Sitges: a perfect day trip for summer

Another perfect full-day trip from Barcelona is the sea resort town of Sitges. A half hour train ride from Plaza Catalunya gets you there, and the trains run from 6 A.M. to midnight.

Wedged beautifully between the hills and the sea Sitges has an impressive artistic and cultural heritage. Luckily Sitges escaped the overzealous development that has decimated fate of so much of the Mediterranean coast.

There is nothing tacky or cheap about Sitges. In fact property in “The St. Tropez of Spain” is as pricey as any city in Europe. But what do you care; you’re only going for a day.

Sitges’s charm is its architecture. Many Catalans went to the Americas to make their fortunes. Many returned in the late 19 century with lots of money and commissioned large mansions in the place to be, Sitges, and in the latest fashion, the art nouveau (modernist) movement of Gaudi and others. Many of these intriguing mansions can be found on the “Carrer Illa de Cuba” (The Island of Cuba Street). Guess where these Catalans made their fortune .Well, not the United States.

And Sitges has always been a center for artists going all the way back to when Catalan impressionist painter Santiago Rusiñol took up residence there.

Of course summer means beaches and Sitges has them for all tastes. If you go in for international crowds and jet-set celebrities, check out the main beach “de la Ribera. See and be seen! If more intimate beaches are more your style search among the small rocky bays and coves. Try Sant Sebastian beach, for example. There is even a nudist beach, permitted but not required.

After a day at the beach Sitges comes alive. After dark the weather cools down, the discos, pubs, and clubs heat up. You can put in some after-dark time at the “Carrer del pecat” (“The Street of Sin”) and still catch the midnight train back to the hotel.

Next week (25 August 21-25), their "Festa Major " is the show. Don't miss all the dance, music and shows of this typical fiesta.

Because of Sitges’s artistic tradition and its sheer beauty many festivals and street parties make their home here. The most famous one is The International Film Festival. Last year it celebrated its 40 th anniversary. It started out dedicated to science fiction, horror, and fantasy flicks and keeps a lot of this tone and attracts film celebrities year after year. It is coming up from October 2 to 12.

And Sitges celebrates Carnival. It’s not Rio, but it is one of Europe’s most famous. It has the usual fancy costumes, parades, and enthusiastic party goers. It is an especial favourite of the gay community who are one of the many groups who choose Sitges for good times.

Beaches in Barcelona surroundings (part 2/2)

Barcelona’s beaches are ok, but why not to hop a train or a bus for a different beach experience? It will take between 20 minutes and 1 hour, depending on the place you choose. Here you have some recommendations:

Castelldefels: is located at the heart of Costa del Garraf. More than five kilometres worth of fine beaches are found there, only a few minutes away from Barcelona. This place offers the chance to indulge in watersports, take a dip in the calm Mediterranean Sea, sunbathe or go for a quiet stroll.
It is equipped with showers, rubbish bins, wooden walkways down to the sand, children's play areas, lifeguard towers and chairs, toilets, etc.
Also, the visitor will be able to play any water sport in the unbeatable facilities of the marina, including canoeing in the Olympic Canal, built for the 1992 Olympics. The lovely temperatures of the coast of Barcelona will let you enjoy the Mediterranean waters and the rich artistic heritage. The ancient castle of Fels, which gave this town its name, dominates the coastline of the city.
How to get there: From the main Barcelona train station (Sants) take the line C-2 of Cercanías Renfe to Casteldefels Platja station (be careful, there is another station in the town). The trip takes around 20 minutes.

Sitges: people flock from all over Catalunya to enjoy its long stretch of clean, sandy beaches. The town is the proud owner of a total of seventeen beaches – many with their own character and individual appeal. One of the highlights of Sitges is its picturesque promenade that runs right down the beach front and is lined with palm trees.
At night there are areas of town that are very lively. It is the sort of town that has something to offer everybody. It appeals to young and old, couples and singles, families and groups of friends. It is often considered to be a popular destination for the gay traveller.
Sitges worth a complete day trip. Check it out clicking here.
How to get there: You can take the train Cercanías Renfe in Barcelona main station, Sants, or in Passeig de Gràcia station, closer from downtown. Take the line 2SUD, with direction to Sant Vicent de Calders. The trip take around 35 minutes

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Tamariu: situated in a quiet and secluded bay of the Costa Brava. It's name comes from the presence of many Tamarind trees along the promenade. Tamariu is typical of the many small coves set amongst rugged pine covered cliffs cascading down to meet the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Originally a small fishing village, Tamariu has not been over developed and has retained its individuality and charm.
The crystal clear water is ideal for swimming as the beach, especially on the right hand side, shelves at a fairly gentle angle. It is also popular as a dive site as there are many caves to explore along with the submerged mountain of the Llosa de Cala Nova.
How to get there: rent a car is a gooD idea in this case, but if you prefer public transportation, first at all, you have to go to Flaça (from Barcelona Passeig the Gracia station, regional train) or Parafrugell (by bus, from Barcelona Estacio del Nord) and there, take a bus to the Tamariu bus station.

