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National Geographic

Take this Salvador Dalí-inspired road trip through Spain

Barcelona was home to world-renowned surrealist artists such as Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, as well as architect Antoni Gaudí—whose artistry as a Catalan modernist is present in the city's landmarks such as Casa Batlló and La Sagrada Familia, scheduled to be structurally completed in 2026 after 144 years of construction. Salvador Dalí was also another iconic name in the surrealism movement. His friend circle ranged from David Bowie and John Lennon to Walt Disney and Sigmund Freud. He spent most of his time outside of Barcelona, specifically in his hometown of Figueres and at his coastal home in Cadaqués, a two-hour drive from Barcelona. 'He really saw himself as being ultra-local,' says Dr. Elliott King, a Professor of Art History at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. 'That's why when you're studying him, you have to go to those places that he talked about to realize that those rocks in his paintings are those rocks right there [in real places travelers can visit]. The ants are right there. Even some of the figures in his paintings were people he knew in Cadaqués.' Some Americans can easily travel to the Dalí Museum, which houses the largest collection of Dalí's work in the world, in St. Petersburg, Fla. However, a trip to Spain is necessary to understand the artist. Art lovers should hit the road and leave Barcelona to visit the famed artist's curated, unorthodox museums in the Costa Brava region of Catalonia. Three towns make up what is known as the Dalí Triangle and are home to three must-see museums: the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the Gala Dalí Castle Museum in Púbol, and the Salvador Dalí House Museum in Port Lligat, also known as Portlligat. (Related: Fishing for red prawns off the coast of the Costa Brava.) Gala Dalí Castle and Museum, Púbol, Spain Salvador Dalí gifted this medieval castle in Púbol to his wife Gala, but the artist needed permission from his wife to visit. Today, Gala's former residence is now a museum dedicated to Dalí. Photograph by robertharding, Alamy Stock Photo In 1969, Salvador Dalí originally gifted this castle in Púbol to his wife Gala before it became the Gala Dalí Castle and Museum. A village of only 130 residents, Púbol was Gala Dalí's home, approximately an hour and a half car ride from Barcelona. While living here, she insisted on her autonomy, and even her famous husband had to receive written permission to visit. A box of invitations is on display at the museum. While a noted businesswoman, promoter, and muse who directed many aspects of her husband's career, Gala is often treated as a bit of a cipher, largely because even though she was often on display, she protected her privacy. So, visitors to this castle and museum get a more intimate view of her life, not often disclosed or revealed publicly. Melissa Locker, a Portland, Ore.-based author and self-described 'art nerd' from a family of art historians, has visited the Dalí Triangle multiple times with friends and family. Her return trips were largely inspired by the sense of intimacy the museums inspire. 'I think the Castle is the most surprising [of the three museums], because it highlighted how very modern Dalí and Gala were in their relationship,' she notes. 'My understanding is that he basically gave her the castle so she could host her lovers in style and privacy, and he could only come visit her when she sent him a written invitation. Very modern relationship, or as my grandmother would say, 'how very European.' (Related: The essential guide to visiting Spain.) This is the courtyard at the Gala Dalí Castle in Púbol, Spain. Photograph by Mark Green, Alamy Stock Photo A photo shows Salvador and Gala Dalí's bedroom at the Salvador Dalí House Museum in Port Lligat, Spain. Photograph by Tim Wright, Alamy Stock Photo The castle showcases how much Gala shared a love of aesthetics like her husband. Visitors will see unique pieces, such as a chess board where the pieces have been replaced with long, silver fingers, and a blue fabric-draped throne room fit for a queen (a reference to her status as Dalí's muse), complete with a fresco of her as a goddess. There's also a glass table with a vase of flowers that provides a view of a wooden horse statue on the floor below. The tranquility of the lush, backyard garden is punctuated with additional surrealist elements, including a clutch of busts featuring the head of Richard Wagner, a spindly elephant sculpture, and the Cadillac that Dalí drove to illegally transport his wife's body back to Púbol, honoring her wish to be buried at her castle. Alongside the surrealist embellishments, the museum also offers a sense of voyeurism, as daily life is on full display, particularly in the checkerboard kitchen, where several bottles of alcohol and an open silverware drawer add to the feeling that Gala simply stepped out. Her wardrobe is often displayed during special exhibitions, something that fascinated Dr. Elliot King when he visited. 'They've been putting on a number of shows on which they cycle through the seasons, because Gala had an affinity for Chanel dresses and fashion,' he says. 