June 26, 2026 · 6 min read
Things to Do in Cadaqués
Cadaqués is a little apart from the rest of the Costa Brava, and that is exactly its charm. You reach it by a long, winding road over the mountains, and then the whitewashed village opens out on the bay, all blue shutters and the light that drew the painters here. I love it for the art, the wild headland and a few very particular things to eat.
The village and Dalí
Leave the car at the edge and walk. Cadaqués is made for it: narrow lanes of white houses climbing to the hilltop church, fishing boats pulled up on the shingle, and almost every corner framing the bay. Take your time over a coffee on the waterfront and watch the light shift on the water, because the light really is the point here. It is unusually clear and silvery, and it is no accident that artists settled in.
A short walk or drive around the bay brings you to Portlligat, where Salvador Dalí made his home. His house-museum, built up from a string of fishermen's cottages over many years, is the highlight of any visit, so book ahead because entry is timed. Standing in his studio, looking out at the same cove he painted again and again, you understand how deeply this corner of the coast shaped his world.
Cap de Creus
Beyond the village the land turns wild. Cap de Creus is a natural park at the easternmost point of mainland Spain, a place of bare rock twisted into strange shapes by the wind, scrub, hidden inlets and the deep blue sea on every side. Drive out to the lighthouse for the long view, or walk a stretch of the coast path and let the emptiness do its work. It is one of the most striking landscapes I know on this coast.
Go early or stay for sunset, when the rock glows warm and the crowds thin out. Bring water, good shoes and a hat, because there is little shade out there. This headland is also why the seafood tastes the way it does: cold, clean, wind-stirred water makes for fish and shellfish with real character, and that character ends up on the plate.
What to eat, and dinner with Lara
Cadaqués has its own short, precious list of things to eat. The anchovies are the first: cured and silvery, served simply on bread with a thread of olive oil, they are a world away from anything from a tin. Then the sea urchins, prickly and intimidating but full of a sweet, briny richness that tastes of this exact sea. And suquet de peix, the fisherman's stew of fish, potato and a little broth, the kind of unfussy dish I could eat forever.
If you are staying near Cadaqués, this is exactly the food I love to bring to your villa. I shop for the best anchovies and the day's catch, then cook and serve dinner on your terrace while you watch one of those famous sunsets fall over the bay. You choose nothing on the night and clean nothing afterwards: I arrive with everything, cook at your own pace and leave the kitchen as I found it, so the evening belongs entirely to you and your guests.