Cadaqués
Girona · Cataluña
Cadaqués (Catalan: [kəðəˈkes]; Spanish: [kaðaˈkes] ) is a town in the Alt Empordà comarca, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is on a bay in the middle of the Cap de Creus peninsula, near Cap de Creus cape, on the Costa Brava of the Mediterranean. It is a two-and-a-quarter-hour drive from Barcelona, and thus it is accessible not only to tourists but also to people who want a second home for weekends and summers. In 2018, Cadaqués had an official population of 2,752, but up to ten times as many people can live in the town during the peak of the summer tourism season. Cadaqués has a special place in art history. Commanding charcoals, by local artist Eliseu Meifrèn, of the 19th century Cadaqués beleaguered by a winter tramontane, can be seen at the Cadaqués museum. Fren was the first modern artist to live in Cadaqués and gave the town many of his works and a marble top table on which he sketched many of its turn-of-the-century fishermen. Salvador Dalí often visited Cadaqués in his childhood, and later kept a home in Port Lligat, a small village on a bay next to the town. A summer holiday here in 1916, spent with the family of Ramon Pichot is seen as especially important to Dalí's artistic career. Other notable artists, including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Marcel Duchamp, Richard Hamilton, Albert Ràfols-Casamada, Antoni Pitxot, Henri-François Rey, Melina Mercouri and Maurice Boitel also spent time here. Cadaqués is mentioned in the story "Tramontana" by Gabriel García Márquez. The interesting submarine life of this sleepy fishing village was studied for several years by phycologist Françoise Ardré, long before Cadaqués was discovered and transformed into a tourism destination. On Mondays there is a travelling market in Cadaqués, located near the parking lot. This market has a wide variety of products. A Jewish community once existed in the medieval period, and the old Jewish quarter in Cadaqués can still be visited today.
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Origins
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History
Relationship with Cuba:
In the early 20th century a large number of inhabitants of Cadaqués travelled or emigrated to Cuba (the figure has been estimated as one third of a village of approximately 1200 people). Many of these immigrants were financially successful in Cuba and returned to Cadaqués where they constructed large and ornate houses. These houses can still be seen in the town (for example; the "Casa Blava", "Blue House" in English). A person returned from Cuba was referred to as an "Americano" among other names.
Traditions:
Women of the village traditionally fetched water using a glazed earthenware jug called a "doll". The colour of the glazing was green. Similar earthenware can still be seen used as decorations. A number of photos exist showing women carrying these "dolls" on their heads (covered with a protective cloth).
Owing to Cadaqués's proximity to the French border and its isolation by land, the village had a tradition of running contraband. See the writings of Josep Pla.
People:
Pablo Picasso stayed during the summer of 1910, was also a guest of the family Pitxot
Joan Miró
José Antonio Coderch (1913–1984) prominent post-war Barcelona-born architect
Marcel Duchamp played chess in the cafe "Meliton" with John Cage amongst others. According to Richard Hamilton, Duchamp regarded the local fishermen as strong chess players.
Antoni Pitxot
René Magritte
Walt Disney
Melina Mercouri
Robert Venosa American visionary artist
Maurice Boitel
Eugenio d'Ors Catalan writer, wrote the "Ben Plantada" (the "Good Looking Girl")
Josep Pla Catalan writer, wrote a number of books set in or about Cadaqués. see below
Salvador Dalí built a house in Port lligat. Dalí's parents also had a house near the beach.
Genia Chef Russian artist. His Madonna de la Esparanza hangs in the town's baroque Iglesia de Santa Maria
Michael Lederer American author of the novel "Cadaqués"
Federico García Lorca Spanish poet and dramatist
André Breton French writer, poet, surrealist
David Martí Catalan artist and writer
Niki de Saint Phalle French artist, was invited or came to visit Marcel Duchamp
Man Ray American artist, invited by Marcel Duchamp
Mary Callery sculptor
Dieter Roth artist
Marcel Broodthaers
Richard Hamilton (artist) English artist, invited by Marcel Duchamp
John Cage composer, invited by Duchamp with whom he played chess
Jean Tinguely collaborator with Niki de Saint-Phalle
James Mason actor, filmed near Cadaqués
Pablo Casals cellist, invited by the family Pitxot
André Derain painter, invited by the family Pitxot; painted the village in 1910
Raoul Pugno
Jacint Morera Catalan painter
Maria Martins Brazilian surrealist sculptrice
Damien Rice
Jordi Pagans i Monsalvatje Catalan painter
Terence Weil cellist
Luis Aznarez Musician
Ignacio Iturria Uruguayan painter and founder of the Galeria Iturria
Monuments
Casa Museo Salvador Dalí: La Casa Museo Salvador Dalí es uno de los lugares más visitados de Cadaqués, considerado de visita indispensable para conocer el universo del pintor. Se sitúa en la bahía de Portlligat, al norte de la población, rodeada del hermoso paisaje que cautivó al artista. Está formada por un conjunto de barracas de pescadores que fueron adquiridas por el pintor y su mujer, Gala, dándole una forma laberíntica. Fue abierta al público en el año 1997 y en su interior se exhiben recuerdos del pintor, su taller, la biblioteca, sus habitaciones, la zona del jardín y la piscina.
