Located by a peaceful cove in Port Lligat, a tiny fishing settlement a 20-minute walk from Cadaqués, the Casa Museu Dalí was the residence and sanctuary of Salvador Dalí. This splendid whitewashed structure is a mishmash of cottages and sunny terraces, linked together by narrow labyrinthine corridors and containing an assortment of offbeat furnishings. Access is by semi-guided tour only. It's essential to book ahead, by phone or via the website.
Dalí lived in this magnificent seaside complex with his wife Gala from 1930 to 1982. The cottage was originally a mere fisherman’s hut, but it was steadily altered and enlarged by its owners. Every corner reveals a new and wondrous folly or objet d'art : a taxidermied polar bear with jewellery to rival Mr T's, stuffed swans (something of an obsession for the artist) perched on bookshelves, and the womb-like Oval Room . The artist's workshop and the boudoir-like resting room for models are especially interesting. Meanwhile Dalí's bedroom still has a suspended mirror, positioned to ensure he was the first person to see the glint of sunrise each morning. If the Teatre-Museu Dalí in Figueres is the mask that the showman presented to the world, then this is an intimate glimpse of Dalí's actual face.
It's open longer hours in the high season.
