Sitges Guide & Information, Costa Dorado, Spain
Sitges is a very attractive town full of expensive majestic houses built for "Americanos" wealthy men returning to Spain after making their money in Latin America. Many of these houses are now museums or hotels. Therefore Sitges has retained a higher degree of quality & has not reduced itself to the lowest common denominators that is so common in tourism towns & cities.
Sites has attracted artists for a few hundred years and is now a Catalan art avant garde centre and a chic resort still retaining it's traditional Spanish feel.
The magnificent palm fringed promenade is backed with pleasant tapas bars and restaurants and fronted by several golden sand beaches separated by protective rock breakwater groins.
The quaint romantic old town which is built around a rocky promontory with its iconic church jutting out into the glittering blue waters of the Mediterranean.
Sitges is lively during the late evening & night & has an excellent choice of tapas bars and restaurants along the waterfront and in its narrow streets of the old town.
For those who want to show they are a dancing queen, you can dance the night away in one of discos in the resort which stay open until the early hours.
Although the town is very welcoming and tolerant of gays and there are many venues that cater almost exclusively for a gay clientele, there are far more bars, restaurants that cater for heterosexually couples, groups & families's.
Who should go? Gay and lesbian visitors will obviously feel right at home in this fun and cosmopolitan city, as should anyone else. With thriving restaurants and bars to entertain you in the evening, gorgeous beaches and a reputation as a town of culture, it's easy to see that most adult tourists should have a wonderful time in Sitges.
Sitges quietens down slightly in October and is much quieter throughout winter when some of the venues close or only open at weekends.
The charms of Sitges and a prominence of 4 star hotels on average make the town slightly more expensive that other resorts in Spain.
Sitges Location
Although many British tour operators state that Sitges is located on the Costa Dorado also known as Costa Daurada (Gold coast). It is actually located on the Costa Garraf which lies between Costa Dorado & Barcelona on the western Mediterranean coast of Northern Spain's region of Catalonia.
- Sitges is 35 kilometres south of Barcelona
- 28 kilometres south of Barcelona Prat International Airport with a very frequent train service requiring 1 change at the first station after the airport
- Tarragona 52 kilometres
Sitges Beaches
Video Showing 2 of Sitges great beaches
Pedalos on Sitges Beach Pedalo
Sunbathing on Sitges Beach
Sitges Beach
Backed by a pedestrian promenade, Sitges boasts long stretches of award winning sandy beaches which are perfect for sunbathing and swimming. There are good facilities for watersports if you are feeling energetic including windsurfing and sea kayaking.
Beaches listed from East to West
All the following beaches have the following facilities, except where indicated in the beaches individual descriptions:
- First Aid & Lifeguards.
- Chiringuito's The traditional beach cafe bar built on the sandy beach, or backing bars & restaurants located on the promenade.
- Sun beds & sun shades available to hire, usually for the hour, morning, afternoon or day.
- Toilets
- Showers to remove salt & sand. note that soap & shampoo is usually banned.
Platja D Aiguadolc Beach
Located east of Aiguadolc Marina & harbour. This beach has some nudism but nudists tend to walk further eastward where there are a series of more secluded coves & small beaches for about 1 kilometre
- Accessibility ramps
Platja Dels Balmins Beach
Located immediately to the west of Aiguadolc Marina & harbour & 15 minutes walk east of the church. The beach has a backdrop of low rocky cliffs and it is a mixed nudist & non nudist beach
Located east of the church immediately to the east ofMarcel Palace & Museum & 200 metres west of Balmins Beach. A large beach slightly separated from the next beach.
- Blue Flag beach
- Bars & Restaurants back the beach
Platja de la Fragata Beach
Located in front of the church
- No Snack bars or Sunbeds
- Peddle boats, Watersports & beach sports
- Popular with families
- Accesability ramps
Platja de la Ribera Beach
Large beach because the water line is further away & the nearest beach to Sitges centre usually make this beach the most crowded
- Accesability ramps
Platja de la Bassa Rodona Beach
- Sitges main Gay beach. This beach is thinner.
Platja de l'Estanyol Beach
- Another narrow beach Accesability ramps
Platja de la Riera Xica Beach
Also a narrow beach
Platja de la Barra Beach
- The protective rock pile groins& 4 circular rock piles in the sea have created a 3 horse shoe shaped beach.
- Barra Beach & the beaches below are further away from Sitges centre therefore are less crowded.
Platja de Terramar Beach
- Another beach similar to Barra Beach. The beach is not as high a standard to the beaches to the east.
Platja de Les Aquines Beach
- The last of the beaches in front of the town. The rock pile groins almost touch each other giving a very enclosed beach that looks different to all the others.
