At Cap de Creus the sun rises at 6:08 and sets at 21:28 on 21 June, and on 21 December it rises at 8:10 and sets at 17:18. The shuttle reaches the lighthouse at 8:14 at the earliest, so for sunrise you drive up before 9:30. In summer it does work for sunset: the last bus leaves at 23:14.
Cap de Creus is the easternmost point of the Iberian Peninsula, and that decides why you go up: the sunrise is what you will not see the same way anywhere else. In midsummer the sun rises at about 6:08 and sets at about 21:28; in December it rises at 8:10 and sets at 17:18. Here are the times, which way to look and whether the shuttle gets you there in time.
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The times, month by month
These are the 2026 times for the tip of the cape (using the coordinates given by Catalan Wikipedia), calculated with sunrise-sunset.org in official local time and cut to the minute. Sunrise and sunset: 15 January, 8:11 and 17:40; 15 March, 6:57 and 18:54; 15 April, 7:04 and 20:29; 15 May, 6:23 and 21:02; 21 June, 6:08 and 21:28; 15 July, 6:21 and 21:23; 15 August, 6:52 and 20:49; 15 September, 7:25 and 19:58; 15 October, 7:58 and 19:06; 15 November, 7:35 and 17:26; 21 December, 8:10 and 17:18.
Meteored gives, for the village of Cadaqués on 15 October, sunrise at 07:59 and sunset at 19:05: give or take a minute, it matches. Watch the clock change on 25 October: on the 24th the sun sets at 18:53 and on the 31st at 17:43.
The light comes before the sun. Civil twilight, when you can see without a torch, starts about 30 minutes earlier: on 21 June at 5:35, on 15 October at 7:31.
Which way to look
According to an explanatory document from the Town Council of Villar de Cañas, in summer the sun rises a little further to the northeast and sets further to the northwest, and in winter it rises in the southeast and sets in the southwest. At the equinoxes, clima.com notes, it rises due east and sets due west.
For sunrise, the place is the tip itself. From the lighthouse the signposted Punta del Cap de Creus route goes down; the Parc Natural measures it at 2.1 km as a loop with 100 m of climb, rated easy.
For sunset, the lighthouse stands 87 metres above the sea and looks over the whole cape. Going by the Parc Natural map, in summer the sun goes down on the side of Tudela and the north coast; in winter, towards Cadaqués and the hills. The website surtdecasa.cat lists it among the best sunsets in the Empordà because the cape is open through 360 degrees.
Does the shuttle get there in time for sunrise?
No. According to the Parc Natural's questions document (version of 28 August 2026), on days when the road is regulated the shuttle leaves Corral d'en Morell at 8:00 at the earliest and reaches the lighthouse at 8:14. In summer the sun has been up for almost two hours by then.
The answer is in the same document: outside the restricted hours the road is open to everyone, and the restriction starts at 9:30. For sunrise you drive up and park in the official car parks, the lighthouse one or Ses Portes. The sensible thing is to come down before 9:30. What happens if you come down later is covered in our guide to the closed road and the shuttle.
What you cannot do is sleep up there to wait for the sun: overnight stays in any vehicle are banned along the whole access road and in its car parks, and motorhomes are not allowed on that road.
And for sunset?
It depends on the month. From 1 July to 13 September the restriction runs from 9:30 to 21:30, and the last bus leaves the lighthouse at 23:14 and reaches Corral d'en Morell at 23:25. On 15 July the sun sets at 21:23: plenty of time to watch it and ride the shuttle down.
In autumn, no. On Saturdays and Sundays from 19 September to 1 November, the last bus leaves the lighthouse at 18:44. On 15 October the sun sets at 19:06, and the restriction ends at 19:00. Until the clocks change, the shuttle is no use for sunset; after 25 October it is, because the sun sets earlier. On 31 October, at 17:43.
On days without restrictions, which in autumn means almost every weekday, you can drive up at any time. The calendar changes every year: check the Parc Natural website.
Torch, warm layers and the day you cannot go up
At sunrise you walk to the tip in the first light over rocky ground: a head torch saves you a fright. Coming down after a summer sunset it gets dark before the last bus, and the paths on the cape are unlit.
The wind rules here. With tramontana the tip is uncomfortable and cold even in summer; bring a layer. And with the Pla Alfa fire-risk plan at level 4, the Parc Natural does not let anyone on the road on foot or by bike.
Checked
Data checked in October 2026 against: Parc Natural de Cap de Creus (questions on access regulation to the Punta de Cap de Creus, version of 28 August 2026, with the shuttle timetables; the «Com accedir-hi» page; signposted routes and park map), sunrise-sunset.org (2026 times for the tip of the cape), Meteored (Cadaqués), Catalan Wikipedia (Cap de Creus), the Town Council of Villar de Cañas and clima.com (direction of the sun) and surtdecasa.cat (best sunsets in the Empordà).
Quick questions
What time is sunrise at Cap de Creus in summer?
On 21 June the sun rises at 6:08 and on 15 July at 6:21. There is light about 30 minutes earlier.
Can you watch the sunset at Cap de Creus and come back on the shuttle?
From 1 July to 13 September, yes: the last bus leaves the lighthouse at 23:14. On October weekends before the clocks change, no: the last one leaves at 18:44 and the sun sets at 19:06 on 15 October.
Can you sleep in your car at the lighthouse to see the sunrise?
No. Overnight stays in any vehicle are banned along the whole access road and in its car parks.