Marnaton Sitges

Marnaton eDreams Sitges is an open water swimming race held in the sea at Sitges, in Catalonia, Spain. The event, organized by Marnaton, unfolds over three days in mid-May, with the swimming competitions staged on the Saturday. The competition offers several distances suited to different levels of endurance. Swimmers tackling the premier 4.5-kilometer course start from Playa del Far de Sant Cristòfol, following the coastal contours toward the town. A 2-kilometer traverse departs from Playa de la Fragata and finishes along the sands of Playa de Terramar, complemented by an 800-meter distance. At Playa de les Anquines, relay teams compete over a compact 200-meter loop, alongside kids' events spanning 50, 100, 200, and 400 meters.

The sea in mid-May brings brisk spring water that sharpens the senses from the very first stroke. In past editions, participants on the longer routes encountered deep-sea swells and a steady headcurrent across the second half of the course. Once across the finish line, the gathering moves to Beso Beach for a post-race celebration with music and a relaxed atmosphere right beside the water.

The Sitges beaches along the swim course

The Marnaton Sitges 4.5 km swim is a coastal route from Playa del Far de Sant Cristòfol, along what the event description calls secret coves. In 2025 the 4.5 km swimmers came ashore on Playa de les Anquines, directly in front of the Hotel ME Sitges Terramar. Playa de les Anquines is sheltered by breakwaters that give the beach the shape of a seashell. Playa de la Fragata lies below La Punta (the church) and houses the Club Nàutic de Sitges. Terramar beach is small and quiet, with pebbles as well as sand, and swimming shoes are recommended when entering the water. In the 2025 edition Rafa Cabanillas won the 4.5 km once again, with the second and third finishers about five minutes behind him.

Playa del Far de Sant Cristòfol and the Garraf cliffs

Standing near the beach at Punta Sant Cristòfol, about five kilometres from the race area, is the Faro de San Cristóbal. The original lighthouse was inaugurated in 1866, when its light was fueled by an olive oil lamp. A new tower was put into operation in 1905, and the installation was electrified in 1918 before being temporarily turned off during wartime in the late 1930s. About nine kilometres from the race area, the coastal bluffs of the Garraf Massif drop directly into the Mediterranean Sea. Set within the rocky coastline sits Playa del Hombre Muerto, a secluded cove completely surrounded by cliffs. The pocket beach measures just 110 meters in length and ten meters in width. Local accounts state that the strand gained its name after the body of an aviator was discovered on the rocks during World War II.

Cova del Gegant and the submerged karst galleries

At Punta de les Coves, the limestone coast conceals the Cueva del Gegant, an ancient karst sea cave carved by the sea. The cave features a total path of sixty meters and a length of twenty-two meters, divided into two main chambers and two parallel side galleries. Above the central chamber, access from above is possible through a vertical chasm fourteen meters deep. The cave's natural sea-level portal is permanently flooded, drowned by shifts in coastal currents that increased after the construction of regional marinas. To prevent the loss of prehistoric archaeological layers from marine erosion, systematic excavations were carried out in 1985. Researchers uncovered stone tools and Neanderthal remains dating back at least 50,000 years.

A Neanderthal mandible discovered in the sediments, dated to 53,000 years ago, is among the rare Paleolithic fossils from Catalonia from which mitochondrial DNA has been successfully extracted. Across the limestone slopes of the Garraf mountains, about nine kilometres away, grows the Mediterranean Fan Palm, an endemic dwarf palm that thrives in the dry calcareous soil.

Platja de la Fragata and the fishermen of Sitges

Sitges features seventeen sandy beaches, including dedicated nudist stretches at Platja dels Balmins, Platja d'Aiguadolç, and Playa del Muerto. The surface area of the town's beaches expanded significantly after 1956 thanks to the construction of breakwaters and protective port piers. The municipality holds the Biosphere Destination certificate for its sustainable tourism and environmental management. Sitges is also the birthplace of a quintessential Spanish seaside tradition: the word chiringuito was coined here in 1949, inspired by a Cuban method of straining coffee.

Bodegas Güell and the coastal guard of Torre Barona

About six kilometres along the coast from the race area lies the industrial port of Vallcarca, constructed in 1913 to transport cement products. Today, the harbor is dedicated solely to industrial shipping, while the adjoining beach at Vallcarca remains in pristine condition, though windy days can blow residual quarry dust over the sand. About ten kilometres from the race area, on a property that once included an active limestone quarry, sits the architectural complex of Bodegas Güell. The structure was built entirely with limestone quarried directly from the surrounding ground. Its seaward side features a loggia-style covered porch looking out across the open water. The estate gatehouse is fitted with a wrought-iron entrance gate fashioned into the form of a fishing net.

Wine bottled on the estate was once loaded onto the vessels of the Compañía Trasatlántica and exported across the ocean to Cuba. About fifteen kilometres from the race area stands Torre Barona, a defensive watchtower built in 1583 and documented as the Sea Guard tower. Constructed with masonry walls over one meter thick, the cylindrical structure rises through three floors. Its original role was to watch the horizon and alert local residents to incoming enemy fleets. The stronghold was subsequently armed with artillery cannons to repel hostile ships from the shore.