Sitges

Sitges was a fishing town that became an artists' colony in the 1890s when Santiago Rusinol settled there and made his house, Cau Ferrat, a centre of Catalan Modernisme, filling it with ironwork, ceramics and two El Grecos; it is now a museum alongside the Maricel next door. The church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla stands on a rock above the sea and gives the town its silhouette. Seventeen beaches run along the front and beyond, including several that are gay and nudist, and since the 1980s Sitges has been one of the main gay resorts in Europe. Its February carnival is among the largest in Catalonia, and the October fantasy and horror film festival is internationally established.

What you actually see

• The church on the rock - Sant Bartomeu above the sea, the town's outline.
• Cau Ferrat - Rusinol's house museum with ironwork and two El Grecos.
• The seventeen beaches - a long run of sand along and beyond the front.
• The festivals - February carnival and October's film festival.

When to go

May, June, September and October for the beaches without peak crowds; February for carnival and October for the film festival, both of which fill the town. July and August are extremely busy.

Honest expectations

Accommodation prices rise sharply during carnival, the film festival and Pride, and book out months ahead. The town is small and gets very crowded. Trains from Barcelona are packed on summer weekends.

Nearby

The Penedes cava cellars lie inland; Barcelona is forty minutes by train.