Guided Tour of the Palau de Maricel

The Palau de Maricel, opposite the Cau Ferrat, can only be visited with a guide. You walk through the Saló d'Or, the Saló Blau, the Sala Capella, the Sala Vaixells, the terraces and the cloister that looks out over the Mediterranean.

What it is

Maricel grew out of a project by the American collector Charles Deering and Miquel Utrillo. The complex has two parts: the Palau, which in the town they call Maricel de Terra, and the museum opposite, Maricel de Mar. The rooms of the Palau are in a markedly Modernista style and each has its own decoration: it is the building itself you come to see.

The Saló d'Or is the building's great hall and is still used for academic conferences, concerts and town events; among other things it hosted the 1981 Meetings of Catalan and Castilian intellectuals. From the cloister and the terraces a wide view opens out over the Mediterranean.

Times and ticket

From September to June, on Sundays: at 10:00 in English, at 11:00 and 12:00 in Catalan and at 13:00 in Spanish. In July and August, Tuesday and Wednesday: at 10:00 in English, at 11:00 in Spanish and at 12:00 in Catalan. The tour lasts about an hour.

The ticket costs €12; under-17s, free. There are discounts for pensioners, large or single-parent families, students with a Carnet Jove and other groups, and people with a certified disability go in free. Places are few: buy from the Museus de Sitges online shop or at the museums' reception.

As the Palau is also hired out for civil weddings and company events, a session may change: confirm the date when you buy.

In summer, at night

In the summer months, Museus de Sitges extends the programme with tours accompanied by castanet concerts and with full-moon dinners on the terraces. The dates and prices come out each year in their agenda.

How to fit it in

The Palau is in the old town, opposite the Cau Ferrat and the Museu de Maricel, which are visited self-guided. The convenient way is to book a Palau session and see the museums before or after. From the station you walk down towards the sea and the church.