A Journey to the Life and Work of Salvador Dalí. Tips to discover the Dalí Museum in Spain in a short trip from Barcelona.
In this week’s post, The Touring Pandas want to give you some tips to discover one of the most amazing legacies in our country: Salvador Dalí’s work. The first thing you need to know, is that there isn’t one Dalí Museum in Spain. There are… three! The combination of the three museums, all of them in the north of Catalonia, is known as the Dalí Triangle. Unlike other artist museums, in these amazing places you will not only find Dalí’s works. You will take a unique trip to the crazy mind of this genius, his life, and his greatest love: Gala. Keep reading to find out more!
The Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres
The most famous Dalí Museum in Spain is the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres. Figueres is Dalí’s hometown, a quite place in the north of Catalonia, just a few miles from the border with France. In 1973, Salvador Dalí decided it was time to create something big, and he decided to do it as a gift to the place where he was born. Dalí was an artist who became famous will being alive. He was aware of his future relevance as a ground-breaking artist, and he wanted to create a museum to host his most precious works. The chosen place was an old building that had once been the municipal theatre of Figueres, burned down during the Civil War. Dalí was personally involved in the plans for his museum, and the result was a one-of-a-kind building that is a piece of art by itself. Today, it is considered the largest surrealist object in the world.
The Theatre-Museum has extravagant looks from the outside, with the red Galatea tower and the Crystal Dome crowning the building. Inside, it is a labyrinth packed with surreal works that impress every visitor, for good or for bad! One of the most famous works is the Mae West Room. But it’s not only Dalí’s works that you can find inside. Salvador Dalí spent the last years of his life living inside the museum, and his bedroom can still be visited as it was before he died. The first visitors of the museum were lucky enough to watch him living there, as a breathing piece of the collection. Today, Dalí still rests inside the largest surrealist object in the world. When he died, he was buried inside the museum, and his tomb is also one of the items that you’ll discover during your visit. The easiest way to reach the museum is to take the AVE train from Barcelona, which takes around 50 minutes and costs 17€.
Gala’s Castle in Pubol
The second piece of the Dalí Triangle is Gala’s Castle, in the small village of Pubol. The story of the castle is no less than the greatest proof of the love story between Dalí and his muse, Gala. During the first years of their relationship, the couple took a trip to the north of Italy. There, they visited a castle near a lake, and Gala made Dalí promise that, one day, she would have a castle of her own. It took thirty years, but Dalí kept his word. With a close friend who had a small airplane, he flew up and down the Costa Brava looking for abandoned castles, until he found what he was looking for in Pubol. Dalí restored the ruined castle and he decorated it in his surrealist style. Once it was done, he gave it to Gala as a proof of his devotion.
Gala accepted the gift with pleasure, and she spent there the last decade of her life. She was so strict with the rules in the castle, that even Dalí had to send written permission before being accepted as a visit. The interior of the castle is a reflection of Dalí’s surreal mind, and the exterior is surrounded by beautiful gardens with the famous elephant fountains. After she died, Gala was buried in the castle and her tomb can be visited there. Pubol is a very isolated village, so the best way to get there is by renting a car from Barcelona, or with an organized tour.
Salvador Dalí House Museum in Cadaques
The third point of the Dalí Triangle is also the most hidden one. In one of the best preserved spots in the Costa Brava, there is a bay called Portlligat. On this remote beach, near Cadaqués, is where Dalí had his summer residence. It is only accessible by a sinuous road that takes you accross the mountains into this secret corner of the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, Dalí and Gala spent their last years together living between New York, Paris, and this beautiful place called Cadaques.
In this small house, isolated from the rest of the world, is where Dalí usually found his deepest inspiration. The rustic premises where the most extravagant couple of the Costa Brava lived have remained almost untouched, so this is undoubtedly the most genuine glimpse you will have of Dalí’s life. To reach the Salvador Dalí House Museum, you can take a bus from Barcelona to Cadaques, and then walk or take a taxi to the Portlligat bay.
If you want to get tickets or find tours to discover the Dalí Triangle, we recommend you to use the following links!
Tickets for the Theatre-Museum in Figueres
Tickets for Gala’s Castle in Pubol
Tickets for Salvador Dalí
Tour to the Theatre-Museum from Barcelona
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