You reach Cala Nans lighthouse on foot from the south end of Cadaqués along a signposted coastal path: about 5 km there and back, 1 h 20 min of walking and 180 m of ascent, rated easy. From the centre the distance grows to about 7 km. It was not demolished in 1982 because the people of Cadaqués objected.
From the seafront of Cadaqués you can see, at the far end of the bay and to the south, a white tower on a point of dark rock. It is Cala Nans lighthouse, the place most people walk to from the village and one of the most visited spots in the municipality. The path starts at the last beaches to the south, follows the coast and is impossible to lose. This guide explains how long it takes, what you pass on the way and the story of a small lighthouse that in 1982 nearly disappeared.
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Where it is and what it is
The lighthouse stands at the tip of the Cala Nans headland, on the southern edge of the natural harbour of Cadaqués. According to the fact sheet published by the Port de Barcelona, it was the harbour's landfall light: it guided in the pailebotes, the cargo sailing ships that traded from here.
It is a small building. The entry in the Inventari del Patrimoni Arquitectònic de Catalunya, reproduced on Catalan Wikipedia, describes it as a house with a rectangular floor plan topped by a cylindrical tower. Inside there were two rooms for the keepers, one for the engineer and a storeroom.
A history with two dates
The lighthouse was planned under Isabel II, as part of the general coastal lighting plan of 1847. The Inventari entry and the Visit Costa Brava website say it opened in 1864 and attribute it to the engineer J. M. Faquinetto, who also built the Cap de Creus lighthouse. The Port de Barcelona fact sheet gives another date: 1 September 1874. The sources disagree, so both are given here.
At first it was a sixth-order light, fixed, with a range of 10 miles. In 1926 it was modernised with a rotating lantern. Since the sixties it has worked automatically, without a keeper. Today, according to the Port de Barcelona, it has a range of 8 nautical miles and shows 4 + 1 flashes every 25 seconds.
When maritime trade at the port of Cadaqués declined, in the first third of the 20th century, the lighthouse lost its importance and was half abandoned. In 1982, with the building in ruins, there were plans to demolish it and put up a new one. The people of Cadaqués objected, arguing that it was part of the village's heritage, and the protest led to a complete restoration.
The path: distance, time and climb
The trail starts at the south end of the village and follows the coast. It is well signposted, with signs and stone plaques bearing a lighthouse symbol. The Rutas Pirineos guide measures it like this: 5 km there and back, 1 h 20 min of actual walking, about 180 m of total ascent and a highest point of 86 m. It is rated easy.
If you start from the centre, the distance grows. Catalan Wikipedia mentions a path of about 3.5 kilometres from Sa Conca beach, and the Escapada amb Nens website reckons about 7 km there and back from the tourist office, with roughly three hours in total including stops. The difference is the starting point: choose yours and plan for it.
The local magazine ut Empordà notes that the walk can be done all year round and suits both a family stroll and a run.
What you see on the way
The first beach is Sa Conca, a kilometre from the centre: 100 m of gravel with a steep entry into the water, according to Catalan Wikipedia, where nudism is practised. Nearby is the small chapel of Sant Pius V.
Further on, the path skirts the cove of Sa Sabolla along a paved stretch. The water there is usually clear and calm. The Town Council's beach use plan for 2025 added a 65-metre line of buoys in this cove so that boats do not anchor where there is an invasive seaweed.
Along the way you pass dry-stone walls, bridges, vineyard huts and a lime kiln, traces of the time when these slopes were farmed. From the cove beside the lighthouse you can see two islets with names of their own: Es Cucurucuc de Terra and Es Cucurucuc de Sa Sabolla. And on the way back, the whole of Cadaqués, white, across the bay.
Practical tips
What you come for is the path and the view of Cadaqués from the lighthouse, the one ut Empordà magazine recommends most. With small children, going as far as Sa Sabolla is already a good outing. On days of strong tramontana the wind is very noticeable on the headlands, so take care on the rocky stretches.
Checked
Data checked in October 2026 against: Port de Barcelona (Cala Nans lighthouse fact sheet), Catalan Wikipedia (Far de Calanans, based on the Inventari del Patrimoni Arquitectònic de Catalunya; Platja de sa Conca), Visit Costa Brava (Calanans Lighthouse), Rutas Pirineos (Faro de Cala Nans desde Cadaqués), Escapada amb Nens (the coastal path to the lighthouse), ut Empordà (walking to Cala Nans lighthouse) and the Ajuntament de Cadaqués (beach use plan, 2025 season).
Quick questions
How long does it take to walk to Cala Nans lighthouse?
According to Rutas Pirineos, 1 h 20 min of actual walking for 5 km there and back; starting from the tourist office it is about 7 km and roughly three hours with stops.
Where does the path start?
At the south end of the village, past Sa Conca beach. It is signposted with signs and stone plaques bearing a lighthouse symbol.
When did Cala Nans lighthouse open?
The sources disagree: the Inventari del Patrimoni Arquitectònic de Catalunya and Visit Costa Brava say 1864, and the Port de Barcelona says 1 September 1874.