Sitges

If you want to sneak away from Barcelona for a day at the beach, there are plenty of choices, but the best and most convenient of them is Sitges. This old fishing village became a resort for artists and the elite thanks to the painter, poet (and textile tycoon) Santiago Rusinyol, a large-than-life figure of a century ago. Sitges was an oasis in the gray Franco years; the fun-hating dictator never managed to suppress the town's wild carnival.

It's a big, busy place today. The historic centre is simply beautiful, the beaches are excellent—miles of them—and on a good summer day you would think all of Barcelona (and half of Europe) is here. Sitges has two rather incredible museums that rank among the top sights of Barcelona.

And if you're gay, you've heard of the place already. Right after the death of Franco, Sitges began to blossom into Europe's favourite gay resort. As the local guide puts it: 'If you've always wondered what the world would be like if we could all live side by side without sexual orientation being an issue, this is where to see how it's done!'