys, railways, Catalan cardboard dolls, toy theaters, board games, dolls’ houses… All this and more can be found in Figueres Toy Museum.
Entrance to the Toy Museum of Catalonia costs €8 for adults and €6.5 for children (November 2024). With the Dali Museum ticket price is reduced by 30%. The museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays. To check current prices and opening hours visit mjc.cat website.
Discover: Accommodation options in Figueres
Explore local attractions
How to get to Figueres, Spain?
Figueres is located about 40km from Girona, 55km from Perpignan in France, and 140km from Barcelona. The most convenient way to get to town is by car, train or bus.
Where to park in Figueres?
If you’re traveling by car you can choose from both free and paid parking lots in Figueres. We managed to leave our car in this free parking lot located only about 8min on foot from Dali Museum.
Airports near Figueres
The closest airport to Figueres is located in Girona (50km away), and the next one is located in Barcelona (150km away). All airports offer bus or train+bus connections to the town. To learn more about connections that might interest you visit rome2rio.com website.
For great car rental deals visit Rentalcars website.
To Figueres by train
Figueres train station is located only about 15min on foot from the Dali Museum. From many places like Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona, Narbonne or Perpignan you can easily get to Figueres by train. You can check out a map of available train connections on the acprail.com or rome2rio.com website.
To Figueres by bus
You can also easily reach Figueres by bus. For example, a trip from Girona will take about 45min, or 2h45min from Barcelona. To learn more about bus connections that might interest you visit rome2rio.com website.
To Figueres by taxi
The most expensive option, but also the fastest one if you care about time. For example, a trip from Girona will take only about 35min. To learn more about taxi connections that interest you visit rome2rio.com website.
Camping Figueres
If you’re traveling by camper, campings like Camping Mas Nou, Camping L’àmfora, Càmping Laguna or Càmping Castell Mar might interest you. All are located near Figueres.
Things to do in Figueres, Spain in one day – Summing up
Figueres might not be the most beautiful or exciting destination in Catalonia but it’s definitely filled with great and unique things to do. From the mind-blowing Dali Museum and fascinating Toy Museum to the largest fortress in Europe… Especially art lovers or Dali fans will be in heaven! But we’re sure that every traveler will find something perfect for himself in town. We wish you an amazing time and hope that thanks to our guide you won’t miss any of the things to do in Figueres in one day.
Our video from Figueres
Our opinion about Figueres
For us, a visit to Figueres was a one-day trip from Saint-Cyprien in France where we lived for a few weeks. We visited it in mid-December and during that time the city was fairly quiet, without hordes of tourists, most of whom were in the Dali Museum. During that time there also was a really nice Christmas Market in town, and we brought back with us Tió de Nadal, a famous Christmas Log from Catalonia.
We’re not huge fans of art or museums but we truly enjoyed our visit to Dali Theatre-Museum and immersing ourselves into the mind of a genius surrealist. We spent there around 2.5h and could do even more but after that time we were already tired and we passed by the last 20-30% of the exhibitions fairly quickly. We hate crowds, and visiting in December was very pleasant, only from time to time we came across other people.
Unfortunately, our visit to Figueres wasn’t without mishaps. We really wanted to visit the Toy Museum but didn’t check that it’s closed on Sundays. We also wanted to visit the fortress but arrived 20 minutes before closing. Maybe next time!
Book now: Girona and Figueres Full-Day Tour with Hotel Pick Up
Restaurants, accommodations, and map
Check out various recommended places below.
Where to eat in Figueres?
Here are your best, high-rated options in Figueres:
Where to sleep in Figueres?
Hotel Plaza Inn
Hotel Plaza Inn in Figueres offers a comfortable and centrally located accommodation option. Situated in the heart of town, it provides easy access to attractions like the Dali Theatre-Museum. With its convenient location, modern amenities, and attentive service, Hotel Plaza Inn is an excellent choice for travelers exploring the artistic and historical treasures of the region.
The Museum Apartments
The Museum Apartments in Figueres provide a unique and immersive stay for art enthusiasts. Located near the iconic Salvador Dali Theatre-Museum, these apartments offer a cultural experience, allowing guests to explore the art and history of the renowned surrealist artist. With stylish interiors and a prime location, The Museum Apartments are an ideal choice for those seeking an artistic retreat in the heart of Figueres.
Hotel Pirineos
Hotel Pirineos is a charming accommodation option that combines modern comfort with a touch of traditional elegance. Located in the city center, it offers convenient access to attractions like the Dali Museum. With well-appointed rooms, friendly service, and proximity to cultural landmarks it a delightful stay for travelers exploring Figueres and its artistic heritage.
Accommodations photos source: booking.com
