The Can Papiol Museum is about half an hour's walk from L'Estació square. In L'Estació square, more correctly called Eduard Maristany square, is the railway museum.

MUSEU DEL FERROCARRIL (RAILWAY MUSEUM)
This museum has a complete collection of steam engines. The collection includes a revolving bridge and a turntable, under which are some of the oldest engines conserved in Spain, a bogie belonging to one of the American coaches (HARLAN) used in Catalonia when the first railways were constructed.

The Railway Museum is an outstanding exhibition showing the history of the Spanish railways from 1848 to the present day.

Inside an enclosed garden near the station square is the Víctor Balaguer Library-Museum, which was left to the town by Víctor Balaguer, a 19th century writer and politician, who was member of the Spanish parliament for Vilanova i la Geltrú and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

THE VÍCTOR BALAGUER LIBRARY-MUSEUM
The museum contains one of the largest collections of 19th century Catalan paintings as well as collections of decorative arts, archaeology and ethnology. The library contains one of the richest collections of the 19th century, with manuscripts, engravings and maps.

Opposite the museum and the House of Santa Teresa is the College of Engineers of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. When you come out of the University go along the main road in the direction of Tarragona, past the traffic lights and past the house of Marquès de Castrofuerte on the left. Two streets further on turn right into Llibertat street, and follow it until you reach Soler i Gustems square, popularly known as the Carros square, where there is a modernist-style fountain also dedicated to Soler i Gustems. Go on into the shopping centre and into one of the town's pedestrian streets, Sant Sebastià street, where there is a chapel, dedicated to the saint the road is named after (Sant Sebastià), which was once outside the town limits.

LA VILA SQUARE
The town hall building, and the 19th century neo-colonial style square, one of the largest squares with covered archways in Catalonia. The monument to Tomàs Ventosa, one of the town's illustrious men. The Joan Oliva public library, pedestrian street and shopping area, the Caputxins street, named after a monastery that used to be nearby.

Go up the pedestrian area Caputxins street, on the left there is a house with broken columns. Legend has it that the owner made a bet that even if the columns were broken, the house would remain standing. A bit further up is the Cotxes square, where there is a mansion that once belonged to someone who had made his fortune in the American colonies. It is now the Immaculada Concepció school. Opposite the school there is a building with an engraved façade, formerly the head office of the Banc de Vilanova (Vilanova bank). Originally it also belonged to a rich man, back from the colonies. A little further up on the right hand side is the house where the contemporary Catalan musician and composer, Eduard Toldrà was born. At the end of the street is Les Cols square where the vegetable market used to be. In this square was the home of the Cabanyes family, where the pre-romantic Catalan poet Manuel de Cabanyes was born. Close to here is Nou street, once on the walled town limits, L'Església street and Sant Antoni street. On the right is the old gateway in the direction of La Geltrú, the Portal de Nin, the last remaining part of the old town walls. To the left there is a wonderful view of the splendid baroque bell-tower belonging to the Archpriest church of Sant Antoni Abat. You will soon come to the Pau Casals square which has a small fountain and a sculpture dedicated to Anselm Clavé. This used to be Vilanova's main square, seat of government of the old town council. A little further up is the Diputació square and then the Major street, the High Street of the old Vilanova, where there are two large houses: the Papiol house and the Marquesos de Samà house.

THE CAN PAPIOL MUSEUM
This is an 18th century nobleman's house, which has been conserved with all its household linen. Francesc Papiol was a member of the Cortes de Cádiz, where the first Spanish Constitution was signed when Spain was under Napoleonic rule.

This walk takes about 25 minutes and goes from La Vila square to the castle of La Geltrú in the heart of the town's oldest district.

