Guided tour to the Castle of Púbol

Imágenes de la Visita guiada al Castillo de Púbol

casa museo dali pubol

museo gala dali pubol

pubol dali

castell de pubol

pubol

Púbol: how to get there

There are different ways to get to Púbol, depending on where you leave from:

• If you come from Barcelona: you have to drive through the AP7 motorway (Barcelona-la Jonquera ) and take exit 6 Girona North towards Palamós/C – 66.

After the town of Bordils and the intersection towards Flaçà, take the GIV- 6426 road towards the municipality of La Pera and then keep on going toward Púbol, Girona.

• If you leave from Figueres: you have to take the Nacional II (Barcelona-Francia, towards Palamós) following the road to La Bisbal d’ Empordà until the crossing at Parlavà.

Then, turn right onto the C-66 towards Girona and after 2 km turn left to take the GIV- 6426 road towards La Pera and Púbol, Girona.If you come from Perpignan: you will have to take the A9 motorway (Perpignan-La Jonquera ), and the National II to Figueres or the AP7 motorway (La Jonquera-Figueres) IV-6234, GI-633 and C-66 towards GIV-6426 in Púbol, Girona.

History of Púbol Castle (also known as the Gala Dalí House-Museum in Púbol)

If you know a bit about the history of Salvador Dalí, you will know that he was deeply in love with Gala, his wife. In fact, he saw her as his muse. His passion for her to the extent of dedicating this castle solemnly to her.

It was in 1969 when Salvador Dalí decided to purchase the castle, which was built in the eleventh century and was in an appalling condition.

So, how did this ramshackle caste catch the attention of the genius?

It was those same ruins that gave the Castle of Púbol an air of mystery that captivated him.

Therefore, he quickly got down to work, and he was in charge of reforming it and decorating it with his own paintings.

Although he rebuilt it, he tried to maintain its true essence, without withdrawing the styles of different eras, to maintain that romantic and enigmatic essence. The result was a castle halfway between romanticism and baroque style, characterised by too many ornaments.

The main goal for the construction of the Gala Dalí Museum was, according to Dalí’s own words, for it to be a refuge for his wife Gala. In fact, he stated that he would not visit her there if there was not a written invitation from her. 

However, he decorated the ceilings with the intention that whenever she looked up she would think about him. These were the exact words of Dalí: «I limited myself to the pleasure of decorating her ceilings so that when she raised her eyes, she would always find me in her sky».

This couple was certainly very peculiar.

But, what can you find in the Castle of Púbol?

On the one hand, works by Dalí that he gave to his beloved Gala: paintings, drawings, even a collection of high couture dresses.

However, not only will it come as a surprise what we find inside, but also what there is outside since it has a garden that is worth seeing, decorated with large elephant sculptures.

In addition, Gala’s tomb is located here. In fact, Salvador Dalí was supposed to be buried there, next to Gala’s grave. But when he passed away, it was decided that the painter was to be buried in the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres.

Access conditions

So you have peace of mind and for it to be all clear before your visit, we state the most relevant terms and conditions of the Gala Dalí Museum:

• It is not allowed to take photographs with flash or use other photographic equipment: meaning you can take photos with the mobile phone, as long as you do not use flash.
• There is no left-luggage service at this moment. It is prohibited the entry of any object larger than 35 x 35 x 25 cm, umbrellas, luggage, backpacks or other bags, pushchairs or any other item that authorised personnel consider a risk for the Gala Dalí Museum.

Ultimately try bringing as little “baggage” as possible.

• Because of Covid the capacity of all rooms has been reduced: therefore,  do not worry about it being crowded as The Gala Dalí Museum’s own staff is in control of the number of people who enter so that it does not exceed the limits.
• Smoking, eating and drinking are not allowed inside the museum facilities.

• It is forbidden to touch any of the works or installations exhibited.
• Animals are not allowed, except for guide dogs.

There is more information about the access conditions of the Gala Dalí Museum on this website.

How to make the most out of your visit to Púbol Castle 

If you have come this far, it is almost certain that you do not lack the desire to visit this very special castle.

But, how to maximise your visit so that you can learn more and enjoy it at the same time?

Well, there is only one way: booking a guided tour. The reasons why we recommend doing so are the following:

1. You learn more: at Girona Tour, we have guides with solid training and experience who will entertainingly explain to you the history, mysteries and secrets that this Castle of Púbol keeps (things that you will miss if you decide to visit it on your own).
2. You just have to focus on enjoying yourself: you do not need to carry a map that is usually offered at the entrance, since the guides know the Gala Dalí Museum perfectly. In addition, you will save time in case you get lost.
3. You can meet new people: if you visit with people other than your fellow companions.

On this tour, we will take a complete trajectory of the Gala Dalí Museum, where we will contemplate original furniture, curious details such as Gala’s bronze throne or the mythical blue Cadillac that the couple used for their trips.

We will also see the carriage with which Gala travelled through fields and the collection of suits signed by great couturiers such as Coco Chanel and Christian Dior.

We will end the visit in the beautiful garden where the famous sculptures of the elephants are located, seeing Gala’s tomb.