Sitges Travel Guide

With over three miles (5km) of golden shoreline, Sitges is the perfect weekend break for tourists who wish to experience Spanish resorts without straying too far from Barcelona. One of the most popular holiday resort towns south of Barcelona, Sitges is 21 miles (45km) from the city and has more than 17 sand beaches, many of them with EU Blue Flag status. It's easy to see why Sitges has been called the 'Playground of Barcelona'.

Renowned for its nightlife, the destination attracts thousands of holidaymakers, including many young day trippers from Barcelona. The city is gay-friendly, expensive and decidedly arty, and is said to be the town where the modernist movement began when it attracted artists such as Santiago Rusinol and Salvador Dali. Rusinol's home in the town has been turned into a museum that displays some of his works.

Beachgoers and holidaymakers can enjoy a number of activities and sights in and around the town. Sitges also plays host to the popular Sitges Film Festival, which specialises in fantasy and horror film genres. Most people visit Sitges primarily for the beautiful sandy beaches. Between the church at one end of the town and the Terramar Hotel at the other extremity there are nine breakwaters, each sheltering gently sloping golden beaches equipped with showers, refreshment kiosks and sunloungers for rent.

Shopping

Shopping in Sitges generally revolves around a number of small boutique shops and a range of designer stores. Most shops are located along Calle Major and Calle Francesc; business runs from 10am until 8pm with a siesta break at around 2pm. Supermarkets in Sitges stock all the groceries and food items that holidaymakers would need for a fun beach holiday. Buying groceries from shops located close to the beach is more expensive, while the larger supermarkets towards the back of the town are more reasonably priced. Many visitors to Sitges prefer to shop at the local markets, such as the food market next to the train station.

Restaurants

Sitges has a fine selection of restaurants, with fine dining options including Fragata and La Salseta. As with most Spanish coastal towns seafood and tapas are the dishes of choice.

Nightlife

Sitges caters for all tastes but the gay community is particularly prominent and well-catered for through a variety of pink parties and clubs. There are also many pubs and bars to choose from. Being so close to one of Europe's top party cities, many Sitges holidaymakers choose to visit Barcelona on weekends, particularly on Saturday nights.

Holiday activities

With 17 excellent beaches to choose from, sunbathing is undoubtedly the main activity in Sitges. However, the destination also offers all the usual water sports such as jet skiing, surfing, scuba diving, windsurfing and kitesurfing.

The resort has a host of things to do away from the beach as well. Adventurous visitors can opt to go hiking, quad biking, skydiving or hang gliding. For the less active or more culturally inclined Sitges claims to be the birthplace of the modernist movement and the town has three museums eager to show off their works by Picasso and El Greco, among others. Visitors can take a stroll around the old town, which has beautiful Catalan architecture and many other treasures, including the 17th-century church located at the waterfront.

Two worthwhile excursions are Garraf Natural Park and the scenic vineyards of Peñedes. There are also numerous festivals during the year, most notably Carnival (February to March), Corpus flower festival (June) and the Santa Tecla folklore festival (September).

Any negatives?

Sitges can be crowded and expensive during the peak summer season and Carnival at the beginning of year. Those travelling at these times will need to book well in advance. Sitges is also one of Europe's premier gay holiday destinations and there are many nude beaches. Visitors of a more conservative disposition and those with young children should bear this in mind.