Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CARNIVAL TIME
CarnivalinSitges(
Carnestoltes
inCatalan;Feb/March)isoutrageous,thankslargelytothe
stronggaypresence. Itopensontheso-called Fat Thursday with thearrival oftheCarnival
King, following which there's a full programme of parades, masked balls, concerts, beach
partiesandsausagesizzles.Thetraditional
xatónada
galadinnersarenamedafterthecarni-
val dish,
xató
, a kind of salt-cod salad, which originates in Sitges. There's a children's pro-
cession on Sunday, while Carnival climaxes in Sunday night's Debauchery Parade and the
evenbiggerTuesday-nightExterminationParade,inwhichexquisitelydresseddragqueens
swan about the streets in high heels, twirling lacy parasols and coyly fanning themselves.
Bar doors stand wide open, bands play and processions and celebrations go on until dawn.
The seafront
There are clean sand
beaches
on either side of the old-town headland, though these become
extremely crowded in high season. For more space it's best to keep walking west along
the promenade, past a series of eight interlinked beaches that runs a couple of kilometres
down the coast as far as the
HotelTerramar
. There are breakwaters, beach bars, restaurants,
showers and watersports facilities along the way, with the more notorious gay nudist beaches
found at the far end.
Scoresofhandsome
restoredmansions
intownwerebuiltinthenineteenthcenturybysuc-
cessful local merchants (known as “Americanos”) who returned from Cuba and Puerto Rico.
A walk along the seafront promenade reveals the best of them, adorned with wrought-iron
balconies, stained-glass windows and ceramic decoration.
The old town
The knoll overlooking the beaches and marina is topped by the landmark Baroque
Església
Parroquial
(parish church) dedicated to Sant Bartolomeu, whose festival is celebrated in
town in the last week of August. The views from the terrace sweep along the coast, while be-
hind, in the narrow streets of the old town, you'll find a series of late-medieval whitewashed
mansions as well as the brick
Mercat Vell
(Old Market), the latter now an exhibition hall.
The pedestrianized shopping street,
Carrer Major
, is the best place for browsing boutiques.
Fundació Stämpfli
Pl. de l'Ajuntament 13 • July-Sept Fri & Sat 9.30am-2pm & 4-7pm, Sun 10am-3pm; Oct-June Fri & Sat
9.30am-2pm & 3.30-6.30pm, Sun 10am-3pm • €3.50, combined ticket for all museums €6.50 • 938 940
The city's old fish market is now home to the wide-ranging contemporary art collection of
Swiss-born artist Peter Stämpfli and his wife, Anna Maria, who've been active members of
Sitges'artscenesincethe1970s.Theworks-someeightypaintings,sculpturesandmoreby
international artists such as Erró, Gérard Fromanger and Stämpfli himself - offer a sweep-
