Camping in Cadaqués: Magic at the Easternmost Point of the Iberian Peninsula

Where to Stay

The first way to stay on the cheap in this French-esque town is to vie for camping. There is one campground in the town and it is conveniently located halfway between Cadaqués and Port Lligat (more on this place later). Both towns are about a 5-7 minute walk from the campground. Camping Cadaqués has plenty of spaces for tents and camper vans as well as a selection of bungalows and rooms.

The tent spots are on a first come, first served basis – you can’t make reservations. Their pricing chart online is a bit hard to read so I’ll give you an example – as of July 2020 it’s 10€ per person and per tent per night. So, if you are three people staying in one tent for one night that would be 40€ total.

The campground is relaxed about check in and checkout times. We didn’t bring a tent but strung up 3 hammocks in a tree on a campsite. It worked out pretty greatly. We were hesitant to leave our belongings there unattended during the day but in the end we locked them all together with a padlock to one of our hammocks and it was fine – no one stole anything.

How to Get There

Another way to keep your spending low is to opt for public transport. Ranging from just under 3 hours to up to 4 in total journey length, it is not that bad of a trip.

Bus

You can take a bus the whole way from Estación del Norte in Barcelona to Cadaqués Estación. This will cost you 25€ each way and take 2h 45mins. The con to this mode is there are not a lot of options for departure time. Currently there are only three buses a day.

Train and Bus

You can also go for a train/bus combo that gets you there a little cheaper, albeit a longer journey coming in at about 3:30 – 4:00h depending on your wait time between the train and the bus. This option allows you to be more flexible in timing because you can combine train and bus in two different locations. There is a bus to Cadaqués that leaves from Girona and another that leaves from Figueres, a 1 hour train/2 hour bus and 2 hour train/1 hour bus respectively. Both options coming out to about 20€.

Pro Tips

Let Google Maps be your planner in figuring out the best combination for this route. The train is the media distancia train by Renfe. You can buy the tickets in the train station (Sants, Passeig de Gracia, or El Clot). The bus is by Sarfa Moventis, you can buy your tickets online or at the bus station.

Day One

Hike and Swim

Continuing with the camping weekend vibe, there is a great trail that runs from Port Lligat to Cap de Creus (a lighthouse at the easternmost point of the Iberian peninsula). It’s 6.4km long and should take no more than 2 hours at a leisurely pace. The screen shot of the trail map below is from the maps.me app – a great download for any hike you do!

In this hike you pass through olive groves, up and down stony hills, and through wild blackberry bushes. You really get a feel for the rugged landscape and might run into a wild boar or two. Don’t worry, like many wild animals, these boars are more afraid of you than you are of them. Just make sure not to startle a mama with her babies. You are more likely to see them in the early morning or later in the evening. When we ran into some, we just gently rolled a rock in their direction and they moseyed off into the brush without any drama.

In the second half of the hike, just as you start to get tired, you happen upon the amazing coves that Costa Brava is known for. You can hop down to an empty cove and get a refreshing dip in before continuing your journey. The coves can be a bit rocky. It might be good to bring some water shoes if you feel like you need them. The water in these coves is full of marine life, so be sure to bring your goggles! We saw crabs, anemones, rock fish, sea urchins, star fish and even an octopus.

Food

You end the hike on top of a large hill where the lighthouse is. There are two restaurants up here as well. We opted for Restaurant Cap de Creus in the yellow building as our foodie splurge of the weekend. It has a spacious terrace and great views. Make sure to reserve a table a few days in advance as it’s quite popular.

Let me tell you – this restaurant was totally worth it! It probably had something to do with the two hour hike to get there, but the food was heavenly. They have an assortment of seafood caught fresh that day from the local fisherman so the options change day to day. We were presented with a glorious platter including squid, scallops, mussels, razor clams, and a variety of fish from which to choose. We opted for a plate of grilled squids and several other tapas.

