Cadaqués is a picturesque fishing port with a definite atmosphere of its own, distinct from other resorts on the coast. This is an up-market resort for arty adults rather than families. The busy local ‘Casino‘ just beside where the dry riverbed, or rambla, flows into the sea, is where locals and vacationers mix, with serious dominoes and card games serving as the ice-breaker There’s a lively café society at night with jazz bars, and some great if pricey restaurants.
In the 30s the superstars of the avant guard – Picasso, Buñuel, Lorca Man Ray, Eluard, Duchamp, Magritte, Breton, Albéniz – and their entourages came to visit Salvador Dalí’s eccentric house in nearby Portlligat. In the 50s and 60s the people who came were aristocrats and millionaires, and Cadaqués became a distinctly hip place, hosting an interesting floating community.