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Salvador and Gala Dali castle home in Pubol

13km EASY circular walking route from Flaca to Dala Gali's castle home in Pubol. The route passes via farmland, La Pera village and Pedrinya hamlet.

Updated: Feb 18, 2023 by: Barcelona Travel Hacks Views: 1.7k

About Salvador and Gala Dali castle home in Pubol

The Gala Dali Castle is in a small village called pubol which is not served by rail or bus networks however this EASY 13km circular route from Flaca Regional Renfe train station passes via the picturesque village of La Pera before arriving at Pubol village.


Salvador Dali, Catalan surrealist painter 1904-1989, bought the castle in 1969 as an almost ruin and refurbished it sympathetically to serve as a home for himself and his wife Gala Dali so that she could have a quiet and secluded place away from his hectic and eccentric life building the Dali Theatre Museum in Figueres.

What to see in the Dali Pubol Castle home

The castle dates from the 11th Century with the current structure being from late 14th century to early 15th century. After restoration by Dali, the castle comprises a ground floor garage which houses the horse drawn carriage and a Cadillac. The first floor is the main living space accessed via a staircase in the inner courtyard. Rooms on the first floor are a reception hall leading onto a lounge and piano room that connects onto two bedrooms. Gala's Bedroom has a bathroom with a magnificent fireplace. On the other side of the first floor is a kitchen, dining room and main hall with Dali's painting studio and another magnificent fireplace.

From the main hall there is an outside patio with stairs leading down to the garage and garden. The garden is a beautiful almost maze-like space with paths, statues, a pond and green pagoda. The statues are a mix of Greek style figures and Salvador Dali's surrealist elephant sculptures.

The castle was purchased by Dali as a gift for Gala who he was madly in love with. Salvador Dali had a home and studio in the nearby town of Portlligat near Cadaques.

At the Gala Dali Castle in the garden you will find the famous elephant sculptures as well as many other original Dali works.

The basement is Pubol castle which can be visited is Gala Dali's tomb mausoleum. She was interred there upon her death in 1982. Salvador Dali is interred inside his Figueres Theatre Museum.

Salvador Dali and Gala Dali relationship

Gala was born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova in 1894 in Kazan, then part of the Russian Empire.

Gala Dali was previously married to French poet Paul Eluard (in 1917) and they had one child Cecile Eluard in 1918.

Eluard and his wife first met the promising young surrealist artist at a film premiere in 1929 and there was instant and mutual attraction between Dali and Gala. Dali invited the couple to come to his family home in Cadaques, Spain for the summer.

Dali began living with Gala in 1929 but according to his own accounts they were not sexually active with each other. They had an open relationship in which she was free to have affairs, including with her former husband, Eluard, while Dali is said to have enjoyed watching her have sex with other men, or showing other men images of her naked.

Salvador Dali Married Gala secretly in a civil ceremony in 1934 and with a public marriage in 1958 in a Catholic Church.

Dala was Salvador's muse and an inspiration for a great deal of his paintings. Some of his best works featured images of Gala.

Salvador Dali stipulated that he could not access the castle without Gala's written permission.

Below is a quote from Dali's written works Confessions inconfessables (1973) about the castle and Gala.

"Everything celebrates the cult of Gala, even the round room, with its perfect echo that crowns the building as a whole and which is like a dome of this Galactic cathedral. When I walk around this house, I look at myself and I see my concentricity. I like its Moorish rigour. I needed to offer Gala a case more solemnly worthy of our love. That is why I gave her a mansion built on the remains of a 12th century castle: the old castle of Pubol in La Bisbal, where she would reign like an absolute sovereign (Marques of Dali of Pubol), right up to the point that I could visit her only by hand-written invitation from her. 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".

Visiting Salvador and Gala Dali castle home in Pubol

Gala Dali's Castle in Pubol has been open to the public since 1996 as a museum space.

The Gala Dali castle is open from 10:30h till 18:00h every day except Monday.

Currently there is no cloakroom for depositing bags remains closed and they stipulate no bags greater than 35x35x25cm are allowed. When I visited I was asked to wear my rucksack on my chest to prevent damage to any of the furniture.

There is a limited number of visitors allowed at any time and it is advisable to book the ticket in advance.

Allow two hours to walk from Flaca train station to Gala Dali Castle.