Platja de les Coves beach
- A small private beach belonging to L' Atlantida disco, NOW CLOSED, famous for it's beach parties
- Nude Beach
- Located a good walk beyond the western end of Sitges.
Platja del Home Mort Beach
- Sitges Nude Gay beach.
- Located about 200 metres beyond The mixed Nude Beach and separated from it by a small rocky & shrub covered headland.
Restaurants in Sitges
- Sitges's promenade is well known for its plentiful glass fronted restaurants with boast glorious views over the beach and out to sea. Most cafes, restaurants and tapas bars have al fresco dining along the pleasant tree lined pavements of the promenade.
- Fresh fish and paella feature heavily on menus and you can try tapas dishes at the chiringuitos, beach hut bars, along the beachfront.
- In the resort centre, there are numerous bars, cafes and restaurants offering everything from fast food to a la carte cuisine.
- After your meal you can continue the evening in the many bars throughout the town which are open until late. After midnight the nightclubs start to open and stay open until around 6am.
Sitges Attractions & Local interest
- Wander through the old town of Sitges and visit the romantically named Palau Maricel, the Palace of the Sea and Sky, which houses a fine collection of paintings dating from the Middle Ages to the present and offers splendid panoramic views.
- Cosmopolitan Barcelona is only a short train journey from Sitges and is well worth a look.
- Explore the winding streets of Barcelona's Gothic quarter or admire the awe inspiring beauty of the Sagrada Familia church.
- Further along the coast, the national park around the Ebro Delta is home to an astounding number of waterfowl and seabirds and makes for a great day out. If you are holidaying in June the Corpus Christi festival is a fabulous spectacle with carpets of flowers covering the streets.
Sitges Church
Sitges Church Front
Sitges Church Steps leading to the Sea Front
Iglesia de San Bartolome y Santa Tecla.
- Located right on the sea front and jutting out into the Mediterranean sea the Church of San Bartolome y Santa Tecla is rather iconic and can be seen from the full length of the promenade to the west of it.
- A steep flight of steps lead down from the church to the breakwater protecting La Fragata beach
See location of Iglesia de San Bartolome on our Sitges map
Sitges Maricel Palace & Museum
Video Maricel Palace(Palau de Maricel) in Sitges
Sitges Maricel Museum
Sitges Sea Front Street at Night on the east side of the Church and showing the Maricel Palace on the left & the Museum straight ahead
Sitges Maricel Palace Museum Description
- Originally a palace built after World War I for Charles Deering an American.
- The building is in two sections and joined by an enclosed bridge over the street.
- The palace is on one side of the road & the Museum on the other.
Address: Carrer del Fonallar
See location of Maricel Palace Museum on our Sitges map
Sitges Shopping and Markets
- Browse around the little shops of the old quarter of Sitges.
- Hunt for bargains in the weekly market in nearby Vilanova, only a short train journey away.
- Further along the coast, the city of Barcelona offers a comprehensive range of shops ranging from smart boutiques to large department stores.
Sitges Marina
There are 2 Marinas at Sitges.
Marina & beach boat launch area on Right of Sitges Church
- This is actually a beach boat launch area where small boats, pedalos are stored & available to hire
Marina & Harbour
- The Aiguadolc marina is a further 8oo metres to the east of the church
More Sitges Photographs
Sitges Promenade
Sitges Restaurant in a narrow Street
Sitges Street Restaurant
A wide choice of Restaurants are scattered throughout Sitges narrow Streets
Sitges Shops
Sitges Sea Front Street at Night with the Can Ferret Museum Straight Ahead
Sitges
Sitges Bars Sitges Clubs & Sitges Discos
Most of the narrow streets of Sitges Old Town have a selection of bars and restaurants these are very popular at night time. The bars and restaurants along the seafront are also popular at lunch time, especially the ones with good views.
More information Sitges Bars Sitges Clubs & Sitges Discos
Sitges Airport
The nearest airport to Sitges is Barcelona Airport
Information of transport Airport Transfers, Buses & trains to/from Sitges Barcelona Airport
Sitges Railway Station & Bus Services
Full details about Sitges Railway Station and Bus Services are located on our Sitges Transport page
Sitges Taxis
Full details of Sitges Taxis, telephone numbers and a map of Taxi ranks is located on our Sitges Transport Taxis page
Taxi Stands & Telephone numbers are on our Sitges Transport Taxi Page
Sitges Post Office
- The Post Office is located in:
- Carrer de Mossèn Joan Llopis Pi, 1, 08870 Sitges, Barcelona, Spain
Sitges Official Tourist Information Office
- Tourist Information Office
- Plaza Eduard Maristany, 2 08870 Sitges
- Av. Camí de la Fita, 1, 08870 Sitges, Barcelona, Spain Open 24 hours.