Figueres is a provincial Catalan town with one extraordinary reason to visit: the Teatre-Museu Dalí, the largest surrealist object in the world and the most visited museum in Spain after the Prado. Salvador Dalí was born here in 1904, and he spent decades transforming the ruins of a burned-out municipal theatre into a monument to his own imagination. The result is less a museum than a total environment — every ceiling, every doorway, every courtyard is part of the work.
The town itself is pleasant but unremarkable. There is a pedestrianised old centre with a good market, a handful of cafes along La Rambla, and a relaxed pace that suits a half-day visit. Most people come on a day trip from Barcelona or Girona, and the train connections make that easy. If you do stay overnight, you'll have the museum largely to yourself in the early morning before the tour groups arrive.
The Dalí connection extends beyond the museum: the nearby Castell de Púbol was Dalí's gift to his wife Gala, and the Casa Dalí in Cadaqués is where he lived and worked for much of his life. Together the three sites form the Dalí Triangle, and the Tourist Board sells a combined ticket. Beyond Dalí, Sant Ferran Castle — one of the largest fortresses in Europe — rewards an afternoon visit, and the Museu de l'Empordà has the region's art and archaeology collection.