Sitges

May to June and September are the best months, with warm sea and fewer visitors. July and August are busy and hot. Winters are mild and quiet.

The Carnival (February or March) is among the biggest in Catalonia, with parades through the night. The Sitges Film Festival (October) is a leading fantasy and horror festival. Corpus Christi (usually June) is marked by carpets of flowers in the streets.

• Museu del Cau Ferrat is the house and museum of the painter Santiago Rusiñol, a leader of the Catalan Modernist movement, with a collection that includes works by El Greco.
• Museu Maricel de Mar is a museum of art and antiques in a sea-front palace, next to the Cau Ferrat.
• Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla is the Baroque parish church on the headland, the town's best-known landmark.
• The Palau de Maricel is a sea-front palace, part of the same complex as the Maricel museum.
• el Celler Güell is a winery building designed by Gaudí's collaborator Francesc Berenguer, in the Garraf hills northeast of town.
• The beaches, such as Sant Sebastià, La Fragata and Platja Fonda, run along the promenade (Passeig Marítim).
• The old town (Barri de la Punta) has narrow streets, white houses and small squares.

• Stroll along the Passeig Marítim and the old town to the church on the headland.
• Visit the Cau Ferrat and Maricel museums.
• Take a day trip to a cava cellar in the Penedès.
• Spend a day on the beach, and have a seafood lunch.
• Go to the Carnival or the Film Festival, if the dates suit you.

• Barcelona (about 35 km, 35 to 40 minutes by train): the capital of Catalonia.
• Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (about 25 km): the center of cava, the Catalan sparkling wine, with many cellars to visit.
• Garraf Natural Park: walking trails in the hills behind the coast.
• Tarragona (about 55 km): a Roman city and UNESCO site.
• Montserrat (about 65 km): a mountain monastery.

Other places nearby:

• Catalonia: Barcelona, Tarragona, Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Salou and Reus.

• By train: Regional trains (Rodalies, line R2 Sud) run from Barcelona Sants and Passeig de Gràcia in about 35 to 40 minutes. The station is a short walk from the beach.
• By air: Barcelona airport is about 25 km away, with a train link via Sants or a taxi.
• By road: The C-32 toll motorway links Sitges with Barcelona, and is busy at weekends in summer.

• On foot: The old town, the promenade and most beaches are within a short walk.
• Cycling: The town is flat and has bike lanes.
• Taxi and local bus: For the outlying beaches and hotels.

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the town. A car is useful for the cava cellars and the Garraf hills.
• Parking: Paid and difficult near the center in summer. Use a car park on the edge.
• Roads: The C-32 motorway is a toll road, and the free C-31 is slower and busy.

Sitges has Catalan food with a fish and rice emphasis. Try xató, a salad of curly endive, cod and anchovies with a romesco sauce, a speciality of the area, and fideuà (a noodle paella). The nearby Penedès region produces cava, and the local sweet wine is called Malvasia de Sitges.

Seafood restaurants and tapas bars run along the beachfront.

Sitges is a safe town. Pickpocketing can happen on crowded beaches and at festivals, so watch your belongings. In summer, use sun protection. Nightlife is lively, so look after your drinks and plan your way back.

Sitges was a fishing and farming town for centuries, and its church on the headland dates from the 17th and 18th centuries. In the late 19th century, the artist Santiago Rusiñol made the town a center of Catalan Modernism, and bought the house that became the Cau Ferrat.

In the 20th century, it grew as a beach resort and later became known for its festivals and as a gay-friendly destination.

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