Note: At the moment I cannot post any photos of the interior of the Gala Dali Castle museum but I am seeking rights clearance from the Dali Foundation to include these photos.

Once you have finished visiting Gala Dali Castle, you can walk down to Plaza de la Constitucion in Pubol where you will find the Caterina Roma sudio & gallery. This is a free entry gallery with beautiful pottery pieces with a shop where you can purchase a unique piece.

Places to eat in Pubol village

Can Bosch Restaurant

La Terrasseta Bar

Es! Carxofa Restaurant

What to take with you for Salvador and Gala Dali castle home in Pubol

This is an easy walking route near to roads. I always do it with a small rucksack of the essentials. Emergency waterproof jacket is optional depending on the weather forecast. take 1 to 2 litre of water. Water can be purchased in La pera and Pubol village and for free from drinking fountains.

There is normally a locker room to leave bags but When I did the visit the locker room was closed and I was asked to carry my bag on my chest when inside the castle museum. I phoned the museum before my visit to confirm that I would be granted entry with a hiking rucksack. The telephone number is in the opening times and prices section of the website.

The museum space is accessible by wheelchair and has a lift between floors but the basement crypt is only accessible by stairs.

Pushchairs are normally left on the ground floor to complete the interior visit to the castle.

Small 30L Hiking Rucksack

Small 30L Hiking Rucksack

Includes high visibility fog and rain waterproof cover in zip compartment at bottom of rucksack.

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Compact First Aid Kit

Compact First Aid Kit

Small lightweight first aid kit

Decathlon Spain Link Amazon Spain Link
Convertible Trousers

Convertible Trousers

Lightweight convertible trousers that zip down to shorts

Decathlon Spain Link Amazon Spain Link
Trail shoes

Trail shoes

Lightweight comfortable trail shoes

Decathlon Spain Link Amazon Spain Link
Summer socks

Summer socks

Ankle spring/summer socks

Decathlon Spain Link Amazon Spain Link
Fleece jacket or Jersey

Fleece jacket or Jersey

Light weight warm fleece

Decathlon Spain Link Amazon Spain Link
Emergency Rain jacket

Emergency Rain jacket

Small pouch lightweight Waterproof jacket for emergencies

Decathlon Spain Link Amazon Spain Link

Summary of Prices

Train/Bus Fare Entry Ticket Additional Information Train/Bus Fare Entry Ticket Additional Information Adult € 19.70 € 10.00 Students, Over 65 years, 8.00 Euros Child € 19.70 FREE For under 8 years oldGroup/Family Ticket? Group reservation via pubol@fundaciodali.org

Getting to Salvador and Gala Dali castle home in Pubol

Address: Plaza Gala Dali, Pubol. 17120

Pubol is a tiny village in the Catalan countryside and is not served directly by any public transport. However, The nearest train station is Flaca on the R11, MD and RG1 Regional rail lines. From Flaca it is about a 4km walk to Pubol. There is also a Sarfa Bus that stops on the edge of La Pera village which is about 1.5Km walk from Pubol.

See the ducuments section for train maps and bus timetables.

I visited the castle as a day activity doing a 13Km circular route starting and ending at Flaca Renfe station, following rural roads in sunflower fields. See the wikiloc section for my route.

If visiting Pubol by car, there is free parking atthe edge of the village in Carrer Placeta, 2, 17120 Pubol. From here it is a short 2 minute walk to Pubol Castle.

Documents for Salvador and Gala Dali castle home in Pubol

Click on any one of the 3 PDFs to view in full screen and download.

\'Flaca

Flaca Rail Map and Bus to La Pera Pubol

Author: Barcelona Travel Hacks

\'flaca

flaca Regional Rail Map

Author: www.renfe.com

\'SarfaBus-Moventis

SarfaBus-Moventis bus timetable

Author: www.moventis.es

Wikiloc Trail for Salvador and Gala Dali castle home in Pubol

A0204 - Gala Dali castle home and La Pera vilage

13km EASY circular walking route from Flaca to Dala Gali's castle home in Pubol. The route passes via farmland, La Pera village and Pedrinya hamlet.

Distance: 13.67 Km

Difficulty: Easy

Return Travel Fare: 26.30 EUR

Transport Network: Renfe Regional

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