Barcelona to Cadaqués: How to Get There in 2024
Wondering how to get from Barcelona to Cadaqués? This guide will cover all of the available options – and the pros and cons of each one.
After living in Barcelona for nearly two years, Cadaqués is by far my favourite place to visit for a weekend away.
With clear blue waters, cobblestone streets, and whitewashed buildings lining the shore, it’s arguably the most idyllic destination on the Costa Brava.
And luckily, it’s really easy to reach from Barcelona, with the option to hire a car, take an Uber, or jump on a bus or a train.
I’ll cover all of the available options in this article to help you decide which one’s best for you.
➡️ If you can, I’d really recommend hiring a car to travel from Barcelona to Cadaqués. It’s the quickest way to get there and it means you have flexibility to visit other towns in the Costa Brava during your trip.
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How far is Cadaqués from Barcelona?
Cadaqués is just over 100 miles away from Barcelona, and the journey takes around two hours by car (depending on traffic). You can also take a three hour direct bus to Cadaqués from Barcelona, or a train from Barcelona to Figueres, and then a local bus to Cadaqués.
Barcelona to Cadaqués day trip
With its close proximity to the city, Cadaqués makes the perfect day trip from Barcelona. I’d recommend booking a tour where everything’s organised for you to avoid any hassle.
With this tour, you’ll be picked up from your hotel or apartment in Barcelona city centre and driven to Cadaqués in an air-conditioned vehicle.
You’ll visit Salvador Dalí’s birthplace and museum, before spending the afternoon exploring beautiful Cadaqués.
This tour has 400+ five star reviews, as well as a Badge of Excellence, meaning that it’s highly rated by travellers, and meets Viator’s quality standards.
GETTING FROM BARCELONA TO CADAQUES
Driving
Total journey time: 2 hours
The quickest way to get from Barcelona to Cadaqués is to drive, with the journey taking about two hours depending on traffic.
Although you won’t need a car in Cadaqués itself, if you’re spending longer than a few days there, it gives you the flexibility to visit other towns on the Costa Brava (which I’d definitely recommend doing).
Public transport isn’t super reliable on the Costa Brava, especially to the smaller towns and coves, so hiring a car is your best option.
A couple of things to consider with the drive:
- Barcelona’s a big city, so if you’re not used to driving in busy places, I’d recommend taking public transport to the outskirts where you can pick up a hire car and avoid the city centre traffic
- The final part of the journey to Cadaqués winds through mountain roads, and although it’s not a difficult drive, if you have a fear of heights I’d suggest being the passenger so you don’t have to look (speaking from experience here)
➡️ I use Discover Car whenever I’m hiring a car abroad. They compare lots of different providers to find you the best price.
Plus, I’ve never had any bad experiences where they won’t give you your money back at the end like you sometimes hear about with dodgy car hire companies. The process is always really simple and stress-free.
Bus
Total journey time: 3 hours
There’s a direct bus from Barcelona Estació del Nord (the city’s main bus station) to Cadaqués town centre.
The journey takes around three hours depending on traffic, and is probably the easiest way to get from Barcelona to Cadaqués as it’s one straight journey, and someone else is doing the driving for you, so you can sit back and relax.
I’d recommend buying your bus tickets ahead of time, especially during the summer months when lots of people are travelling from Barcelona to Cadaqués.
Train
Total journey time: 2 hours
Since there’s no direct train from Barcelona to Cadaqués, I wouldn’t recommend this option for your trip, simply because the bus is easier. I know it takes longer, but I much prefer a direct journey.
But if you do want to travel by train, you’ll need to go from Barcelona to Figueres, and then take a local bus or taxi to Cadaqués.
barcelona to figueres
- Take the train from Barcelona Sants station, the main train station in Barcelona
- Buy tickets for the Renfe train, which takes about an hour to reach Figueres from Barcelona
Figueres to Cadaqués
- Once you reach Figueres, you’ll need to take a bus or taxi to Cadaqués
- The bus journey takes around 1 hour, depending on traffic conditions, and a taxi will take around 45 minutes
Uber
Total journey time: 2 hours
There is Uber in Barcelona, so if you prefer the comfort of being driven from Barcelona to Cadaqués, you can order a car on the app.
Giving the journey time though, you’ll pay a premium for this, with an Uber costing around £199.
Private transfer
Sometimes Uber can fluctuate in price or be unavailable when you go to order one, so if you prefer to have your journey arranged ahead of time, you can book a private transfer.
PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO CADAQUES
Flights | Find the cheapest flights to Spain with Skyscanner
Stay | Find the best places to stay in Cadaqués on Booking.com
Where to stay in Cadaqués
£ Hostal el Ranxo
££ Can Set | Can Jove | Arrels Hotel
£££ Casa Nereta
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR TRIP
travel insurance
Although Cadaqués is a very safe destination, you can never predict what might happen during your trip, so having travel insurance is essential.
I use SafetyWing for my travel insurance – they have an easy to use dashboard which keeps your documents in one place so they’re easy to find if you need them, you can add extras such as technology cover, children under 10 are free of charge and you can even start the policy when you’re already on a trip.
DON’T TRAVEL WITHOUT
Liquids bag for the airport | I NEVER travel without this bag and I’ve recommended it to all my friends, and so now they all have one too. It’s a game-changer. No more scrambling around before security shoving your liquids into a sandwich bag. It’s the correct size for the amount you can take on board, so just pack it beforehand and breeze through security.
Extension cable | One of my favourite travel hacks and also something I’d never travel without is an extension cable. This way, you only need one travel adapter. The one I have and swear by is this one – there’s 3 plugs and 6 USB slots, which is more than enough room for both mine and Conor’s devices.
Travel adapter | With an extension cable, you’ll just need one travel adapter, but I always like to buy them before my trip so I’m not frantically searching for a shop when I arrive. Plus, it’s usually a lot cheaper. I’d really recommend getting a worldwide adapter – it can be moved to work with any plug across the world.
