Cadaqués, Spain

Cadaqués is not for everyone, and that is exactly the point. The single road in - a narrow pass through the Cap de Creus mountains - has historically been enough of a barrier to keep away the kind of development that spoiled comparable towns on the Costa del Sol. Dalí chose Port Lligat, the cove just outside town, as his permanent home for a reason. The whitewashed cubic houses stacked above the rocky bay are legitimately beautiful in a way that photographs cannot fully capture.

The town has an international reputation among a specific kind of traveler - artists, writers, architects, people who prefer beauty over convenience - and that reputation is deserved. What it is not is practical. Getting to a hospital, a large supermarket, or a train station involves at least an hour of driving on mountain roads. Rental supply is extremely thin because most property is either owner-occupied or summer holiday rentals. Long-term lets at reasonable prices are genuinely rare.

There is no local economy for expats beyond tourism, and even that is highly seasonal - the town essentially hibernates from November through March. This works for people arriving with remote income and a specific vision of how they want to live. It does not work for anyone needing local employment, easy logistics, or a full range of urban services.

Fiber internet has improved but is not universally reliable across all parts of town. Mobile signal is fine on Movistar and Vodafone. The nearest hospital with A&E is in Figueres (1 hour). There is a small pharmacy and a local doctor's surgery. For anything requiring specialist care or hospital admission, you are making a full day of it. Groceries from the local shops are limited and expensive; most residents drive to Roses or Figueres for a proper weekly shop. Parking in summer is a daily ordeal.