A walk along the beaches and coastal villages of Penedès
The landscape of Penedès is full of contrasts, and the region includes the coastal counties of Garraf and Baix Penedès, with more than 35km of fine sandy beaches, fisherman towns and charming villages inland.
In addition to the lovely beaches, one can do plenty of other cultural and leisure activities, both in winter and summer. It is always a pleasure to go for a walk by the sea, to do outdoor activities and also to discover some curious places of interest very few know, despite being popular destinations.
Sitges retains the charm of an old fishing village, and at the same time, it has a cosmopolitan flavour, as it always has equally attracted artists and visitors from all over the world. You can visit notorius places of interest, such as the Palau Maricel, the Museum Cau Ferrat and the rest of the Sitges Museums, or the church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla, which rules the beach from a terrace, where you can admire beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
Also, do you know why the Malvasia the Sitges Interpretation Center is located in a former hospital facility? You should take a tour to find out the history of this wine and its impact on the town.
If you go for a walk, Vilanova i la Geltrú has four recommended walking itineraries and we want to highlight two. First, the walk along La Rambla, which is alive all year round thanks to lively terraces and the shopping opportunities. The discovery of the town centre may take you to the Can Papiol Romantic Museum, the Víctor Balaguer Library and Museum, the Torre Blava-Espai Guinovart or the Center d 'Interpretation of Romanticism Manuel de Cabanyes, which also houses an exhibition of twelve engravings by Francisco de Goya.
Secondly, we have the Seafront walk, The promenade takes you along the seafront, down to the fishing village quarter. You will find the famous sculpture of Pasiphae, the fish market, the marina, the fishing pier or the Espai Far, located in the lighthouse de Sant Cristòfol, a museum that shows the rich maritime heritage of Vilanova i la Geltrú.
The Platja Llarga (Long Beach) of Cubelles is wide and with a nice promenade, perfect to enjoy a day at the beach with the family. A good option is to also visit the castle of Cubelles, documented in 1041. On the ground floor, now restored in part, the is the Tourist Office and also an exhibition of the legacy of the Catalan clown Charlie Rivel, Josep Andreu and Lasserre, who was born and died in this village. After that, we throw a challenge: can you find a painted large mural in the old town with its most traditional folklore? If you want to know more, you can always book a guided route around town to find out!
Many are unaware that in Cubelles there is the Foix stream mouth, a natural area that is part of the EU’s Natura 2000 Network and has been declared a special protection area for birds. In this beautiful place, viewpoints have been set up so that visitors can enjoy this space without harming the birds or the vegetation.
Entering the Baix Penedès county, Cunit offers a 2.5 km beach with 7 breakwaters, which form 7 very shallow moon-shaped coves. If we turn our backs on the sea, we will find several places of interest, such as L’avenc de Sant Antoni, the Iberian village of Fondo del Roig or Castell de Cunit.
Calafell is also a good place to take a walk through different historical moments. You can see the passage of the Iberians in the Iberian Citadel and the medieval remains in the Castell the Santa Creu. The Casa Barral Museum is one of the few fishing "shops" still standing shoreside, where the endearing writer Carlos Barral spent long periods of time. You can also admire the Houses of Indianos (Catalan people that got rich in the Spanish colonies), and anchored on the beach, the Lifeboat, perfect for a picturesque photo.
To end this itinerary along the Penedès coast, the southernmost town and capital of the region, is El Vendrell. Apart from the obvious appeal of the fine, golden sandy beaches of Coma-Ruga, Sant Salvador and El Francàs, which are very popular during the summer, it has many other charms.
Next to the promenade we find the Vila Museu Pau Casals. You can walk through its fabulous gardens with privileged views of the sea, where concerts and activities take place in the summer. You can also take a tour into his former summer house, now converted into a museum that aims to preserve and communicate the life and work of the best cellist of all time.
If you follow the promenade to the north, you will find Les Madrigueres, a small natural space used by a large number of birds in their migratory stages. You can end the day by entering the old town to look for the Casa Museu Àngel Guimerà, the Museu Deu and the Fundació Apel.les Fenosa.
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