From La Vila square go along La Fruita street to the Miró de Montgros square, where there is a beautiful stone and marble fountain commemorating the channelling of water into the town. Go up to Santa Eulàlia street. Just where this street ends and the "Pujada del Cinto" begins is the stone that marked the boundary between the old communities of Vilanova de Cubelles and La Geltrú. Hidden under the Unió street is the Pastera stream, once the geographical boundary between the villages of Vilanova and La Geltrú. Further on in the same direction is the Lledoners square, one of the prettiest spots in La Geltrú neighbourhood. It was once the site of a gateway into the old town called Portal d'en Balla. From here a path called the Sant Cristòfol path started out to a place on the coast that has the same name (Sant Cristòfol). In the Bonaire street is the house of the Royal Tax Collector called "casa del bosser" (the purser's house). The façade has an arch stone engraved with the image of a purse. The streets of Ravalet and Arengaders formed a part of the ancient town walls. Right next to the castle is the Font i Gumà square and the church of La Geltrú. This castle was built on the base of the old Mediaeval castle, that now houses the Regional Historical Archives.

Inside Santa Maria's Church is an ancient altar screen of painted wood depicting the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, dating from the 17th century, with Baroque decorative elements.

At the side of the church and behind the castle is the Verger del Mestre Toldrà (Master Toldrà's orchard). This monument was built by Lluís Montaner.

The walk goes from St. Cristòfol's Hermitage to St. Gervasi's Hermitage and lasts about half an hour. It is worth paying a visit to Sant Cristòfol's hermitage, in its natural seaside setting. Close to the chapel the outstanding writer Eugenie d'Ors lived and died. He was a central figure of the Modernist movement and author of La Ben Plantada.

Walk to the sea front stopping on the way to have a look at Sant Cristòfol's Lighthouse. It now houses the Sea Museum, which contains objects related to the sea and seamen, to the arrival of the fishing boats and the colour of their nets. On the sea front are the old and new fishermen's guild, and fishermen's houses with balconies. Three monuments stand out against the beautiful backdrop of the port and the sea. The first is the Monument to the Fisherman in the restored Port square. The second is Josep Maria Subirach's Monument to Francesc Macià (first president of the reconstituted Catalan government) at the intersection of Passeig Marítim and Rambla de la Pau. The third is the Monument to the Men of the Sea at the intersection with Rambla Nova also called Rambla de Joan Baptista Pirelli. There is an excellent view of the Nautical Club from here.

All three are important landmarks on the way to the Ribes Roges Nature Reserve, where the Tourist Information Office offers a wide variety of sports and leisure activities. Inside the park is the tower of Ribes Roges where Josep Guinovart has created his own interpretation of the marine world. Close by, at the Consulat square, is the Roig Toqués Museum of Marine Curiosities. Continue along the Passeig de Ribes Roges. At the end of the breakwater designed by Oscar Estruga is the sculpture of Pasifae. You finally come to the Adarró ruins, the remains of an Ibero-Roman town at the foot of the Sant Gervasi hill (according to some experts possibly the seat of the old town). Here too is Sant Gervasi's Hermitage.

The walk starts at the monument to Francesc Macià, the first to be built to the first President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), who came from Vilanova. It is a pleasant stroll along the Rambla, which is more than a kilometre long, and will probably take up about 30 minutes of your free time.

Go up into town and under the railway line. Just as you come out of the underpass, on the left, there is Can Pahissa, a former mansion, now rehabilitated as local centre for the elderly. A little further up, after crossing the old road from Barcelona to Tarragona, there is a school on the right called Col·legi de la Miraculosa that has a beautiful white-stone image of the Virgin Mary on the façade. Then on the left is the modernist style house, the Renard House.

La Rambla is a place to relax, both for the people of Vilanova and for visitors to the town. It is the true centre of the town, with the cinema, and bars with terraces where you can have a refreshing drink.

Half-way up the Rambla on the left is the Avinguda de Francesc Macià that leads to the Central Market. Continuing up the Rambla you come to the church that is dedicated to the patron saints of Vilanova, Sant Antoni Abat and the Mare de Déu de les Neus. Go round to the left of the church and up La Bomba street to Sant Antoni's square, whose church has an impressive neo-classical façade and a separate white-stone bell tower that is slightly askew. You can go down to St. Gregori's street and walk around the town's shopping area through the pedestrian streets.