EMPORDA and surroundings



AUTÈNTIC EMPORDÀ GUIDED TOURS

Albons Bellcaire d’Empordà Foixà Fontclara La Bisbal d’Empordà
Canapost Casavells Corçà Clots de Sant Julià Canet Cruïlles Marenyà Matajudaïca Monells Palau-Sator Parlavà Pals Peratallada La Pera Púbol Rupià Sant Iscle d’Empordà Sant Julià de Boada Sant Sadurní de l’Heura La Tallada d’Empordà Tor Ullastret Ultramort Verges Vulpellac

Agullana Castell Sant Ferran fortress Dali's Museum Figueres Maçanet de Cabrenys Lladó Llers L'Escala Les Escaules Peralada Pont de Molins Riumors Sant Miquel de Fluvià Sant Tomàs de Fluvià La Vajol Vilabertran Viladamat Vilanova de la Muga Ventalló

Besalú Porqueres Banyoles Cervià de Ter Le Boulou Maureilles Céret Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines

1/18/2010

Trying Dali’s triangle in one day


What is the so-called Dali’s Triangle?

When Dalí died in 1989 he made the Spanish State as the only heir of all his properties, that includes his house in Port-Lligat (Cadaqués), the castle he bought for his wife Gala in Púbol and of course the museum in Figueres. The castle and the house were later on opened to the public and became part of the so called Dali’s Triangle including the museum.

The question is, is it possible to visit the three sites in just one day?
Yes, it is possible, but with several conditions, depending on the season and how much stress you can deal with.

1. Check opening timings and availability.
For example Púbol’s castle and the house in Port-Lligat are normally closed to the public in January, February and part of March. Sometimes Púbol is closed on Mondays.
The opening timing is shorter in winter than summer for all of them.

2. Book when necessary
To get into Port-LLigat house, book in advance have to be made, and you have to be there 30 minutes before the entrance time to collect your tickets.

3. Avoid crowds.
In summer you can be waiting for more than half an hour to get into the museum in Figueres.
It is not the case in Púbol (better check anyway) neither Port-Lligat, because the booking allows you to get in on time.

4. Lunch
Think about the idea of bringing some lunch with you, you may have not much time to sit in a restaurant and wait for the waiter to bring you the coffee. A quick sandwich or some tapas in a small restaurant is also an option.

5. Transport
Forget about buses or trains, there is no way you will finish the tour using public transport.
Renting a car is the only option or taking a taxi, what will cost you an extra (check distances below).

Distances
Púbol to Port-Lligat 62 kms approx 1 hour 20 minutes
Púbol to Figueres 40 kms approx. 50 minutes
Port-Lligat to Figueres 40 kms approx 50 minutes

Time needed for the visits
Dalí’s museum in Figueres 90 minutes
Púbol’s castle 60 minutes
Port-Lligat 60 minutes (+ 30 minutes in advance to collect tickets)

Total time driving 3 hours
Total time visiting 4 hours
Total time 7 hours


If first museum opens at 9-10am and last closes at 5-8pm, there are between 7 and 9 hours depending on the season you are visiting. So you would think it is possible because there is plenty of time. Now is when we go back to the beginning, how much stress you can cope?

Problems you can find on your attempt; traffic jam in summer (and the possibility that before entering the road from Roses to Cadaqués you have someone driving really slow in front of you) and a long queue of people waiting outside the museum in Figueres, plus the fact that you need a place where to park the car. All these keep adding time to your initial 7 hours.
So try to avoid summer, when possible, and get some maps to be sure where you are and where you can park. In the map you will find out why having someone driving really slow in front of you in the road from Roses to Cadaqués can finally get on your nerves. This road is a winding narrow one that goes up the mountain and then, obviously, down. So is pretty difficult to overtake other cars, lorries or buses without feeling you are in danger, and knowing that there is a check timing in Port-Lligat, what means if you are not on time you are going to lose your tickets, makes the road looking even more dangerous. So please, visit first the house in Port-Lligat or either put some extra time in what you suppose it will take you to arrive there. At the worst, you will have some time to stay in Cadaqués and maybe have a quick snack there. Do not forget that the house of Dalí is not in Cadaqués, but in the nearby (1 kilometre north) Port-Lligat, so don’t even think about spending too much time in Cadaqués if you want to keep going.

After all this you may freak out and decided not to do all three at once, but I can assure you this is possible. I have never tried in summer, so I still have my doubts, but we did with some visitors last December, starting in Púbol at 10:11am. After one hour visiting the castle, we headed to Port-Lligat, where we arrived at 12:20pm. Our booking time was at 12:30pm to collect the tickets, fortunately there was no one there waiting so we were able to get in earlier and at 1:30pm we were already on the road direction to Figueres. We had half an hour extra from Port-Lligat so we took a snack in Figueres when we arrived, and there we were, 14:27pm right at the entrance of the museum in Figueres. The museum did not close until 17:45 so we had plenty of time for it. It helps that there was no much traffic on the roads and that there was no one queuing in any of the three museums.

In the map you can see the shortest trip, although some may prefer to take the motorway from Púbol to Figueres (or the other way around) , this allows you to speed on the road. Don’t forget that in the motorway you have to pay at the exit, hoping that there will be no traffic jam at the toll what could happen again in summer and Easter.

Let me know if any of you have finished the triangle without dying on the attempt. Hope this is helpful for your next visit.

This post receives a great deal of traffic from search engines. I would greatly appreciate hearing feedback from you. Is the information in the post useful? A comment would be great, or you can email me at nik@nikduserm.com. Thanks!

If you are interested about a private guided tour of the museum you can also contact us and we will arrange your visit.
More information on the link below.



The 3 tickets of the day



7 comments:

Julian Hurt said...

