Barcelona to Sitges: A Day Trip 40 Minutes from the City
Tourists love Sitges, and so do locals: 29 km from the airport to the town, ~31 min on the road. At the other end you get the beach, an old town above the sea and restaurants serving fish and rice along the promenade. And far fewer people than on Barcelona's city beaches.
What makes Sitges good
You can choose among seventeen beaches, from broad municipal strands to narrow coves under the cliffs, so families and anyone after quiet both find a spot. Once you've had enough sun and salt water, you head up into the old town. Cobbled streets, white houses, and the church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla on a rock right above the water.
Those turreted houses with coloured tilework along the seafront went up at the end of the nineteenth century. Men who came home from the Americas with money built them. In Catalonia people called them americanos. They left the town a look you don't expect in a Spanish seaside village - colonial verandas a street away from fishermen's lanes.
Summer isn't the only season worth the trip. Every February Sitges throws its carnival, one of the oldest in Catalonia and officially a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional. In winter you get the promenade almost to yourself, and nearly every restaurant stays open.
Getting there
Four routes run from the airport to Sitges, and the right one depends on how much luggage you've got and how many of you there are.
Train. There's no direct train from the airport: you ride the commuter line to Sants or Passeig de Gràcia, then change to the R2 Sud line. Allow about an hour and a quarter; a single ticket costs €5.40, since Sitges sits in fare zone three. Cheap, though the change wears you down with two suitcases.
Bus. Direct services from the airport are few, and the timetable isn't matched to flight arrivals. Check it in advance, especially if you land in the evening.
Taxi. The rank sits right outside the terminal exit, and you pay by the meter. At peak hours a queue builds up, and there's no telling how long you'll stand in it.
Transfer. Your driver tracks your flight number and meets the plane: if the flight runs late, the driver brings the car round for the actual landing time. from €82 per car, fixed the moment you book; child seats come free in every class and are mandatory for children 135 cm and under.
For the exact amount, use the calculator on the route page - Barcelona Airport to Sitges.
Already in the city rather than at the airport? We run a separate route - Barcelona to Sitges: 39 km and ~44 min on the road.
What to see in a day
An hour to an hour and a half covers the old town: the church on its rock, the narrow streets around it. Then the Passeig de la Ribera seafront with its americano houses.
Two museums stand a few steps apart. Cau Ferrat was the home of painter Santiago Rusiñol, who filled it with wrought iron and paintings, including two El Grecos. Next door at Maricel you walk through interiors from several periods and look out to sea.
On the way from Barcelona you pass Garraf park - limestone hills dropping to the sea and a winding road along the water. With a driver, ask for the old coastal C-31 rather than the tunnels: it's fifteen minutes longer, but the whole way runs above the sea.
Sitges also makes a good place to stay the night. We worked through one arrival address in our piece on Hotel Calipolis on the seafront.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the trip from Barcelona Airport to Sitges take? ~31 min on the motorway, a distance of 29 km. In July and August the coastal road carries heavier traffic.
How much does a transfer from Barcelona Airport to Sitges cost? from €82 for the whole car, not per person. The price gets fixed when you book and shifts with neither traffic nor time of day.
How long does the trip from central Barcelona to Sitges take? ~44 min, a distance of 39 km. A transfer from the city costs from €97 per car.
Is there a direct train from the airport to Sitges? There's no direct train. You first reach Sants station or Passeig de Gràcia, then change to the R2 Sud line. The whole journey takes about an hour and a quarter.
How many beaches does Sitges have? Seventeen, from broad municipal strands to small coves under the cliffs. Nine fly the Blue Flag - an international mark from the FEE foundation, given to beaches with clean water, lifeguards, showers and rubbish collection. Inspectors renew it yearly, so the flag tells you what the beach is like now, not what it earned years ago.
What works best with small children? A transfer: the child seat comes free in every class and is mandatory for children 135 cm and under. Tick the box when you book, and tell the driver your child's age in the chat.
What happens if my flight is delayed? Your driver tracks the flight number and brings the car round for the actual landing time, at no extra charge. At the airport you get one free hour of waiting from the moment the plane touches down.
You book in the Let's GO app: enter the pickup and destination addresses, and the price appears straight away, before you confirm. Toll roads are not included in the route price.