Sitges and Tarragona from Barcelona

Sitges is thirty-five minutes by train from Sants along the coast, a white town with a church on the beach, a seafront of Modernista villas and a reputation for being the most relaxed place near Barcelona. It is a half day: a swim, the old town, a fish lunch. Most people go on their own by train, which is why few tours sell it alone.

Tarragona is an hour south, and a Roman city, with an amphitheatre over the sea, a circus under the old town and walls that are older than anything in Barcelona. The tours pair it with Sitges as the stop on the way home, and that pairing is a good day. The train does both as well, with a change at Sant Vicenç, but the amphitheatre and the circus are spread out and a guide saves the walking.