Tossa: Located on the Girona coast, at half way between the city of Barcelona and the French border, Tossa de Mar is an ancient fishermen's village with an important historical background, that has been transformed during the last 50 years into an emblematic tourist destination of the Costa Brava area.
This town has three main beaches. The Tossa Beach, in front of downtown; 'El Codolar', behind the walls; and 'la Mar Menuda', on the other side of the bay.
The Platja Gran is the perfect place to lie under the sun and do nothing for a couple of hours. If you are not the kind of person who enjoys this activity, there are many other things to do in there. You can rent a mountain bike and ride around the surroundings, rent a kayak or a windsurf. The town is also full of art galleries.
How to get there: Bus is the best option. The company SARFA have a route from Barcelona nord station to Tossa.

Palamós: a bay of fine sand interrupts the cliffs dominating the topography of the Costa Brava. This is where the town has been since the 12th century: a former fishing village which today is well equipped for tourism and leisure. The beaches, coves, sailing facilities and fishing port are the municipality's main attractions, although the medieval streets of its old town should not be forgotten.
The fishing port, beside the historic centre, is the origin of the town. Here the yachts are replaced by fishing boats which return every day with freshly caught fish. It is worth going to the Fish Market, where Mediterranean products are sold and auctioned. The Fishing Museum also brings the visitor closer to one of the most important economic activities on the Baix Empordà coast.
How to get there: Bus is the best option. The company SARFA have a route from Barcelona nord station to Palamós.

Beaches in Barcelona (Part 1/2)

Barcelona is a city open to the sea. The broad beaches of the Catalan capital, which extend for 4.5 km, are blessed with fine golden sand and shallow waters for bathing. They constitute one of the largest areas of leisure available to locals and visitors in Barcelona alike. They are never more than just a few minutes away from any point in the city, since they are easily reached by public transport or by bicycle. Equipped with all the necessary facilities and services, every year they are visited by around seven million people.
These are the beaches inside the city:

Barceloneta: Approximately 1,100 m long, together with the Sant Sebastià beach, Barceloneta is one of the biggest in Barcelona, and it is also one of the oldest and most traditional beach in the city. It is a favourite amongst our foreign visitors and it is commonly used by youth groups and for school activities. Due to its location and proximity to the metro and many bus lines, the majority of its users get to the beach by public transport.
Its dimensions make it a suitable beach for leisure equipment, such as volleyball courts, a table soccer area on the Eastern side, in front of the Hospital del Mar; a children's play area on the Western side of the beach, beside the Gas breakwater, where there is also a gym area.
Services: Red Cross, Local Police, beach information point, cloakroom, showers, public toilets, sun loungers, parasols, drinks and ice cream kiosks, sports facilites, sports, bicycle parking areas and restaurants.
How to get there: Metro: L4, Barceloneta. Bus: 14, 16, 17, 39, 40, 45, 51, 57, 59, 64 and 157.

Nova Icaria: The family beach. Situated in the middle of the city's coastline and 400 metres in length, this is the beach where people come to spend the longest period of time. The Nova Icària Beach is rightly considered to be a very peaceful beach, and is a popular choice for families and groups of friends. Lying very close to the Port Olímpic, it is surrounded by a great variety of restaurants and bars, as well as the most comprehensive range of facilities for sports and other activities on the entire coastline.
Services:Red Cross, Local Police, beach information point, cloakroom, showers, public toilets, sun loungers, changing rooms, parasols, drinks and ice cream kiosks, sports, sailing, bicycle parking areas and restaurants.
Barcelona Mar: Panoramic views of Barcelona from the sea on a sailing boat. Departures: Centre Municipal de Vela - CMV. Dinghy sailing, canoe and windsurfing courses by the hour with a monitor. Reservations in advance.
How to get there:Metro: L4, Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica or Bogatell. Bus: 6, 36, 41, 92 and 141. Tram (T4), Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica.

Bogatell: Barcelona's "Olympic" beach. Extending for nearly 600 metres, this is one of the beaches that was created for the 1992 Olympic Games, when Barcelona regained its seafront. It is particularly popular with the older generation. Together with Platja de la Nova Icària, it is one of the finest beaches inherited from the Olympic Games.
Services: Red Cross, Local Police, beach information point, cloakroom, showers, public toilets, sun loungers, parasols, drinks and ice cream kiosks, sports, bicycle parking areas and restaurants.
Other activities: Beach volleyball and table tennis.
How to get there: Metro: L4, Poblenou or Llacuna. Bus: 6, 36, 41, 92 and 141. Tram (T4), Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica.

