Sant Ferran Castle stands on a hill at the edge of Figueres, a vast 18th-century military fortress built by the Bourbons to defend Catalonia after the War of the Spanish Succession. Its outer walls enclose a space large enough to garrison 9,000 soldiers and stable 2,000 horses, though it was rarely filled to anything like this capacity. The scale of the cisterns, stables, and parade grounds makes it one of the most impressive examples of Enlightenment military architecture in Europe.
Guided tours take visitors through the galleries, bastions, and underground cisterns — a boat trip is offered in the largest cistern, which can still hold millions of litres of water. The castle is about a 20-minute walk from the town centre, or a short taxi ride. The views from the ramparts over the Empordà plain to the Pyrenees are considerable.