Castillo de San Jaime: fortaleza declarada Bien cultural de interés nacional.
Museo de Cadaqués: Museo municipal donde periódicamente se exhiben exposiciones dedicadas generalmente a la figura de Salvador Dalí.
Casco antiguo e iglesia de Santa María: La iglesia de Santa María es la iglesia parroquial de Cadaqués. Fue construida en el siglo XVII en el centro de la población, en el punto más alto del núcleo antiguo, rodeada de las callejuelas que dan a Cadaqués su especial encanto. Es de estilo gótico y en su fachada, toda ella pintada de blanco, destaca el campanario, con base cuadrada y parte superior octogonal. Su retablo de estilo barroco, es de obligada visita. Es conocida también por albergar en su interior el Festival Internacional de Música de Cadaqués.
Festival Internacional de Música de Cadaqués: El Festival Internacional de Música de Cadaqués es uno de los acontecimientos más importantes y representativos de la población. Sirve como punto de encuentro de afamados músicos, solistas, directores y compositores. Forma parte de la historia reciente de Cadaqués y, hasta su reformulación del 2008, se estructuró en conciertos de música clásica dentro de la iglesia y conciertos gratuitos repartidos por diversos puntos del pueblo en los que se podían escuchar variedades musicales.
Parque natural del cabo de Creus: El cabo de Creus es el punto más al este de la península ibérica, en la comarca del Alto Ampurdán, provincia de Gerona. Está declarado desde el año 1998 como parque natural, siendo el único en España con dos zonas, la marítima y la terrestre, y considerado como el área deshabitada más grande de la costa mediterránea española. Su superficie ronda las 14 000 hectáreas, de las que 11 000 son terrestres y 3000 marinas. La zona terrestre se extiende por las localidades de Cadaqués, Llansá, Palau Sabardera, Pau, Puerto de la Selva, Rosas, Selva de Mar y Vilajuiga. El parque natural comienza en Bol Nou, municipio de Puerto de la Selva, y termina en la punta de Falconera, antes de Rosas. Numerosas especies protegidas de plantas y animales únicas en el mundo habitan en todo el parque. Su costa de gran valor paisajístico, con impresionantes acantilados, escondidas calas y pequeñas islas, es conocida por los submarinistas como un paraíso subacuático por su espectacular riqueza submarina. En la punta del Cabo de Creus se encuentra el mítico Faro de Creus (término municipal de Cadaqués), lugar donde se rodó la película La luz del fin del mundo y donde actualmente se encuentra un museo de Geología y una oficina de Turismo donde se facilita la información para hacer recorridos a pie en el territorio del parque natural.
What to visit
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Gallery
Festivals
September 2026
Festivals this month
- 8 · September Fiesta Mayor 📆 Add to my calendar
Rest of the year
- December: Fiesta Mayor de Invierno (15)
What's on
Street market
Mercadillo semanal: Lunes, de 09:00 a 15:00 · Carrer de ses Hortes, 12
Gastronomy
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Trails and hiking
•Camí de Ronda
•Senda Pirenaica - E01 (GR 11)
•Catalunya E03 (GR 92, 22 km)
•Catalunya E02 (GR 92, 20 km)
Services
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Famous people
•José Durán, compositor y maestro de capilla español
•Carles Rahola Llorens, historiador y escritor catalán (1881-1939)
•Àngel Planells i Cruañas, artista español
•Federico Rahola, jurista, economista, escritor y político español
•Francisco Javier Godó, periodista, dramaturgo y abogado español
•Federico Tremols y Borrell
Town hall
Alcaldía: Pia Serinyana Torrents
Web oficial: https://cadaques.cat/
Town hall of Cadaqués
Alcaldía: Pia Serinyana Torrents Web oficial: https://cadaques.cat/
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How to get there
- 🚗 64 km from Girona (about 45 min by car)
- 🚗 105 km from Breda (about 74 min by car)
- 🚗 159 km from Sabadell (about 112 min by car)
🧭 Travelling around the villages of Spain: a practical guide — Opening hours, transport, money and customs, before you set off.
- ✈️ 76 km from Girona-Costa Brava airport (about 54 min by car)
- ✈️ 186 km from Barcelona-El Prat airport (about 131 min by car)
Practical info
🅿️ Where to park
- Aparcament Hotel Octavia · 0.2 km away
- Where to park · 0.3 km away
- Where to park · 0.3 km away
🏧 Nearest cash machine
- Caixabank · 0.1 km away
- Banco Santander · 0.1 km away
- Banc Sabadell · 8.1 km away
⛽ Nearest petrol station
- Repsol · 0.2 km away
- Benzinera Tramuntana - El Port de la Selva · 8.2 km away
- BP · 8.7 km away
ℹ️ Tourist office
- AE141- Cadaqués · 0 km away
- Cadaquès · 0 km away
- Oficina de Turisme · 0 km away
🔭 Viewpoints
- Viewpoints · 0.1 km away
- Viewpoints · 0.2 km away
- Viewpoints · 0.3 km away
🏖️ Where to swim
- Platja Gran · 0.1 km away
- Where to swim · 0.2 km away
- Platja des Poal · 0.2 km away
Buses
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Pharmacy and health
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Wall and news
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Obituaries
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In loving memory
There are no memorials in Cadaqués yet.
Videos
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