Budget guide to Sitges, a quick hop from Barcelona

people walking on beach in Sitges
Strolling the beach in Sitges, Spain. Photo: Jef N.

Known worldwide for its Film Festival and Carnival, Sitges is a beachy escape less than an hour from Barcelona.  With 17 beaches to choose from and an estimated 300+ sunny days a year, you’re sure to find a stretch of sand to call your own.

When you get tired of soaking of the sun, just stroll the palm-lined boardwalk or head to the whitewashed, charming Old Town for a look around.

Related: Easy and affordable day trips from Barcelona

How to get there and get around

The nearest airport to Sitges is Barcelona’s El Prat and there are flights from cities throughout Europe starting at €50. From Barcelona, getting to Sitges costs around €3-6 via train (42 minutes) or  about €4 via bus (30 minutes).

Sitges is only half an hour away by car, and 40 minutes by ferry from Barcelona’s port (€20 one way, €29 round trip). Once you get there, the city is flat and walkable, so there’s no need to hop transit to get around.

Free & Cheap Things to Do

Leisure time and tourism in Sitges revolves around the seafront. Sure, there are the festivals, a few museums to see, and a charming old town, but the main event here is the beach.

Sitges Beach

Take a dip in the Mediterranean just steps from the town. Photo: Jorge F.

Beaches

Building sandcastles, playing Frisbee, and frolicking in the Mediterranean are your best bet for activities on a budget in Sitges. Unfortunately, seaside luxuries like jet ski rentals, sailing lessons, and scuba diving are not cheap.

However you decide to spend your time by the seaside, just be sure to choose your Sitges beach carefully. Three of them, Platja dels Balmains, Platja d’Aiguadolç, and Playa del Muerto are nudist.

Free events and festivals

The city’s wild Carnaval (late February to early March) and Festa Major (August 20-25) are a great time to take in dozens of free events from concerts to dramatic regional traditions like fire-runners and human towers. Sci-fi and fantasy film aficionados may find it worthwhile to attend the Sitges Film Festival in October and even participate in its zombie parade, although accommodation fills up fast for above-normal prices.

Free art

While Sitges has a few museums, there are no free days (or even a free afternoon). Luckily, for Cheapos, the city’s cobblestone streets are crowded with private galleries of all shapes and sizes. For an afternoon or morning of free art, don’t be shy — walk into any that catch your fancy and have a look around, even if buying original art isn’t in your budget this trip.

Budget-friendly Eats and Nightlife

Xató is to Sitges as paella is to Valencia. This typical local dish is an endive salad topped with cod, tuna, anchovies, eggplant, and black olives then drizzled with a thick pepper, almond, and garlic sauce.

For traditional tapas in an authentic setting, grab a table at El Cable (c/ Barcelona, 1), but be prepared to make your order in Catalan for better service.

For a cheap daily menu, try the 3-course midday offering for €10 at Triana (Passeig de Vilanova, 12). It also includes wine or beer and an after dinner coffee.

For inexpensive vegetarian and healthy fare, head to Lizy’s Kitchen (c/Sant Bonaventura, 3).

When it comes to going out in Sitges, a lot of local establishments cater to gay clientele. For drinks on the wild and cheap side, head to Calle 1er de Maig, known to locals as the “Street of Sin”, full of partiers and music leaking out into the street. For a quieter night out on the town, pull up a chair on a bar terrace at Plaça del Cap de la Vila.

Cheap Sleeps

Sitges is popular year-round, but things really pick up in July and August and in the dates around the larger festivals, so book as far ahead as possible for the best selection at the best price.  For extra savings, try to book your stay in the middle of the week.

Even if you can’t wrangle an off-season, midweek stay, hotel and B&B rooms with private bathrooms can be had for around €85/night. Shared dorms at hostels start at €20/night.

Hotel Subur

A seaside double room at Hotel Subur. Photo: Booking.com

We like the comfortable, reasonably priced rooms and the pool at Hotel Galeon and Hotel Subur for their beachfront location. Avoid places just off the boardwalk with a menu in five languages as a rule of thumb; if it looks like a tourist trap and feels like a tourist trap, it’s probably a tourist trap.

Search over 600 hotels in Sitges, Spain. 

Your budget tips for Sitges, Spain

Have a tip to add to our list for visiting Sitges? Join the discussion by leaving a comment below!

About the author

Chris Ciolli

Chris Ciolli is a writer, translator and editor from the American midwest who’s been living in the Mediterranean for more than a decade. From her home base in Barcelona she writes about food, culture and travel in Catalonia, Spain and the rest of the world. Her work has been featured on AFAR.com, LaVanguardia.com, and Fathomaway.com. Between projects, Chris paints, makes jewelry, writes about her book addiction at Read.Learn.Write and muses about the traveling life at her blog, Midwesterner Abroad.

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