Cadaqués has no railway: from Barcelona you take a train to Figueres and then Moventis bus line 12, about 70 minutes to Cadaqués. The R11 takes between 1 h 50 and 2 h 18 from Barcelona-Sants to the central station, next to the bus station; the AVE and Avant stop at Figueres-Vilafant, faster but a kilometre and a half out.
No train reaches Cadaqués. Anyone leaving Barcelona without a car does the trip in two legs: a train to Figueres and, from there, the bus that crosses the hills to the village. It works well if you pick the right train and check the bus time first, because it doesn't run every half hour. This is what the official timetables say.
Two trains to Figueres, and two different stations
Figueres has two railway stations, according to Figueres town council's tourism website. The old one, in the centre, is served by the R11, the Rodalies regional train from Barcelona-Sants. The other is Figueres-Vilafant, the high-speed station, a kilometre and a half from the centre.
The R11 is the slowest and the simplest. According to the timetables Renfe publishes as open data, on Tuesday 20 October 2026 there are 21 trains from Barcelona-Sants to Figueres, the first at 5:56 and the last at 20:46, taking between 1 h 50 and 2 h 18 depending on the number of stops. On Saturday 24 October there are 14.
By high-speed rail, that same Tuesday there are 16 departures from Barcelona-Sants to Figueres-Vilafant between AVE and Avant, most taking 57 to 65 minutes; the fastest take under 45. The catch is the station: from Vilafant you have to get into the centre. The Figueres tourism website explains that a shuttle bus is timed to meet each train and there is a taxi rank.
The bus: Moventis line 12
Figueres bus station is next to the railway station in the centre, according to the same council website. From there Moventis line 12 runs to Cadaqués via Castelló d'Empúries and Roses. The whole journey takes about 70 minutes: in the official timetable, the 8:15 bus reaches Cadaqués at 9:25.
Watch one detail: line 12 runs far more trips between Figueres and Roses than all the way to Cadaqués. Check that the column in the timetable reaches the bottom row, the Cadaqués one, rather than jumping on the first bus that turns up.
In the timetable from 2 January to 30 June 2026, four buses to Cadaqués left on weekdays, at 8:15, 13:15, 16:15 and 20:30, and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 8:15, 13:30, 16:30 and 20:30. Coming back, they left Cadaqués at 6:45, at 10:00 on weekdays or 10:30 at weekends, at 15:00 and at 18:00. In July and August 2026 there were eight trips a day each way.
Moventis had not posted its autumn timetable when this guide was written, and the leaflet itself warns that the company may change times and that they depend on traffic. Check the day's timetable on the Moventis website before setting off.
How to match train and bus
The trick is to choose the bus first and the train second. With the times above, a true early riser leaves Barcelona-Sants on the 5:56 R11, reaches Figueres at 7:47 and catches the 8:15 bus, which pulls into Cadaqués at 9:25.
High-speed rail doesn't always help. The first Avant on Tuesday 20 October leaves at 8:05 and reaches Figueres-Vilafant at 9:02, after the morning bus has gone. It works better for the midday one: the 11:27 train arrives at 12:24, leaving time to get into the centre before the 13:15 bus.
To come back, the 18:00 bus reached Figueres at 19:10, and that Tuesday there is an R11 at 19:29 arriving at Barcelona-Sants at 21:40. The 15:00 bus arrived at 16:10, with an R11 at 16:29. These are examples built from the published timetables, not a guarantee: the bus and the train don't wait for each other.
Tickets
The R11 fare is worked out by distance, like the other Rodalies de Catalunya regional services, and a return costs the same as two singles. For repeat trips, the ten-journey Bono Exprés comes with a 40 % discount, is valid for a year and can be shared by several people with the same origin and destination.
Bus tickets are sold on the Moventis online shop. AVE and Avant tickets are sold by Renfe, priced by train and by how far ahead you book.
Once in Cadaqués
The bus stops at the village bus station. If the plan is the lighthouse, on days when the road is closed to cars a shuttle runs from the Corral d'en Morell car park, and according to the Parc Natural some trips leave from the bus station itself; the details are in the guide to the closed road.
If you would rather drive or take the direct coach from Barcelona, see how to get to Cadaqués. And if the trip goes through Figueres anyway, the Dalí Theatre-Museum is a short walk from the central stations.
Checked
Checked in October 2026 on: Renfe open timetable data (data.renfe.com) for Tuesday 20 and Saturday 24 October 2026, Moventis line 12 PDF timetables (January to June and July to August 2026), the Figueres tourism website, Rodalies de Catalunya fares and the Parc Natural de Cap de Creus FAQ.
Quick questions
Is there a direct train from Barcelona to Cadaqués?
No. The train goes as far as Figueres and the last leg is on Moventis bus line 12, about 70 minutes.
Which train is better, the R11 or the AVE?
The R11 is slower, between 1 h 50 and 2 h 18, but arrives at the central station next to the bus station. The AVE and Avant reach Figueres-Vilafant in about an hour, and from there you need the shuttle or a taxi into the centre.
How many buses run from Figueres to Cadaqués?
In the January to June 2026 timetable there were four a day, the first at 8:15 and the last at 20:30; in July and August 2026, eight.