Thanks for this great article, it is very helpful.
We are going to try to make it in one day and we will get in touch for a tour in the Dali's museum on the same day.
Any other places recommended for next days since we are planning to stay in the area for at least 6 days.

nik said...

Dear Julian I am glad to see that this article is helpful.
There are plenty of things to see on the area, it depends on your interests and what kind of transport you are going to have while you are here. Look around the blog site for more information and let me know your preferences. You can contact directly through nik@nikduserm.com
Thanks a lot for your interest.

Pocono said...

Thank you for posting the information. People like you are really helping travellers.

We already took a trip to the museum and had a wonderful time. We were very glad to have reserved the tickets. There were no way to get in the museum without the tickets.

nik said...

Glad to hear this has been helpful and that you had the chance to get in with no inconveniences.
Any other tips you may need don't hesitate to ask.

nik said...

TESTIMONIALS

Hedva said...
Dear Nik,

Thank you so much for thinking of us and passing on the information. It is very interesting.

Our trip to Catalunia was fantastic, and the 2 days spent with you were a major reason. You made history come alive - from the Middle Ages to more recent times - your depth of knowledge amazed us. We have learned so much and had fun doing it.
Keith says that he has a whole new perspective on Dali (so do I), that would not have happened without you.

Hope you are enjoying the rest of your summer. Thanks again.

Best Regards,

Hedva

27/7/09 6:27 PM

Betty-Anne said...
So great to hear from you Nik and thanks for enlightening me about Dali's art. I could tell from spending time with you that you love your work and really are operating from your "Effortless Energy". BA
23/8/10 6:10 PM
David said...
Hi Nik,

Thank you so much for today, as you know everybody really appreciated your tour of the Dali museum.

Regards,

David
23/2/12 5:12 PM

Sally said...
Hola!

Thank you for such an interesting visit to the Dali museum yesterday. I really learnt so much from you, as always.

Please keep in touch, I welcome all your comments.

best regards,
Sally
23/2/12 5:14 PM

nik said...
"So, 40 of us made our way to the town of Figueres to once again enter the Dali shrine, but this time we had our excellent guide, Nik Duserm, who has in the past treated us to wonderfully personal guided tours in our beautiful and fascinating region of Catalonia.
Surrealist art has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. On this occasion, thanks to Nik, my eyes were opened to a small part of Dali’s work, pictures inside pictures, the meaning of recurring images such as the fly and the amazing “sculpture” at the entrance of the Theatre,...."

From Sally's article "Discovering Salvador Dalí"
10/3/12 12:38 PM

Dominique said...
Hola Nik

acaba de irse mi amiga Marta, y quiero agradecerte el habernos recibido en Figueras. Ella quedó fascinada con la ciudad.
Muy interesantes las explicaciones sobre la obra de este excéntrico artista, que dará que hablar por muchos años!
Y muy grata tu compañía, como siempre.

Un fuerte abrazo

Dominique
13/1/13 3:48 PM

Dominique said...
Hola Nik

los Tenenzapf me han escrito esto:

Elana and I enjoyed both of our tours
Nik did an excellent job
In retrospect, we would have preferred to spend even more time at the Dali Museum!!
21/7/13 5:52 PM

Dominique said...
Hi Dominique,
Gavin and I want to thank you for arranging an amazing day. Nik was fantastic and his knowledge was great and broad and we had a terrific day with him
Take care,
Margot
21/7/13 5:53 PM

Gail Ford (Australia) said...
Forgot to mention in my earlier Email that I met a friend the other day who had done the Spanish trip who happened to say that since doing the tour of the Dali Museum with you she has changed her attitude completely about his work - and seeks it out. Of all the galleries etc. we went to, she said that was the excursion, and you were the guide which she remembered most, especially your explanations. Thought I’d pass that on.

Gail
3/11/13 3:51 PM

Anonymous said...

“Unique Experience”

My husband and I first met Nik in 2012 in the tourist centre in Peratallada. He was so friendly and helpful that we started looking for him daily to ask him questions about the town and the region. His knowledge about everything was vast and he made it so interesting. Whether we asked about history or art or culture, he always had the information and the answers and explanations - he was amazing, as well as being very good company which is why, when we returned to the Costa Brava with our two sons this year, we looked him up again. Nik took us on the most wonderful tour of Figueres, which included the Dali Museum. It made such a difference, having Nik there - we learned so much about everything we saw and also understood and appreciated things that we would not have understood at all if we had gone without him. On both our visits to Catalonia, Nik has contributed something which has enriched and enhanced our time there. If ( when) we return, we would certainly do another tour ( or more) with Nik and we recommend him enthusiastically to anyone who wants to know more about the region.

Visited July 2014
Maria Legg - Melbourne
From Tripadvisor review

Jason said...

"Excellent Tour of Dali Theatre Museum”

My wife and I recently took the Dali Theatre Museum tour with Nik. We aren't art experts, so we knew we would need a guide to help us explain the paintings. We were very impressed with Nik's tour and highly recommend anyone interested in a private tour to go with him. Here are the main reasons I'm giving Nik 5 stars:

1. Nik was highly knowledgeable about Dali and his artwork, including have read several of his books to gain a better insight to help give this tour.

2. Nik was very pleasant, easy to ask questions to and kept a good pace (asked if it was too fast/slow). The two hours flew by fast.

3. Very affordable for a private tour.

4. In my email correspondence prior to the tour, Nik provided many maps and clear instructions on how to get to the museum and where to get free parking.

5. Nik was flexible with his schedule and able to accommodate to mine.

I can only imagine what my experience would have been if I were either by myself or in a big tour group. By having a tour guide truly guide my wife and me through this museum made the experience very special.

Visited June 2015