Getaway to Garraf: Exploring sea and land with a look back at the past

Fancy having a pizza in the very first pizzeria to open in Spain? If so, head for Cap de la Vila, which can be found in the square of the same name in Sitges. The restaurant first opened its doors in 1966 and since then has been serving the finest Italian cuisine. The pizzas here are excellent, though the fresh pasta dishes are also highly recommended.

Part of the Dolce Sitges hotel, this elegant restaurant serves experimental, avant-garde Mediterranean cuisine. Its seafood and xató tasting menus are interesting options. Dishes include cream of chestnuts with egg cooked at low temperature, and black truffle; casserole of monkfish and lobster with dried tomatoes, chestnuts and ceps; and sea bass baked in salt with steamed vegetables and traditional Béarnaise sauce. We also like the selection of Catalan wines from different regions.

Seafood paellas, mussels and fried fish, and the local speciality, xató: El Rossegall, which is set next to the beach in Vilanova, serves top-quality seafood with fresh produce and respect for local culinary traditions. If you’re travelling with a group, there are special group menus at attractive prices. The tasting menu is also an appealing option.

Good humour and good food go hand in hand at La Pepa Jaleo, as you’ll find out for yourself if you see any of their promotional videos or sit down on their sprawling terrace to dine on excellent dishes, tapas and desserts.

This Basque-style tavern, the first one in the Lizarran chain, serves 'pintxos' (simply, tapas mounted on bread), 'cazuelitas' (individual stews or casseroles), and pretty much the best and most traditional dishes in Basque cuisine. It’s a very popular place, so either go early for lunch or dinner or be prepared to wait.

This recently built, four-star designer hotel is located in the iconic ‘sin street’ in Stiges. It isn’t lacking in comforts, especially its cosy, well-lit rooms, which are equipped with all the latest technological advances. And if you have the opportunity to stay in one of the suites, your experience will be simply unforgettable.

This four-star hotel occupies a privileged position in front of the sea on the best-known promenade in Sitges. It was built a little over a decade ago and occupies four houses whose unique façades are still preserved. Here you’ll find an outdoor swimming pool, terraces, a car park, a restaurant, meeting rooms, and exclusive services such as the possibility of having a massage on the swimming pool deck, as well as hairdressing and beauty treatments.

A place that’s designed with relaxation in mind, Cal Simó dates from 1850, and the house and grounds spread out over 5,000 square metres, where you can find everything you could possibly need: an outdoor swimming pool, a chill-out zone, a bar, a vegetable garden, a yoga space, a children’s area and even a doll's house. The rooms are practically all suites, and the hotel sleeps up to 18 people.

This new hotel is located in a quiet suburb of the town of Sant Pere de Ribes. It’s a very functional, though welcoming and elegant, place for both leisure and business travellers. It’s ideally located for exploring the coast and the inland areas of Garraf.

Located in the centre of Sitges, only 250 metres from the beach, Hotel Galeón is a three-star establishment with a garden, halls, a car park, and rooms equipped with en-suite bathrooms, air conditioning and satellite TV. The lack of a restaurant is not really a problem in a town like Sitges.

Located in the centre of Sitges, the Romantic Museum is set in the Llopis family home, built in 1793 outside the Medieval walled town. For many years it was one of the noblest houses in the new town area of Sitges and was inhabited by various generations of Llopis, a Sitges family of maritime origins who ascended the social scale thanks to accumulating land and trading in wine and spirits. As well as having the opportunity to explore a wealthy 19th-century family home, visitors here can see the curious collection of dolls belong to Barcelona writer and illustrator Lola Anglada.

This Romantic Museum is set in the old Papiol family home; this was an influential family that moved to Vilanova in the middle of the 17th century and whose wealth was acquired through buying properties and marriage. The house conserves the original structure, layout and decoration. Its exteriors are in line with the austere style of the time with a neoclassical façade and painted architectural motifs. The inside, in contrast, is remarkable for its fastidious elegance. The tour of the building takes in the family quarters the servants’ quarters and the garden.

Founded in 1884 by politician and writer Victor Balaguer i Cirera, the Balaguer Library-Museum has an original nucleus that consists of the books and artworks that he gathered throughout his life, alongside the many donations received from prominent personalities. The museum's art collection consists of over 8,000 pieces. In the permanent collection special attention is paid to the examples of art of the 19th and 20th centuries, the quality of which led to the museum becoming a section of the National Museum of Art of Catalonia.

Located right next to the train station, the Vilanova Railway Museum has one of the world’s largest collection of railway-related items in the world, including more than 60 vehicles from all eras, countries and technologies, with 28 steam locomotives dating from the late-19th century, among them the oldest in Spain and the last one that was in active service in the country. Also on exhibition are wagons, diesel and electric engines, and other curious vehicles.

An old house belonging to Indianos, set in the heart of the Garraf Natural Park, Palau Novella has become the site of Catalonia’s first Buddhist monastery. You can explore it on a guided tour that will introduce you to the religion’s art and sacred objects. The monastery also holds meditation workshops that are open to everybody. It's located in privileged surroundings that are also worth visiting.