Though it’s definitely a place to order seafood, we also got a plate of the vegetable curry for our vegetarian friend. It turned out to be our favorite dish! It was extraordinarily rich with spices and served with three different sauces as well as two different types of rice. An unexpected treat for sure. The restaurant also has a vibe that will persuade you to spend your afternoon there with some fresh white wine looking out over the sea coves and listening to the live music.

If you are unable to free yourself from the siren that is the Restaurant Cap de Creus in time to hike back, unfortunately your only option is to call a taxi to come get you. But if you do make it out sober enough to hike back, that slightly tipsy dip in the first cove will breathe new life into you and the hike back will be a piece of cake. Especially if its later in the day when the sun is not so strong and you’re full of fuel from lunch. We were able to make better time on the way back.

The Night

Next, it’s time to enjoy the night in Cadaqués! Freshen up at the campsite (they have plenty of showers and bathrooms) and walk down into the town for a magical night. The collection of white buildings and warm lights will make you feel like you are on a movie set. It’s just so damn charming! There are plenty of restaurants on the waterfront serving everything from seafood to pizza to mezze. If you want to get off the eaten path, head to Carrer Miquel Rosset. The street runs more or less parallel to the waterfront, just one block back.It has a great variety of restaurants with a cozier, intimate feel. Check out the fun vibes at Palanqui, have a raw food experience at Embolic, or a traditional tapas and paella experience at Ses Paelles de Cadaqués. For a cheap, tasty option, pick up the focaccia sandwich at Embolic (under 5 euros). Take it down to the waterfront to enjoy while watching the Cadaqués lights reflect on the rippling Mediterranean.

Whatever you do, make sure you skip dessert and head to Joia. You might think I'm prone to exaggeration, but really — prepare to have your mind blown by the ice cream they serve here. They create all natural ice creams with the most insane flavor combinations. My favorite (yes, I had multiple) was the rosemary, olive oil and pine nut. If Cadaqués had a taste – this would be it. I could not recommend this flavor more, especially during the magic of a night in this cozy town. Other flavors include black sesame and blue poppy, raz-el-hanout and toasted almonds, fig and orange flower, goat cheese and cherry, lychee and rose, saffron and cardamom..   the list goes on. They also have all the classics and semi classics (looking at you, salted caramel) and a great selection of sorbets.

Day Two

Some Dali Magic

For day two, head down to Port Lligat. This is the town where Dali made his only permanent home. Make sure to take the tour of his house. It is truly incredible – not in an overly ostentatious way, but acting as a humble history of his development as an artist.

Through touring his home, you gain a wonderful appreciation for the paranoiac brain that brought such life to the world and magic to this small fishing village. Make sure you walk all the way to the back of the garden. There they have a small shed where they screen the documentary “The Secret Life of Port Lligat”.  It includes whimsical footage of the history of Dali’s home and his influence on the area. I left there with a much stronger appreciation of the peninsula, content to fuel my imagination and a window into the magic that permeates the area. The ticket price is 14€-18€ (8€-11€ with a student id) depending on if it is high or low season. Make sure to buy it ahead of time, we went and bought it on the spot but we were very lucky and got the last 3 tickets for the entire day.

Sea Time

After you visit Dali and Gala’s home, spend the rest of the day enjoying the sea in your favorite way. Port Lligat has a place where you can rent kayaks and paddle boards. You can also hop on a boat and go scuba dive. Alternatively, walk back over to Cadaqués and chill on the beach, book and beers in tow. Keep in mind that the beaches in Cadaqués are rocky. It might not be the most comfortable place to take that glorious after lunch beach nap.

If you do end up going to the beaches, the ones right in town might be pretty full. Walk towards the south through a small neighborhood. The coves on the other side will have some more space.

You might be left wanting more, but Cadaqués is definitely doable as a weekend trip from Barcelona. The town is not very big. You will see all of it and Port Lligat in your two days there. All in all, I don’t think I spent more than 120€ for the weekend. This is including the splurge at the Cap de Creus restaurant, all transport, food, accommodation and recreational activities. I would say this is a must do for your first year living in Barcelona. I am still feeling the Dali magic one week later.