Sitges near
Barcelona
Sitges is one of the
most interesting places to visit around
Barcelona, if you are looking to get away
from Barcelona for a short day trip. Sitges
is located on the Garraf coast, 35 km
south from Barcelona and only 30 minutes
away by train. Sitges used to be a quiet
fishing village, but now it is a very
popular tourist destination, especially
during summer. In Sitges you can find
jet setters, families and it is very popular
with gay people, catering for the gay
crowds with specialist shops, hotels,
restaurants and nightclubs.
Sitges – tourist attractions
 The
village of Sitges near Barcelona, in Spain,
itself is very quaint, with narrow cobbled
streets and historical buildings in medieval
and modernist styles. The main landmark
is the Iglesia de St. Bartolomeu i Santa
Tecla, on top of a small hill on the coast,
which divides the main beach in the south,
from the smaller and quieter St. Sebastià
beach in the north.
Sitges has three main museums:
- Museu Cau Ferrat, which used to be
the studio of Santiago Rusiñol,
who attracted the art world to Sitges
in the 19th century. The Museu hosts
paintings by Picasso, Rusiñol
himself and other artists.
- Museu Maricel del Mar, exhibiting
handicrafts from the Middle Ages to
the 20th century. The Museu is part
of Palau Maricel, a palace built on
the leftovers of a Gothic hospital thus
combining Gothic elements with modernist
elements (it was designed in 1912 by
Miquel Utrillo for Charles Deering,
a millionaire art collector).
- Museu Romantic, recreates with its
furnishing the lifestyle of a well off
Catalan family from the 19th century.
Sitges boasts 17 sandy beaches, including
two naturist beaches, one of them for
gay only.
Sitges events
Sitges hosts many event throughout the
year, the most famous are:
- Barcelona-Sitges Vintage Car Rally
on the first Sunday of March
- Sitges Music Festival, in July-August
- Festa Major, in honour of Sitges’
saint patron St Bartolomeu from the
21st to the 27th of August, with fireworks
on the 23rd.
- Sitges International Festival of
Catalonia at the beginning of October
- Sitges Carnival – in late February,
beginning of March, it lasts one week
during which many people go around the
village in fancy dress and there are
several floats and parades, from children
parades in the afternoon, to extravagant
gay parades at night.
Sitges nightlife
Sitges nightlife, especially in  summer,
hosts a big night crowd and has a lot
of clubs open all night. The main area
for nightclubs revolves around the streets
of Carrer M. Montroig, Carrer 1er de Maig
and PlaVa de la Industria. Sitges nightlife
can be excellent and especially if you
are gay.
Sitges food and places to stay
Sitges has a lot of restaurants available
in the centre and the quality of food
is generally good. Also, there are a lot
of hotels, hostales (cheaper hotels) and
one camping.
Getting to Sitges from Barcelona
There are several trains every day, connecting
Barcelona
with Sitges and the trip only takes about
30 minutes. You need to take the Renfe
in Barcelona Sants Estació (check
http://www.renfe.es/cercanias/barcelona/index_horarios.html
for information on timetables).
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