Marbella: Barcelona's Mar Bella Beach is the young people's beach. This beach, which runs for about half a kilometre, is a firm favourite with young people in particular, many of whom come here every weekend when the weather is fine.
Mar Bella was created during the period when the city's coastline was redeveloped for the 1992 Olympic Games. It also has a nudist area.
Services: Red Cross, Local Police, beach information point, cloakroom, showers, public toilets, sun loungers, nudist beach, parasols, drinks and ice cream kiosks, sports, sailing, boat hire, bicycle parking areas and restaurants.
Sports and sailing: Base Nàutica Municipal de la Mar Bella. Sailing trips along the city's seafront, kayak excursions along the coastline and other activities. Catamaran excursions and beach volleyball for groups. Reservations in advance.
Complex Esportiu Municipal Mar Bella. Vanasdive Diving centre.
How to get there: Metro: L4, Poblenou or Selva de Mar. Bus: 36, 71 and 141. Tram (T4), Selva de Mar.

Nova mar beach: The women's beach. Also created when the coastline received a facelift prior to the 1992 Olympic Games. The Nova Mar Bella, which extends for 500 metres, is very popular with women, who represent more than 60% of its users. Bathers, most of whom are young people, like the beach because it is quiet.The Nova Mar Bella is one of the Barcelona's beaches with an area for people with disabilities, featuring all the necessary amenities to help people into and out of the water and make the most of their time on the beach.
Services: Red Cross, Local Police, beach information point, cloakroom, showers, public toilets, sun loungers, parasols, drinks and ice cream kiosks, sports, bicycle parking areas and restaurants.
How to get there: Metro: L4, Selva de Mar or El Maresme/Fòrum. Bus: 36, 43 and 141. Tram (T4), Selva de Mar or El Maresme.

Llevant beach: The newest beach. 380 metres in length, this beach was created in 2006. This makes it the newest beach on the coastline of the Catalan capital. Situated next to la Nova Mar Bella, it offers the most essential services and facilities.
Services: Red Cross, Local Police, beach information point, cloakroom, showers, public toilets and sun loungers.
How to get there: Metro: L4, Selva de Mar. Bus: 7, 36, 41 and 141. Tram (T4), Selva de Mar or El Maresme.

Parc del forum bathing area: This is a new concept of beach, without sand, with areas where the sea is controlled for shallow bathing. The Parc del Fòrum bathing area was created for the Universal Forum of Cultures within the Parc del Fòrum de Barcelona, a large precinct divided into different zones. The bathing area can be found in the zone closest to the sea.
Services: Red Cross, Local Police, beach information point, cloakroom, showers, public toilets, sun loungers, seawater swimming pools, parasols, changing rooms, drinks and ice cream kiosks, sports, sailing, bicycle parking areas and restaurants.
Sports, sailing and other activities:May to October: sports and sailing activities, in addition to various complementary services.
Services and activities: seawater swimming pools, boat and catamaran trips, canoe excursions, water skiing, ski bus, fly-fish, parasailing, diving centre, equipment hire.
How to get there: Metro: L4, El Maresme/Fòrum. Bus: 7, 36, 41 and 141. Tram (T4), Selva de Mar or El Maresme.

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Summer with children in Barcelona

If you are planning a little family vacation, Barcelona offers a whole range of unforgettable experiences for the children…and for the adults. Here are just a few:


The Zoo and the Ciutadella park is an open-air whole-day option, perfect for Barcelona’s climate. Zoos are always amusing for children. The iconic albino gorilla “Copito de nieve” (Snowflake) is no longer with us, but his memory lingers on and mingles with the dozens of species which will satisfy even the most demanding. Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and especially lemurs which, due to the film “Madagascar”, are real favorites. Few children can resist singing “I like to move it” while passing by these cuddly creatures.
Alter the animal kingdom you can enjoy the Ciutadella park: have a little pick-nick under the trees, rent a bicycle with one or two seats, enjoy a rowboat ride on the lake surrounded by friendly ducks of all colors and sizes.

The Aquarium, a closed space surrounded by water, is a perfect option for sultry days. Unique in Europe it has an 80-meter tunnel, an immense oceanario, and 35 aquariums which use about 6 million liters of water and house 450 maritime species.
Specialists have loyally reproduced the natural habitat of each of the species. On Wednesdays and weekends divers swim among the sharks which adds a touch of emotion to the show.


The Parc Güell is Antoni Gaudi’s gift to children: It is a veritable pleasurehouse for children, with so many colors and shapes. Walking through this original space is a kind of dream with a surprise around every corner. The star of the show is “el drac” (the dragon) which has become not only the icon of the park, but also that of the entire city.


