The following itinerary can be done on foot or by bike.
Should you not have your own bike, rentals are available:
Sitges Bike Shop Carrer Sant Pere 31 Telf. +34 93 119 35 13 | +34 617 880 596 |
Some Sitges hotels offer bike rentals. Check availability directly with the hotel.
Segways are also available for rent and are another fun way of seeing the sights. They can be rented with or without guide. The pick up point is on the Paseo Marítimo in front of the Avinguda Sofía.
Agisitges, a cultural services company, offers a 2 hour guided tour of Sitges in various languages on electric bikes. The electric bikes may also be rented without guide on Tel. +34 617 880 596 (Formula Extrem)
If on foot or with small children, it should be noted that the Paseo or Promenade is approximately 2.5 km/1.5 miles long. It is called Paseo de la Ribera at the beginning and then becomes the Paseo Marítimo. The walk described below follows the seafront and the beaches. It is easy as the terrain is flat and very pleasant. At the start of the walk, along the Paseo de la Ribera there are restaurants and hotels on the right hand side. Further on, also on the right hand side of the Paseo Marítimo are the residential areas of El Vinyet and Terramar with splendid mansions and gardens.
We suggest starting out from the Plaza de la Fragata, the area below La Punta (another name for the parish church).
At the foot of the Punta staircase there is a bronze sculpture by Pere Jou called La Sirena. In the Plaza de la Fragata there is a little garden border and various sculptures (a grape harvester, a neoclassical representation of Mars…). The sculptures depicting Catalan painters Ramón Casas and Santiago Rusiñol with an easel are among the most recent pieces to be added to the collection in the square. The Paseo which begins in front of the Fragata beach and runs south, also features some sculptures along the way (Monument to El Greco, a sculpture in honour of Bacardí…)
We will come upon the famous Xiringuito on the Paseo, which happens to be the first chiringuito in Spain. It is a picturesque café founded in 1913 by Captain Calafell as a popular alternative to the sophistication of the Pabellón del Mar. The name originates in Cuban plantations where workers would make coffee using a cane and a stocking that was squeezed until a trickle or chiringuito of brew would filter through.
At the height of the Hotel Calípolis, there is a park with swings where children may play while their parents enjoy the sea views. Continuing the walk along the Paseo Marítimo we may see some fine examples of Indiano houses, some of them impressive mansions indeed. Towards the end of the passé we come upon the Hotel Terramar and the Hotel Punta Golf, both with restaurants offering good food and great views. On the beach in front of the Hotel Terramar there is a chiringuito where you can have a drink, snacks or ice cream. In front of the Punta Golf there is no traffic, so parents may relax with a drink on the hotel terrace while the kids play on the passé below. Another option is to take a picnic and enjoy it on the beach or alternatively in the shade of the Jardins del Terramar, a noucentista or nineteenth century style park of generous proportions (35,590 m2) located behind the Terramar hotel, featuring Mediterranean vegetation, swings, a small dirt football field, a bandstand, a pond, some picnic tables and toilets. Bikes are allowed. In the summer the park is open from 10am to 8pm and in the winter it closes at 7pm. Many Sitges children make use of this free public space to celebrate their birthday party during opening hours. The park may be rented for dinners or presentations.
Next to the Terramar Park is the Campo de Golf de Terramar (the entrance to the golf club is a short walk away).
On the way back you can either return along the Paseo or walk along the residential roads of the Terramar and Vinyet neighbourhoods contemplating some more lovely houses and their gardens and visit the Santuario del Vinyet, on Passeig del Dr. Benaprés 43 on the corner with Passeig de Vilanova (C-31 road to Vilanova). It is a small sanctuary in honour of the Virgin of Vinyet, built on the site where according to legend, a slave found Her image under a vine.
This neoclassical church underwent some modifications in the 20th century and was built between 1727 and 1733 on the site of a previous religious construction. There are documents that date back to the 13th century that already mention the Vinyet Sanctuary. The people of Sitges are particularly devoted to the Virgin of Vinyet, and many local women and girls are named after her. Sailors are also devoted to Our Lady of Vinyet and their donations have filled the arches in the aisles with votive offerings in the shape of ships. The sanctuary has a single nave and 10 lateral chapels that are connected. The façade is simple and austere and is a great contrast with the sumptuous and baroque interior.
Leaving the Vinyet Sanctuary, cross the main road at the traffic lights to reach the mini-golf, where you can spend a fun afternoon testing your putting abilities and where kids can also play ping-pong, futbolín (table football) or jump on the trampolines. If using bikes, you may wish to return to the town centre following the bike path (highlighted in red) on the pavement of the main road (Paseo Vilanova). Kindly note that some stretches of the bike path are shared with pedestrians.