'That's really interesting … getting a sense of the corporeality of the people. When you see their clothing, they're not these abstract figures you just read about, they were people.' (Related: This Spanish dining tradition is one of its best-kept secrets.) Salvador Dalí House Museum, Port Lligat, Cadaqués A two-headed sculpture, the statues of Castor and Pollux, sit on top of the Salvador Dali House Museum in Port Lligat. Photograph by Juan Carlos Munoz, Alamy Stock Photo The Salvador Dalí House Museum is full of the artist's eclectic artwork. Photograph by Eric Martin, Figarophoto/Redux If the Gala Dalí Castle & Museum in Púbol is a glimpse at how Dalí and Gala's untraditional relationship functioned, the Salvador Dalí House Museum shows how well they worked while together. Located in the seaside village of Port Lligat and adjacent to Dali's childhood home, the couple's sprawling 500-square-meter (5,382-square-foot) villa started as a single fisherman's cottage with one room before they bought neighboring cottages and combined them. Today, the labyrinthine complex, full of twisting passageways and uneven floors, features rooms packed with the ephemera from the couple's day-to-day work and personal lives. 'The house and castle feel private, particularly the house,' says Locker. 'It felt like where Dali could be himself and less of an on-display, always-on personality. I enjoyed that, because his private life is less well-known than his public art, but art lovers may enjoy the other museums more.' The house served as Dalí's primary social and working hub until 1982. While filled with color and joy, the disheveled state of their personal effects also tells a sadder story—Dalí reportedly left in a rush after Gala's death, moving into Púbol castle, abandoning half-finished pieces in his grief. (Related: 7 of the best new museums to visit this year.) Like Gala's castle, the Salvador Dalí House Museum is embellished with many surrealist touches, such as a large egg balanced on the outer wall—a Roman-inspired visual reference to his relationship with Gala, given they were so alike, he felt like they were born out of the same egg. There is also a notably phallic-shaped pool, adorned with a couch in the shape of a pair of hot pink lips and four, tire-shaped ads for Italian carmaker, Tirelli. However, Dr. Elliot King warns against dissecting the details too intently. While Dalí is known for his layers of symbolism, there's a chance his home is just a collection of things he likes. 'I think it could be that he was just drawn to kitschy things,' he says. 'He liked that really bold Spanish Baroque style. He liked the ornamentation. At that time in the 1970s, he was wearing white smocks with silver sequins on them, velvet jackets, and giraffe print jackets. He had a look, and it wasn't subtle and understated.' Dalí Theatre-Museum, Figueres At the Salvador Dalí Museum in Figueres, this art installation is based on Dalí's painting, 'Mae West's Face May be Used as a Surrealist Apartment,' where Mae West's lips are reimagined as a sofa. Photograph by Alexander Cimbal, Alamy Stock Photo After visiting the Salvador Dalí House Museum, road trippers can continue their immersive Salvador Dalí road trip to the Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueres—a 50-minute drive west from Portlligat. This museum is one of the world's largest pieces of surrealist art. When the mayor asked Dalí to donate a piece of art to the city, Dalí, an overachiever, transformed a former theater into a museum that opened in September 1974. The rooftop—a clutch of eggs and Oscar-like figurines—represents rebirth, life, and creativity. 'The museum itself is unlike any other project ever conceived by an artist, as Dalí envisioned it as a work of art in its own right—a vast installation, the largest surrealist object in the world,' says Jordi Artigas, director of Public Programs at the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation. 'At the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, we receive all kinds of fascinating comments, as our visitors come from many different backgrounds and walks of life. One particularly memorable remark came from a grandfather who told us he loved the museum because it was just as interesting for him at 75 as it was for his 8-year-old grandson.' (Related: 10 ways to see a different side of Spain.) The Dalí Theatre-Museum is dedicated to the Figueres-born artist Salvador Dalí. Photograph by Hemis, Alamy Stock Photo Dalí curated and hung more than 1,500 works of art in the museum, which gives visitors insight into the artist's inscrutable logic. A backdrop he painted in 1941 for New York Ballet's production of Labyrinth hangs across from a room that has a ceiling fresco featuring him and Gala as dirty-feet gods descending to earth. Museum visitors can also see a room-sized installation of huge red lips, called 'Mae West Which Can Be Used as an Apartment.' His artistry in jewelry is also on display. Don't leave this museum without visiting the surprisingly understated basement crypt that doubles as Dalí's final resting place. After visiting the Dalí Theatre-Museum, art lovers will realize that Dalí's eccentric realm is best experienced in person. 'The amount of work that Dalí put out during his lifetime is not just the paintings. It's the letters, there's the text, there's holograms,' says King. 'He wrote an opera. He did so many things, and a lot of it won't travel, and so the only way you're going to see it is if you go.' (Related: The inconvenient spectacle of Frida Kahlo.) Most major rental car companies, including Hertz, Sixt, Avis, Europcar, Enterprise, and Budget have offices in Barcelona. Minimum age for car rental is 21, however, drivers under 25 will often be asked to pay a supplementary 'young driver surcharge'—usually about €20 (U.S. $ 22.33) per day. While any rental companies will not ask for an International Drivers Permit (IDP), police will often ask for a drivers' IDP at traffic stops. These translated versions of your license can be obtained before your trip at the DMV or AAA for $20. A road trip can be accomplished by breaking the legs up into three separate days or staying in Figueres and embarking on a series of day trips. Laura Studarus is a Los Angeles-based writer who covers travel and culture. Follow her on Instagram.