Cadaques, Spain (Photo: Thinkstock/iStockphoto)Where the Pyrenees mountains meet the Mediterranean sits a sleepy little port with a distinctly bohemian-chic beach vibe. To Salvador Dali fans, the rocky Costa Brava landscape will look vaguely familiar as the surrealist backdrop on many of the artist's canvases. Dali spent his childhood summers here and returned years later when he and his wife converted a fisherman's home into their own. Despite the notoriety, Cadaques still feels peaceful, with fishing boats on its beach, a hillside of all-white houses surrounding a 16th-century church, and laid-back jazz-bar haunts.
If You Go: Reserve tickets in advance to see Dali's quirky Portlligat Museum-House at the north edge of town. Cafes and restaurants line the Cadaques waterfront, and Hotel Playa Sol is on a charming stretch of beach.
Getting There: Cadaques is 106 miles north of Barcelona. Girona-Costa Brava is the closest airport (about 46 miles). Trains run regularly from Barcelona and Girona to Figueres. From Figueres you can take a bus to Cadaques.)
