# Sunday in Sitges: seafront promenade, old town and rice

The seafront promenade from end to end, the old town of the Punta and the Cau Ferrat, and a rice dish facing the sea. By train from Barcelona, without thinking about parking.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/catalonia/sitges/itineraries/sitges-promenade-and-rice · Revisado: 2026-11-11

## El día
- 10:00 · Salida: 45 min by car (R2 Sud train from Sants or Passeig de Gràcia)
- 10:45 · La Punta, the Old Town and the Seafront Promenade (Indiano houses, seafront promenade and the Punta · 1 h 30 · flat)
  - 2 min on foot
- 12:30 · Cau Ferrat and Maricel Museums (Cau Ferrat and Maricel · 1 h · €12, free for under-17s)
  - 4 min on foot
- 14:00 · Maricel Restaurant (Restaurante Maricel · rice dishes facing the beach · €€€ · booking required) · Maricel Restaurant, €€€
- 16:30 · Vuelta (Walk to the station; home around 17:30)

Sitges is the easiest seaside Sunday from Barcelona. The train drops you ten minutes from the beach, the promenade is flat from one end to the other and the old town, perched on a rock above the water, can be walked in an hour. Outside summer you have the town almost to yourself: winter sun, terraces with space and rice to finish.

## The day, hour by hour

10:00 · Train. The Rodalies R2 Sud leaves from Sants and Passeig de Gràcia and takes between 35 and 45 minutes.

10:45 · The houses of the americanos. The station is on Plaça d'Eduard Maristany, with the tourist office next to it (on Sundays it is open from 10:00 to 14:00). Walk down towards the sea along Carrer d'Illa de Cuba, Sant Bartomeu and Francesc Gumà. They are the streets of the indianos: locals who made their fortune in America and came back to build mansions, many now turned into hotels. Look out for Casa Bartomeu Carbonell, the one with the clock on the tower.

11:15 · The seafront promenade. You come out on Passeig de la Ribera and follow it towards the church. The whole promenade is 2.5 km and passes eight urban beaches; at a normal pace it is half an hour, but it takes longer because everything invites you to stop. At the end the steps climb to Plaça del Baluard and the church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla, from the 17th century, the silhouette that appears in every photo of Sitges. From there it is known as the Punta.

12:00 · The old town. Behind the church, Carrer del Fonollar leads to the Cau Ferrat and the Maricel complex, and ends at the Vidal-Quadras bastion viewpoint, above Sant Sebastià beach. Come back along Carrer de la Davallada, with remains of the medieval wall, and continue along Carrer d'en Bosc, the oldest in the town, to the Palau del Rei Moro, a Gothic building.

12:30 · Cau Ferrat and Maricel. The Cau Ferrat was the home-studio of the painter Santiago Rusiñol and holds his collection of wrought iron, painting and ceramics; the Maricel Museum is right next door. The joint ticket costs €12 and is free for under-17s. They are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00 from November to March and 10:00 to 19:00 from April to October. An hour is enough for both.

14:00 · Lunch at Maricel. You go down from the old town to Passeig de la Ribera: the restaurant is at number 6, facing the beach and a couple of minutes from the church. It is not the museum of the same name. It has its own rice section and seafood cooking; on Sunday it serves lunch from 13:00 to 15:15, and is closed on Tuesdays. Book on its website or by phone.

16:30 · Return. One last stroll along the shore and to the station. There are several trains an hour.

## What to order

At Maricel, order one of its rice dishes: black rice with clams and artichokes, seafood paella without shells or soupy rice with lobster. For a starter, grandmother's cannelloni or Cantabrian anchovies with bread and tomato. From November to March look for xató, the curly endive salad with salt cod and anchovy and its almond and ñora pepper sauce: Sitges is part of the Ruta del Xató and in winter many menus include it. For dessert, a glass of Sitges malvasia, the town's sweet wine. Book by Saturday at the latest: on sunny Sundays the terraces on the promenade fill up at two.

## If you have time to spare

Follow the seafront to the north: from Sant Sebastià beach climb to the hermitage of the same name, walk along the Balmins promenade and go down some steps to the Aiguadolç harbour. It is about 40 minutes more, with the sea all the way.

## With children and with a dog

The whole route can be done with a pushchair, except the steps up the Punta, which can be bypassed. Sant Sebastià beach is the one for the town's families. Under-17s enter the museums free. With a dog, the promenade is fine; in summer, the only beach in Sitges with free access for dogs is Vallcarca, far from the centre.

## Cómo llegar

### Without a car
It is the most comfortable way. R2 Sud train from Sants or Passeig de Gràcia, 35 to 45 minutes and several trains an hour. Take the R2 Sud: regional trains do not stop at all the coastal stations.

### By car
About 45 minutes from Barcelona on the C-32 motorway. On sunny Sundays the centre fills up early: arrive before eleven or park near the station and walk down.

## Consejos

### Go outside summer
From October to June the promenade, the terraces and the old town are quiet. In August it is a different plan.

### Museums before lunch in winter
From November to March the Cau Ferrat closes at 17:00. If you leave it for the afternoon, you go in a rush.

### First Wednesday of the month, free
If you can swap Sunday for a Wednesday, on that day the Sitges museums do not charge.

### Monday, closed
The museums close every Monday. If a long weekend falls on a Monday, do the museum on Sunday.

## Un consejo más

### If it rains
Swap the order: museums in the morning, a long lunch and a stroll if it clears. The old town is small and can be crossed in ten minutes.

## Cuándo no ir

Carnival weekend and Sundays in July and August if you are after calm. They are the busiest days of the year.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does the train from Barcelona take?
Between 35 and 45 minutes on the R2 Sud from Sants or Passeig de Gràcia, with several trains an hour.

### How much does it cost to enter the Cau Ferrat?
€12 for the joint ticket with the Maricel Museum. It is free for under-17s and on the first Wednesday of each month.

### Are the museums open on Sunday?
Yes, from 10:00 to 17:00 in winter and from 10:00 to 19:00 from April to October. They close on Mondays.

### Do I need to book for lunch?
Yes, especially on a terrace and in good weather. Book one or two days ahead.

### Can I go with a dog?
Along the promenade and in the town, yes. In bathing season only Vallcarca beach admits dogs.

### What do you eat in Sitges?
Rice and fish facing the sea, xató in winter and Sitges malvasia for dessert.
