Barcelona Figueras (Figueres)

Sprawling Figueras (pop. 42,000) is functional, not beautiful. Other than the major sights, much of the city has fallen into disrepair. Nevertheless, it is the capital of Alt Empordà county and a major gateway city to France and the rest of Europe. In 1974, the mayor of Figueras asked native Salvador Dalí to donate a painting to an art museum the town was planning. Dalí saw his chance and ran with it, donating an entire museum. The construction of the Teatre-Museu Dalí catapulted the artist to even greater international renown. To this day, Dalí’s mind-bending, erotic works lure and entrance a multilingual parade of Surrealism’s devotees.

Orientation And Practical Information

From the tip of Plaça de l’Estació with your back to the train station, bear left on C. Sant Llàtzer, walk six blocks to C. Nou (the 3rd main road), and take a right to get to Figueras’s tree-lined Rambla. To reach the tourist office, walk all the way up La Rambla and continue on C. Lasauca straight out from the left corner. The blue, all-knowing “i” beckons across the rather treacherous intersection with Avinguda Salvador Dalí.

Accommodations

Many visitors to Figueras make the journey a daytrip from Barcelona; in spite of this (or perhaps because of it), quality, affordable accommodations are easy to find. Many hostels are on upper floors above bars or restaurants. Others are closer to La Rambla and Carrer Pep Ventura. Inquire at the tourist office about hostels and pensions.

Food

The restaurants surrounding La Rambla on the small side streets tend to be of higher quality than those near the Teatre-Museu Dalí that serve paella to the masses. The extensive outdoor market at Pl. del Gra has an amazing fruit and vegetable selection. (Open Tu, Th, Sa 5am-2pm.) At the same square is the supermarket Caprabo , Pl. del Gra, s/n, in case you miss the outdoor market. (☎972 50 98 66. Open M-Sa 9am-9pm.)

Sights

Teatre-Museu Dalí. Welcome to the world of the Surrealist master. This site, the self-proclaimed “largest surrealistic object in the world,” held the Figueras’s municipal theater before it was destroyed at the end of the Spanish Civil War. Dalí’s personal mausoleum/museum/monument is ego worship at its finest. Naughty cartoons, trippy sculptures, a dramatic, traditional tomb, and a pantheon of paintings of Gala, his wife and muse, immerse the audience in his world. Stay alert to the many optical illusions and tricks that pervade the museum, including stereoscopic paintings, holograms, and the portrait of Gala naked at a window which doubles as a depiction of Abraham Lincoln. The collection includes Soft Self-Portrait with a Slice of Bacon, Poetry of America, Galarina, and Galatea of the Spheres. A small number of hand-selected works by other artists, including El Greco, Marcel Duchamp, and Modest Urgell, round out the collection. Don’t miss the Mae West Room, furnished to create a giant, eerie representation of Dalí’s “Photograph of Mae West-cum-Apartment.” The museum is large and takes at least an hour to see, regardless of your chosen route. (Pl. Gala i Salvador Dalí, 5. From La Rambla, take C. Sant Pere 3 blocks up, or just follow the crowds and signs at every street corner. ☎972 67 75 00; www.salvador-dali.org. Open July-Sept. daily 9am-7:45pm; Oct. and Mar.-May Tu-Su 9:30am-5:45pm; Nov.-Feb. 10:30am-7:45pm; June daily 9:30am-5:45pm. Last entry 45min. before close. €11, students and seniors €8, groups over 25 €7 per person, under 8 free.)

Museu Empordà. This collection traces art from the town and region, from Romantic landscapes to works of Noucentisme from the turn of the century to contemporary Catalan art. Look for canvases by Modest Cuixart and Ramon Pujol Boira, as well as a few by Tapiés and Dalí. Temporary exhibitions vary widely. “Un Art que Perviu” (2008) showcased sculptures of the female body by Catalan artists, while the 2007 exhibit “Recto-Verso” displayed the backs of famous canvases. (La Rambla, 2. ☎972 50 23 05; www.museuemporda.org. Open Tu-Sa 11am-7pm, Su and holidays 11am-2pm. €2, students €1. Free with entrance to Dalí Museum, temporary exhibitions always free.)

Castell De Sant Ferran. A 10-minute walk from the Museu Dalí, this massive 18th-century castle-fortress, built to defend against the French during border disputes, commands a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside and at 320,000 sq. m, it is the largest fortress of its kind in Europe. A tour of the underground passages, tunnels, and waterways is offered by reservation only. (Av. Castell de Sant Ferran. Follow Pujeda del Castell from Museu Dalí. ☎972 50 60 94; www.lesfortalesescatalanes.info. Open daily from July to mid-Sept. 10am-8pm, from mid-Sept. to June 10:30am-3pm. Free. Guided tours of the central fortress, €3, student, €2. Tour of underground passages €15.)

Museu Del Joguet De Catalunya. Winner of Spain’s 1999 National Prize of Popular Culture, this museum showcases over 5000 antique toys. Skates, board games, dominoes, dolls, rocking horses, playing cards, and countless other sources of pre-television childhood amusement litter the display cases, including the toys of famous Catalans like Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí, which they donated themselves. Don’t miss the impressive selection of Christmas-time caganers (“shitters”..really), a Catalan favorite. (Sant Pere, 1, off La Rambla. ☎972 50 45 85; www.mjc.cat. Open June-Sept. M-Sa 10am-7pm, Su 11am-6pm; Oct.-May Tu-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 11am-2pm. €5, students, seniors, and under 12 €4. Audioguide €3.)

Nightlife

A bit removed from touristy Rambla, Plaça del Sol, behind the tourist office, contains nearly all of the town’s nightlife. Cafè de Nit, Pl. del Sol, s/n, offers pool in the back (€2 per game) and mixed drinks for €5-7. Crowd onto the terrace out front or enjoy your caipirinha under the artistic lights inside. (☎972 50 12 25. Free Wi-Fi. Beer €2.30, before 9pm €1.50. Open daily 5pm-2:30am. Cash only.) Before you go out for a late night of drinks and dancing in Pl. del Sol, however, you may want to stop by Lizard Café, C. San Domènec, 7, where you can chill out in the book-lined lounge in back, play cards, or checkmate a hottie while nodding along to psychedelic rock. (☎666 13 07 81. Beer €1.30. Open M-Sa 6pm-2:30am. Cash only.)