For us, Gala mine,
I've been thinking. The Mediterranean is still warm in October. The light turns gold. The tourists go home. The fishermen still bring anchovies in at sunrise. And we, amor, deserve a week that belongs to no one but us.
So I imagined us a week. October 1st to 8th, 2026. Seven days. One little fishing town called L'Escala. A car. A coast carved with hidden coves. Dalí's strange beautiful houses, because of course, my Gala. The Camí de Ronda along cliffs that fall straight into turquoise water.
Madrid to Girona by train. Girona to L'Escala by car. Then the coast unfolds.
5 daily trains, all direct, all around 4 hours. Per person, one way.
L'Escala is the base. Everything's within an hour.
7 days, unlimited mileage, free cancellation, picked up at the train station.
Three apartments in L'Escala. One I really want us to take.
Passeig del Mar, 19 · beachfront
7 nights · save €215
Book on BookingCamí del Palau, 1 · beachfront
most affordable
Book on BookingPasseig Mar, 18 · 50m from beach
ideal for 2
Book on BookingEight days. The middle ones are anchored in L'Escala, we wander out and come back.
AVE to Girona. Pick up the car at the station. 40 minutes north and we're at the apartment. Sunset walk along the port, dinner somewhere with anchovies on the menu.
Coffee in town, then the coastal walk to Empúries. Roman and Greek ruins right on the sea, one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. We can swim after.
50 min drive along the curves. Salvador Dalí's house in Portlligat, the strangest and most personal of his spaces. Limited tickets, very limited capacity. Lunch in Cadaqués, dinner at Casa Anita (no reservations, just show up early).
35 minutes to Figueres. The Dalí Theatre-Museum is the most surreal museum in Spain. Built by him, designed by him, he's buried in it. Lunch at El Motel or Hotel Empordà for proper Catalan country cooking.
Dalí built the Theatre-Museum in Figueres as a love letter to Gala. He's buried there with her. I want to stand in that building with you and feel small in the right way.
The trail along the cliffs. We've walked Caminos before, this one's different. Turquoise water below, salt-shrubs on either side, fishing boats coming back in. Start at Roses, see how far our legs take us toward Cadaqués.
A landscape that doesn't look like anywhere else in Europe. Wind-carved rocks, almost lunar. We drive to the lighthouse at the very tip, stay for sunset, dinner at the old lighthouse restaurant.
No car today. Market in the morning, anchovy tasting at the source. Anchoas Solés has been salting fish here since 1898. A long lunch. A swim if the weather plays along. Farewell dinner wherever the day takes us.
Check-out, drop the car at Girona, train south. Goodbye Costa Brava. Fins aviat.
Music for the drive. Food for the slow lunches. A few words of Catalan to make the locals smile.
Three playlists. Windows down.
Six BRIT Awards in '24. Confessional jazz-pop for sunset terraces and slow drives along the coast.
A musical cruise of the Med. Spanish flamenco, Greek rembetiko, Italian guitars. The actual sound of where we're going.
97 songs, Apple Music's curated romantic essentials. For sunset on the terrace, slow drives, and the moments only we know.
A short list of the places worth driving for.
L'Escala · since 1898. The anchovy producer. Tasting + factory tour, take tins home.
On the mapCadaqués · traditional, family-run, no reservations. Get there before 21:00, share long tables with strangers.
On the mapCadaqués · creative fine dining by chefs ex-elBulli. Reserve in advance. Once-a-trip kind of place.
ReserveFigueres · Catalan cuisine elevated, an Empordà institution. Perfect Sunday lunch after the Dalí museum.
ReserveTap the speaker. Locals melt when you try.
A packing list, the budget, the currency converter for your San Francisco brain, and a memory journal for once we're there.
How to use this tab. Right now it's the trip-planning stuff: what to pack, what it costs, the conversion to your dollars. During the trip it becomes a companion. Add memories, log expenses, watch the photos pile up.
Live rate from the European Central Bank.
For two people, total. Honest estimates.
|
Train · Madrid ↔ Girona (2 people, return)
|
~€100 – 300 |
|
Car rental · 7 days
|
~€220 – 245 |
|
Apartment · 7 nights (Terrassa de Mar)
|
~€972 |
|
Food, museums, activities
|
~€400 – 600 |
| TOTAL ESTIMATE | ~€1,700 – 2,100 |
Light layers. October on the coast is sunny days and cool evenings.
For during the trip. Every coffee, every souvenir, tracked live.
Snap a photo, jot a moment. Our diary builds itself.