Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Montserrat
d
Pl Gala-Salvador Dalí,
Figueres
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972 67 75 00
•
Open Mar-Jun, Oct:
9:30am-6pm Tue-Sun
(daily in Jun); Jul-Sep:
9am-8pm daily; Nov-Feb:
10:30am-6pm Tue-Sun
•
Adm
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Casa-Museu
Salvador Dalí, Port Lligat
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972 25 10 15
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Closed
early Jan to mid-Mar
•
Guided visits only, Tue-
Sun (15 Jun-15 Sep daily)
by reservation
•
Adm
£
Vall de Núria
The dramatic
mount of Montser-
rat, with its remote
Benedictine monas-
tery (dating from
1025), is a religious
symbol and a place
of pilgrimage for the
Catalan people. The
Basilica houses a
statue of Catalonia's
patron virgin, La
Moreneta, also
know as the “Black
Virgin . Some legends
date the statue to
AD 50, but research
suggests it was carved in the
12th century. The monastery itself
was largely destroyed in 1811
during the War of Independence,
and rebuilt some 30 years later.
Montserrat forms part of a ridge
of mountains that rise suddenly
from the plains. Take the funicular
to the mountain's unspoilt peaks,
where paths run alongside spec-
tacular gorges to numerous
hermitages.
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Tourist Info: Pl de la
Creu
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93 877 77 77
@
Teatre-Museu Dalí,
This enchanting
Pyrenean hideaway,
surrounded by crests reaching as
high as 3,000-m (9,840-ft), is a
ski resort in winter and a green,
peaceful oasis attracting hikers
and nature-lovers in summer. The
mountain resort centres on a
religious sanctuary and has a
youth hostel and apartments for
rent. The valley is only accessible
via a silent cog railway, which
trundles above the clouds through
breathtaking mountain scenery.
d
Tourist Info: Railway Station, Vall de
Núria
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97 273 20 20
•
Rack railway train
from Ribes de Freser, 10 km N Ripoll
Basilica, Monestir de Montserrat
Figueres
Salvador Dalí was born in the
town of Figueres in 1904. Paying
tribute to the artist is the fantastic
Teatre-Museu Dalí, which is full of
his eccentric works. Housed in a
former theatre, the country's sec-
ond-most-visited museum (after
the Prado in Madrid) provides a
unique insight into the artist's ex-
traordinary creations, from
La Ces-
ta de Pan
(1926) to
El Torero Aluci-
nogeno
(1970). Thirty minutes'
drive away, near the beach town
of Cadaqués, the Dalí connection
continues. Here you can visit the
Casa-Museu Salvador Dalí, the
artist's summer house for nearly
60 years until his death in 1989.
Rainy Taxi, Teatre-Museu Dalí
119
Anywhere in Catalonia can be reached by car from Barcelona in
less than three hours.
