8 Things to Do While Waiting in Line for the Dalí Museum, Figueres
As I mentioned in my post about the Dalí Theatre-Museum, we were stupid enough not to book tickets ahead of time, forcing us to wait in line in the center of Figueres, Spain.
It was the middle of the day in August and, believe me, it was hot in Figueres. We waited about 45 minutes to get to the ticket booth.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This will not affect your price.
Nevertheless, we managed to keep ourselves entertained. If you end up in Figueres, Spain, waiting to get into the museum, here are some suggestions. (I’m assuming you’re not visiting alone; most of these suggestions would necessitate taking turns leaving the line.)
1. Eat Ice Cream
Get an ice cream. The stand right next to where we joined the line has delicious ice cream. I have no idea if it really was excellent ice cream or if it just tasted so good because it was hot and we had to wait.
2. Cool off in the Church of Sant Pere
The museum is right in the center of Figueres and so is the old Church of Sant Pere. The line meanders past the entrance, so you might as well take a look inside. It’s dark and cool in there, so it makes sense to take turns so each person in your group gets a break from the heat. Parts of it date back to the 13th century, but most of what you see is in later, gothic style. This was the church where Dalí was baptized, by the way.
3. Study the Dalí Theatre-Museum
Take a close look at the façade of the Dalí Theatre-Museum. Notice the man with the diving suit. And the women who are missing bellies but carry baguettes on their heads. Or any of the other oddities on the building. Take lots of pictures.
4. Visit the Surrealist Bookstore
Visit the surrealist bookstore. You can buy a mobile with melted watches, or jewelry with the same.
5. Admire the Pujols Monument
Take pictures of the strange statue in front of the museum. Dalí designed this monument to his friend Francesc Pujols, a writer and philosopher.
6. Plan your trip
Check out the tourist information office, also right in the center of Figueres. Plan out the rest of your trip better than you planned today’s museum visit!
If you have a day or more to spend in Figueres, read this.
7. People-watch
Watch the tourists pose in front of the Pujols monument. Why do they do that? Does seeing them in front of the statue somehow improve the picture?
8. View the artwork
Check out the painting on the wall near the entrance, just left of the tourist information office. I love this one!
Of course, you could do all these things in any case, even if you’re smart enough to reserve your tickets ahead of time.
In a way, having to wait in line forced us to stand still long enough to notice things that we might have overlooked otherwise. That’s a good thing. Sometimes we get so goal-oriented that we forget to look at what’s going on around us.
While my teenagers were distinctly unimpressed by any of these things to do (except for the ice cream and sitting in the cool shade of the church), I was glad I was forced to take the time.
On the other hand, there are plenty of ways to see this museum and more without wasting time in line. Here are various much easier options to see the museum.
My travel recommendations
Planning travel
- Skyscanner is where I always start my flight searches.
- Booking.com is the company I use most for finding accommodations. If you prefer, Expedia offers more or less the same.
- Discover Cars offers an easy way to compare prices from all of the major car-rental companies in one place.
- Use Viator or GetYourGuide to find walking tours, day tours, airport pickups, city cards, tickets and whatever else you need at your destination.
- Bookmundi is great when you’re looking for a longer tour of a few days to a few weeks, private or with a group, pretty much anywhere in the world. Lots of different tour companies list their tours here, so you can comparison shop.
- GetTransfer is the place to book your airport-to-hotel transfers (and vice-versa). It’s so reassuring to have this all set up and paid for ahead of time, rather than having to make decisions after a long, tiring flight!
- Buy a GoCity Pass when you’re planning to do a lot of sightseeing on a city trip. It can save you a lot on admissions to museums and other attractions in big cities like New York and Amsterdam.
Other travel-related items
- It’s really awkward to have to rely on WIFI when you travel overseas. I’ve tried several e-sim cards, and GigSky’s e-sim was the one that was easiest to activate and use. You buy it through their app and activate it when you need it. Use the code RACHEL10 to get a 10% discount!
- I’m a fan of SCOTTeVEST’s jackets and vests because when I wear one, I don’t have to carry a handbag. I feel like all my stuff is safer when I travel because it’s in inside pockets close to my body.
- I use ExpressVPN on my phone and laptop when I travel. It keeps me safe from hackers when I use public or hotel wifi.
Rachel Heller is a writer living in Groningen, the Netherlands. She is the owner and primary author of this website, Rachel’s Ruminations, a travel blog focused on independent travel with an emphasis on cultural and historical sites/sights. Read more here about her and about this website. Rachel also owns and operates a website about travel to UNESCO World Heritage sites.
I’m a big Dali fan… That painting with the ladder going off onto the wall is amazing.
Impressed with your patience to wait but more so with the creativity of how to “survive” it.
Peta
Pulling out my little notebook to think like a travel writer has become my go-to strategy during down time: waiting for buses, for example, or really any waiting situation. I jot down my thoughts or find something in my surroundings to look at. This time, my notes became this list!
Hi Rachel:
Sometimes unexpected or unwanted delays do turn out into wonderful opportunities to discover some hidden treasure! Thx for sharing more about your visit to Figueres, Spain.
Yes. Keeping patient can be difficult for me, so pulling out my little notebook and investigating what I could do while I waited helped me to cope!
I visited the Dali Theatre-Museum as part of a tour so fortunately did not have long to wait outside. But I agree there is a lot to look at in the square in front of the museum. Great suggestions even if you aren’t forced to wait in line!
Yes, and I probably wouldn’t have stopped and looked so well if I hadn’t been forced to wait.
Standing in lines, on a hot day no less, sounds like my idea of purgatory. I however, love your approach and it’s true – if plans get derailed and you’re ‘stuck’ look around! Get creative!
Yes, this really helped me to deal with the wait. And the kids didn’t complain too much since they got ice cream and could wait in the cool of the church.
I too visited Figueres and the Dali Museum there on a tour, but even so, there was a bit of a wait and enough time to admire the amazing, fantasy building adornments.
Surreal is indeed the word!
Thanks for these tips. Ice cream can make any lineup a better experience!
Ice cream makes pretty much everything better!
Cool posting about what do do while waiting in line for the Dali Museum. I might have simply pulled out my ipad and started writing a blog article! Thanks for a very enjoyable posting!
Glad you liked it! I often find myself writing posts in my head!
Such a smart way to introduce the area. It is amazing what we notice when forced to stay still for 45 minutes. Love it.
Thanks, Jan!
Hopefully, your teenagers weren’t complaining during the waiting time. Seems like there is a lot to observe in the area. I wouldn’t mind waiting if the entrance is guaranteed. In Barcelona, I waited in line for some things (like Park Guell) just to find out the entrances for the day were sold out.
Once we noticed the church and how cool it was inside, they were fine! That would be awful to wait, only to be turned away!
Terrific tips on what to do when you might otherwise get frustrated while waiting in line. I personally would go for the ice cream idea.
The ice cream shop was doing a roaring business.
I hate to admit it, but I’m really not a Dali fan. Still, I’d go to Figueres and visit the museum. I love your positive spin on waiting in line!
Thanks, Jim. It’s clearly not everyone’s cup of tea!
By creatively filling your wait, time you simply added to your fantastic experience…what a fun post!!
Thanks, Marilyn! It was fun to write!