The Americanos' Houses Walk

The "americanos" were the people of Sitges who, at the end of the 18th century, went off to seek their fortune in the former Spanish colonies in the Americas, above all Cuba. Many made their fortunes and returned to modernise the town and build imposing houses. That legacy in stone is today one of Sitges's prettiest faces, and it can be walked in an hour, with no ticket and no opening hours.

Where to go

Start at plaça Eduard Maristany, next to the station, and walk the parallel streets Francesc Gumà, Illa de Cuba and Sant Bartomeu, crossing them along Artur Carbonell, Sant Isidre, Gaudenci and Jesús. Sitges tourism does not mark a fixed itinerary: it suggests setting out from the station and getting happily lost in this grid, where almost every step brings a mansion into view. It is also a lively area, with bars, shops and restaurants, which lends itself to stopping halfway.

The houses are seen from the street. Many are now charming hotels, with hydraulic tile floors and gardens; those that are still private homes cannot be visited inside.

Which houses to look for

Near the station, Casa Pere Carreras and the former Celler Rafael Llopart, a winery that at the end of the 19th century supplied muscatel to the royal household. Also several houses that are now hotels: Casa Manuel Planas, which is the Hotel Noucentista, Casa Antoni Robert or Casa Sebastià Sans.

Halfway to the sea, the essential stop is Casa Bartomeu Carbonell, the clock house, with its tower. Facing the seafront promenade, at the junction of passeig de la Ribera and carrer de Sant Pau, Casa Simó Llaurador, now Hotel Celimar, has a roof that imitates waves with their foam: the town's tourist board cites it as an example of the Americanos' character, with their love of art, of Sitges and of the sea.

When and with whom

You can do it at any time of year and any time of day, although in good light the facades, the ironwork and the bougainvilleas look their best. It is a flat walk along urban streets, suitable for pushchairs and for going with a dog on a lead.

How to combine it

If you arrive by train, Sitges station is the natural starting point. When you finish on the passeig de la Ribera you have the town beaches in front of you, and continuing towards the church you reach the Cau Ferrat and the Museu de Maricel, where you see what another patron, Charles Deering, did with his fortune.