The Catalonian town of Sitges is located on the Costa Brava, some 20 miles southwest of Barcelona. A former fishing village it is now noted worldwide for its Film Festival and Carnival. It is ideally situated between the Garraf Massif and the sea and is admired for its much loved beaches and pristine water, nightlife and history. Many people who visit Barcelona come to Sitges to its beaches and particularly during Carnival time. This means that when it comes to booking hotels Sitges is the same as anywhere else and you need to book early to get the best rooms and prices.
If you enjoy water sports Sitges offers a wide variety which includes not only powered jet skiing, water skiing, water motor biking but also surfing, scuba diving, windsurfing and boating. All can be booked direct or you can get advice from any of the hotels Sitges offers at their reception areas.
Sitges cultural events include the International Vintage Car Rally and the Catalonia International Film Festival. This runs for ten days in October or November every year; originally it was just specialized in fantasy and horror films but this has now expanded to include a wider range and attracts many big-name actors and producers. For those interested in fine art, paintings by Picasso, El Greco and Zuloaga are to be seen at the house-studio of Rusinol and the Maricel Museum specializes in Romanesque, Gothic and Modern art collections. Sitges location and history explains why it has been so popular with a wide range of visitors for so long. It provides a comfortable and welcoming venue for young and old, gay and straight. Families enjoy safe beaches, theme and water parks and ice cream parlors together with the microclimate that enables the town to enjoy sunshine for over 300 days a year. Older visitors appreciate the architecture of the old town and the many restaurants.
For many Sitges is primarily a beach town and people come from all over Catalonia to revel on one of its seventeen clean sandy beaches. Each has a wooden walkway down the center to protect your feet from the sand which can become surprisingly hot. In June and July the beach gets very busy and it is worth getting there early to get a good spot.
There is a large gay holiday population and the Carnival in February and March boasts a program of parades and masked balls, the climax of which is the Tuesday late night parade in which you can watch drag queens in exquisite dress twirl lacy parasols and dance to the many bands.
Returning to the question of hotels Sitges is well provided with a variety of options, in fact it is packed with places for a visitor to stay. Due to its favored location it is also packed with visitors who want to use the facilities and particularly in the summer months visitors need to plan well ahead. There is a useful variety of hotels ranging from five star luxuries to the one star guesthouse and pleasingly for the traveler standards tend to be high and prices competitive.
You can enjoy a wide range of authentic Catalonian food here and there are numerous tapas bars and restaurants to choose from. If you must there are plenty of restaurants serving international cuisine ranging from Tai to French and Chinese, all using fresh local produce. Catalonians are justly proud of their local cuisine and this is very different to tapas, being made up of complete dishes rather than shared food. Since it is on the coast seafood dishes are available and impressive and mix well with vegetables such as red peppers, egg plants and tomatoes available fresh in abundance in the area.
Close to are the mountains where pigs and sheep graze and this explains the fashion for "May Y Mantagna" - Sea and Mountain or "Surf n Turf" where you enjoy meat and fish on the same plate. For the fish lover Esqueixada is well worth seeking out. This is a salad made with peppers, tomatoes, onions, red wine vinegar and shredded bacalao. Bacalao is typical of the region and is cod preserved in salt and soaked before cooking. Suquet de Peix is a seafood stew cooked in garlic with a variety of fish that has been caught that day. This is all well worth trying and makes for a more complete appreciation of the area.
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1.1950
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