Sitges from Barcelona: Beach Day Trip

By Joan. I have lived in Barcelona for 16 years, and Sitges is where I go when I want a beach that is not my own.

Sitges sits 35 km south of Barcelona on the Costa del Garraf, close enough that the train ride is shorter than some cross-city journeys. It has 17 beaches, a walled old town on a headland and a reputation for being relaxed about everyone who turns up. That combination makes it the default beach escape from the city, and the reason it fills up on a July Saturday. Here is how I would spend the day.

Quick answer:Take the R2 Sud train from Passeig de Gracia, 35 min, from €4.20 one way, leaving every 20-30 minutes. Best beach: Platja Sant Sebastia, the locals favorite on the east side, with cleaner sand than the central strip. Best central beach: Platja de la Fragata, right under the old town. Old town highlights: Sant Bartomeu church, the Maricel Museum and Palau Maricel. Plan 4-8 hours. Prices change, so check the current fare before you travel.

The short version

• The R2 Sud from Passeig de Gracia takes 35 min and costs from €4.20 one way, which makes this the cheapest day out of the city.
• Do the old town first in about 90 minutes, then the beach, because the church on the headland is unpleasant in full afternoon sun.
• Platja Sant Sebastia is the beach I would walk the extra ten minutes for.
• The Maricel and Cau Ferrat museums share a combined ticket from €10 and take an hour between them.
• Lunch on the seafront runs from €25-40 per person, and the places with photo menus on the main strip are the ones to walk past.

How I would order the day: old town while it is cool, beach when it is hot, lunch late. I am ordering by heat and by crowd, not by what is closest to the station, which is why the museums come before the sand.

How to get to Sitges

The easiest route is the R2 Sud Renfe train from Passeig de Gracia or Sants. Trains leave every 20-30 minutes, the journey is 35 minutes and a one way ticket starts from €4.20. Buy at the station machine or use a Hola Barcelona card extended to zone 4. If you drive, take the C32 south, 35 km, 30-40 minutes depending on traffic, and expect metered parking near the beach. I would take the train, because parking in a beach town in August is its own kind of day out.

The old town in 90 minutes

• Start at Sant Bartomeu church on the headland for the panoramic views
• Walk down to the Maricel Museum and Cau Ferrat Museum, combined ticket from €10
• Wander the old town lanes toward the Sitges Film Festival headquarters
• Coffee at Placa del Cap de la Vila

The two museums are the part visitors skip and the part I would keep. They sit in converted palaces on the sea wall, so even if the art does not hold you, the buildings will.

The beaches, in the order I would choose them

1. Platja Sant Sebastia

East side. Locals favorite, cleaner sand. Quieter than the central beaches and worth the extra walk from the station. This is where I would put a towel down.

2. Platja de la Fragata

Central, promenade restaurants right behind it. The convenient one, directly below the old town. Convenience is also why it is the busiest.

3. Platja de la Barra

Families, shallow water. The one to aim for with small children, because the water stays shallow a long way out.

4. Platja dels Balmins

Small cove on the east end. LGBT and nudist. A cove rather than a strip, so it feels separate from the rest of the seafront.

5. Platja de Garraf

6 km north, quieter, bohemian fishing village. A different stop on the same line and a different day out. Go here if Sitges itself feels too full.

Where to eat

Fragata for seafood on the seafront, from €25-40 per person. La Salseta for modern Catalan in the old town. Beachhouse for international food on the promenade. Avoid anywhere with plastic menu photos on the main strip, which is advice that works in every beach town on this coast and is still worth repeating here.

Sitges through the year

• Carnival in February, one of the biggest in Europe and openly LGBT friendly
• Corpus Christi flower carpets in June
• Sitges Film Festival in October, horror and fantasy
• Santa Tecla in September, the town patron festival

Carnival is the one worth planning a trip around, and it is also the one where you should book a return train you can actually get on.

Before you go

• Check the return train times before you settle on the beach, the R2 Sud is frequent but not endless
• Take the old town first and the sand afterwards, the headland has no shade
• Plan 4-8 hours door to door, which is a full day and not a morning
• Fares and museum tickets change, so check the current ones rather than trusting this page

Sitges Day Trips & Tours

Guided tours from Barcelona or combined Sitges plus Penedes wine day. Worth comparing against the train if you would rather have the driving done for you.

If you only have two days in Barcelona, keep Sitges for the next trip. If you have more, this is the easiest good day out that exists on this coast.