Experience the best of Figueres

Figueres is a market town in the Alt Empordà, in the north of Catalonia, a short way from the French border and the Costa Brava. Salvador Dalí was born here in 1904, and the Dalí Theatre-Museum, set in the shell of the old municipal theatre and crowned with giant eggs, is the artist's own creation. He is buried in a crypt beneath its glass dome. The town centre is built around the tree-lined Rambla, and a Toy Museum adds another stop.

The Castell de Sant Ferran, a huge star-shaped fortress of the eighteenth century, stands on a hill above the town. Dalí's house at Portlligat, near Cadaqués, lies about 30 kilometres east, and the castle at Púbol to the south, together with the Figueres museum, forms the Dalí Triangle. Greek and Roman ruins at Empúries, the beaches of Roses, the wild headland of Cap de Creus and the Aiguamolls wetlands, a haven for birds, lie close by.

Empordà cooking is built on the sea and the farmland: anchovies from L'Escala, suquet de peix, a fisherman's stew, rice dishes, cured sausages and the crema catalana custard. Wines from the Empordà vineyards are served at most tables. The tramuntana, a strong cold north wind, sweeps the plain in winter and clears the sky.