Cadaqués, secretive star of Spain’s Costa Brava

This hidden cove has drawn artists for generations but the ex-hippy seaside town has maintained its independent character

Cadaqués is a bit of a tease. It’s the most inaccessible town on Catalonia’s Costa Brava but also its most seductively beautiful. Put the two together and you can see how it’s pulled off the trick of maintaining an air of a happening place where nothing happens, a place way off the beaten track that is a magnet for celebrities.

However, the pretty Mediterranean location belies a tough history. The character of the Cadaquesencs, as the locals are known, has been forged by piracy, contraband, isolation, bad luck and the Tramuntana, the maddening north wind.