- Destinations
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- Costa Dorada
- Sitges
Sitges
With over 3 miles (5km) of golden shoreline, Sitges is the
perfect weekend break for tourists wishing to experience Spanish
resorts without straying too far from Barcelona. One of the most
popular holiday resort towns south of Barcelona is Sitges, 21 miles
(45km) from the city. With more than 17 sand beaches, many of them
with EU Blue Flag status, it is easy to see why Sitges has been
called 'the playground of Barcelona'. Renowned for its swinging
nightlife, Sitges attracts thousands of holidaymakers, including
day-trippers from Barcelona, many of them young and
well-heeled.
The city has a reputation for being gay-friendly, expensive, and
decidedly arty, having been the town where the modernist movement
began when it attracted artists such as Bohemian mystic Santiago
Rusinol and later the likes of Salvador Dali. Rusinol's home in the
town has been turned into a museum, displaying some of his works.
Beachgoers and holidaymakers in Sitges 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, however, visit Sitges
for the beautiful sandy beaches it offers. 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 sun-loungers
for rent.
Information & Facts
Activities
With 17 excellent beaches to choose from, sunbathing is
undoubtedly the main activity in Sitges. However, Sitges also
offers all the usual watersports including jet skiing, surfing,
scuba diving, wind- and kitesurfing. The resort also has a host of
things to do away from the beach. 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 complete with
beautiful Catalan architecture as well as many other treasures and
charm, particularly 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 - March), Corpus flower
festival (June) and the Santa Tecla folklore festival
(September).
Language
Spanish is the official language, but English is widely
understood in areas frequented by tourists. Catalan, Galician and
Basque are spoken in the relevant areas.
Money
Spain's official currency is the Euro (EUR). One Euro is divided
into 100 cents. Money can be exchanged at bureaux de change and
major hotels, but banks give the best rates. All major credit cards
and travellers cheques are widely accepted at most hotels,
restaurants, and shops. ATMs are widespread and are generally the
cheapest and most convenient method of obtaining money.
Negatives
During the peak summer season, and Carnival at the beginning of
year, Sitges can be crowded and expensive - those travelling at
this time will need to book well in advance. Sitges is also one of
Europe's premier gay holiday destinations and there are many nude
beaches. Although Sitges has plenty of family beaches there are
also a number of nudist and gay beaches or beach areas, visitors of
a more conservative disposition and those with young children
should bear this in mind.
Night Life
Sitges caters for all tastes but the gay community is
particularly prominent and the local Gay Pages booklet publishes a
monthly list of some of the most hip and happening pink parties and
clubs in Sitges. Other popular nightspots include Trailer for its
weekly foam parties, Organic and Atlantida. Poppular pubs and bars
in Sitges are Parrots pub, which is great for people watching, as
well as Mediteraneo, El Cantil, XXL and Bourbons. Being so close to
one of Europe's top party cities, many Sitges holidaymakers choose
to party in Barcelona on weekends - particularly on Saturday
nights.
Restaurants
Sitges has a fine selection of restaurant options and perhaps
the most difficult part of dining out in Sitges is choosing from
the long list of fine dining options available. Mezzanine on Carrer
de Espalter, Fragata and La Salseta have all garnered rave reviews.
As with most Spanish coastal towns seafood and tapas are the dishes
of choice, but diners should be wary of ordering seafood on a
Monday as the catch may not always be fresh.
Shopping
Shopping in Sitges generally revolves around a number of small
boutique stores and a range of chain stores such as United Colours
of Benetton, Lacoste and Adolfo Dominguez. Most shops in Sitges are
located along Calle Major and Calle Francesc. Shops are open 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 vacation. Buying your
groceries from shops located close to the beach is more expensive,
while the larger supermarkets in 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, for more specialised items there are a number of bakeries,
butchers and delicatessens scattered throughout the town. Tourists
looking for holiday souvenirs and great photos of Sitges should
head to the Friday market.
Time
Local time is GMT +1 (GMT +2 between the last Sunday in March
and the Saturday before the last Sunday in October). The Canary
Islands: GMT (GMT +1 in summer).