The Caixa Forum & Cosmo Caixa is a exhibition center which offers various activities for children in addition to its usual expositions. Caixa Forum offers art workshops, guided visits, films, and concerts all of which are related to the themes of the exhibits. It is for those who prefer science over art and loathe “Do not touch” signs.
Simple games teach the laws of physics by letting children experiment and use their imaginations. If outer space is your thing, this Tibidabo museum offers a planetarium which explains the origins and evolution of the Earth through images which are more than realistic.

La Illa Fantasia (Fantasy island) is not like the mythic television series, but it is an excellent way to spend a summer day with your family. It is an aquatic park with swimming pools (one especially equipped with hoops to play “waterbasketball”), toboggans of all sizes, a minigolf course, and a race track. You are sure to find everything you need to spend a great day: shops, restaurants, and even a picknick area equipped for grilling meat.
This “island” is not surrounded by water, but by Premia del Mar, a beautiful coast town.

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Barcelona skyline from a luxury yacht

The Barcelona shoreline from the sea; what a great way to appreciate the nuances and beauty of the great city. We at the Hotel Principal had an opportunity to do just this on the luxury yacht of Gonzalo Calvo Asturgó, owner and skipper of Oceans Luxury and friend of the hotel.

It was a beautiful day and the skyline in all it´s glory as we headed toward France, first through the Old Port, then past the beaches, the Modernist architecture, the Olympic village… And we had a nice drink as we watched the ever-challenging Barcelona shore.

The next time you are in Barcelona you can take a two-hour or a four-hour trip with Oceans Luxury, or even spend a whole luxurious week exploring, sailing, and fishing the Mediterranean islands of Ibiza, Formentera, and Mallorca. We went under the deck to see the sleeping accommodations; they would comfortably sleep 12, the perfect number according to Gonzalo.
If you are coming to Barcelona on business why not think about a fully catered on-board cocktail and business dinner? Or the shorter cruises around Barcelona? Or a week in the islands?

And for real yacht enthusiasts —or just the curious— the May 15th yacht festival at Barcelona´s Port Vell (Old Port) will unofficially launch the Barcelona yacht season.

Beach Volley Ball on... a mountain

Everything is possible in Barcelona, even a beach volleyball match without a beach, at least, without a natural one.
From 8th – 13th September the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc (la Font Màgica de Montjuïc) will be home, for the second year running, to the women’s stop of the Swatch FIVB Beach Volley World Tour’09.
The event will take place in front of the Museu Nacional d`Art de Catalunya (MNAC), where an artifical beach, a stadium for 3,500 spectators, and additional playing courts will be set up.
So, if you want a beach environment and iconic medieval buildings, all in the same place, this event is for you.
And it is free.

From the Beach to Sin Street: A Day in Sitges

Another perfect full-day trip from Barcelona is the sea resort town of Sitges. A half hour train ride from Plaza Catalunya gets you there, and the trains run from 6 A.M. to midnight.

Wedged beautifully between the hills and the sea Sitges has an impressive artistic and cultural heritage. Luckily Sitges escaped the overzealous development that has decimated fate of so much of the Mediterranean coast.

There is nothing tacky or cheap about Sitges.In fact property in “The St. Tropaz of Spain” is as pricy as any city in Europe. But what do you care; you’re only going for a day.

Sitges’s charm is its architecture. Many Catalans went to the Americas to make their fortunes. Many returned in the late 19 century with lots of money and commissioned large mansions in the place to be, Sitges, and in the latest fashion, the art nouveau (modernist) movement of Gaudi and others. Many of these intriguing mansions can be found on the “Carrer Illa de Cuba” (The Island of Cuba Street). Guess where these Catalans made their fortune .Well, not the United States.

And Sitges has always been a center for artists going all the way back to when Catalan impressionist painter Santiago Rusiñol took up residence there.

Of course summer means beaches and Sitges has them for all tastes. If you go in for international crowds and jet-set celebrities, check out the main beach “de la Ribera. See and be seen! If more intimate beaches are more your style search among the small rocky bays and coves. Try Sant Sebastian beach, for example. There is even a nudist beach, permitted but not required.

After a day at the beach Sitges comes alive. After dark the weather cools down, the discos, pubs, and clubs heat up. You can put in some after-dark time at the “Carrer del pecat” (“The Street of Sin”) and still catch the midnight train back to the hotel.

Next week (25 August 21-25), their "Festa Major " is the show. Don't miss all the dance, music and shows of this typical fiesta.

Because of Sitges’s artistic tradition and its sheer beauty many festivals and street parties make their home here. The most famous one is The International Film Festival. Last year it celebrated its 40 th anniversary. It started out dedicated to science fiction, horror, and fantasy flicks and keeps a lot of this tone and attracts film celebrities year after year. It is coming up from October 2 to 12.

And Sitges celebrates Carnival. It’s not Rio, but it is one of Europe’s most famous. It has the usual fancy costumes, parades, and enthusiastic party goers. It is an especial favourite of the gay community who are one of the many groups who choose Sitges for good times.