10 Great Things to Do in Sitges in Winter?
Yes! Unlike a lot of beach towns in Spain, Sitges doesn’t die a death outside the summer months. And although you can enjoy many a sunny winter’s day wandering our streets with no particular plan, it’s always worth checking out the other options. Here then, are 10 great things to do in Sitges in winter, or, more accurately, outside the summer!
1. Rent an e-bike and explore the Garraf national park. The entrance to the beautiful Garraf national park is a little inauspicious; it’s hidden away behind Aldi and Lidl, about 7 minutes by taxi from the centre of Sitges. However, it’s a large, beautiful and well-signposted area of natural beauty, which is definitely worth a visit. You can get an idea of this from the English language map available here. Even better, there’s a great bike shop with its own cafe (and friendly English speaking staff) near the entrance, where you can have scrambled eggs on toast and a quality coffee, before renting one of their e-bikes and heading for the hills. Once you do, you will climb up through Mediterranean pine forest until, looking back, you will be rewarded with spectacular views of Sitges and the sea. Rentals start from €40. The café and the rentals can get pretty busy at weekends, so best to book in advance at Voló.
2. Visit Sakya Tashi Ling, the Buddhist monastery near Sitges. You can get a guided tour (including in English) from around €7, and have an hour’s relaxing meditation in their meditation room. From Wednesday to Sunday, you can also get lunch in their restaurant: Colonia Agricola. For those who are inclined, they also offer other packages, including a 3-day retreat dedicated to inner peace. You can get there in under an hour via bike or e-bike (see no1 above) as it’s in the middle of the Garraf national park, or you can hike it, (2-3hrs) or go by car.
3. Take a guided audio tour of Sitges. Download this audio guide direct to your smartphone and be guided around Sitges and its interesting history. Hear about Sitges residents throughout the ages, from the Romans to the founder of Bacardi rum or painter Santiago Rusiñol. See buildings dating from the 1400s and learn about the town’s rich history of counter-culture and rebellion. Tours are around €10 per person and include English audio and map.
4. Go paintballing. Get together with some friends because you will need a group of 6 people for this. The location is an abandoned water park, walkable from central Sitges. The folks at Ocio Aventura Sitges charge from €24 for 150 balls, which they estimate will last you around 1hr. If you are a group of 6 or more, you can also try what they call ‘humor amarillo’. This, for English speakers, translates to the kinds of activities you see on Gladiators (or, if you are older, ‘It’s a Knockout!’). We are talking giant inflatables, battles with giant cotton bud type things to knock your opponent onto a soft mattress landing…12 activities of this type of thing! If you’re on your own, they also offer virtual reality experiences, and for groups of 2 or more, they have an escape room. They also have a bar/restaurant, with a barbecue service and a paella option, and also a vegan menu.
If you can manage to get a group of 25 people together, you can also visit the old racetrack at Terramar; once a spectacular venue for motor racing, and one of the oldest in the world. You can get a guided tour and walk around its raised corners.
A great way to get a group together for paintballing or visiting Terramar racetrack could be to join the Sitges for English Speakers Facebook group and suggest it there…we’re a friendly bunch!
5. Enjoy a menu del día or an evening meal in one of our recommended restaurants. It’s quite fun to just walk around and try a restaurant. But if you want to know which ones are especially recommended by our community of more than 7,000 residents of Sitges, you can find them on our recommended restaurants page here. Also, a pro-tip: want an honest, delicious, and probably enormous lunch? Follow the handymen in overalls going for their lunchbreak! In Sitges, one great place they can often be found is Can Gregori, at Passeig de Vilanova, 41 (Call 938947933)
6. Go horseriding. There are several options in the area. If you don’t have any transport, Fundacion Privada la Granja is walkable from Sitges centre and offers excursions of various lengths in the Garraf national park. If you do have transport or can take a 15min taxi ride, Tikotta is a horse refuge that offers excursions among vineyards from €40 per hour, all of which goes towards the upkeep of the horses.
7. Check out one of the many annual events or upcoming events listed on our site. Outside the summer there is the fantasy film festival, the triathlon, the half marathon, 3 King’s parade, the world famous Sitges Carnival, the vintage car rally, the patchwork fair, the jazz festival, and a ‘tapas bar crawl’ (tapa a tapa), to name but a few!
8. Go to a Sitges dinner show. These involve a high quality dinner with a cabaret (usually by talented drag artists). If you’re in Sitges on a Saturday night in winter, the Queenz dinner show is a must. It costs around €55 per person and includes high quality food as well as the well-known Queenz entertainment!
You can also check out the Zak Rendezvous which promises 4hrs of gastronomy and entertainment
10. Get Pampered.
It’s a hard life being a Sitges resident, permanent or temporary, what with all the bars, restaurants, fiesta and other activities you are expected to support! So after all that responsibilty, you deserve a massage, a spa treatment, or one of the special packages available around town.
