The beautiful Waitan Port is located in the China area of Port Aventura around a thirty to thirty five walk from the main Port Aventura entrance through Polynesia and over the Great Wall of China. There are two parts of the port, the first can…Read More

The beautiful Waitan Port is located in the China area of Port Aventura around a thirty to thirty five walk from the main Port Aventura entrance through Polynesia and over the Great Wall of China. There are two parts of the port, the first can be accessed when you first enter the China area where you can walk along the dock and see the splendour of the river, plant life, boats and area as a whole. Here you can also pay a small fee to drive miniature Chinese boats around a closed off lake decorated with Chinese buildings and plants.

To board the Chinese boat you are unable to this by walking along the dock but instead have to walk further up into the China area until you reach the queue system higher up on a slight hill above the port. This hill is small however is quite steep and may be difficult for those with walking difficulties. The queuing system for the boat is a long ramp that joins the top of the hill to the port below. This area is well shaded from the sun and this shade is well needed as you can wait for an hour before being able to board the boat as like the train it takes half an hour to sail to the Drassana Port which is located in the Mediterranean area of Port Aventura. As I didn’t board the boat at this port I cannot comment on how easy or difficult it is compared to the Waitan Port so if you want to board in the Mediterranean you should check details on the queuing system before you visit the park.

The queue for this ride gets extremely busy and is very popular especially with families so prepare to not get on the boat as lots of space on it is taken up with push chairs. The river is very nice to look upon as you wait for the boat to come back to the port and the queuing time doesn’t feel too long as there is so many appealing things to see although children in the queue were getting quite restless and fussy as the time went on. I would suggest that children who have trouble being patient might want to miss this ride as you do have to stand around for a long time and it is hard to get out of this queue once you get in to it as it is very enclosed and the barriers are close together causing you to queue single file.

The boat itself fits around sixty people on it and the seating is long wooden benches that aren’t very comfortable however bearable. The ride is very peaceful and dreamlike. I would think that older children and adults would appreciated this ride more than younger children as there isn’t much to do but sit back and enjoy the scenery as it slowly passes you by. This ride has disability access and is classed as a mild ride.

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Port Aventura has its own fantastic tourist train that allows passengers to feel the magnitude and beauty of the Port Aventura Park. Passengers can embark upon this thrilling journey at either the Penitence Station in the Far West or at the Estacio del Nord (The…Read More

Port Aventura has its own fantastic tourist train that allows passengers to feel the magnitude and beauty of the Port Aventura Park. Passengers can embark upon this thrilling journey at either the Penitence Station in the Far West or at the Estacio del Nord (The North Station) in the Mediterranean area of Port Aventura.

The tourist train is a huge traditional locomotive that runs on steam. The track is perfectly positioned around the whole of the park ensuring that passengers glimpse the beautiful scenery and plant life that the park has to offer. Both of the stations are extremely authentic and have a lot of memorabilia of either the Far West or the Mediterranean allowing you to believe that you are queuing in these parts of the world waiting to become a passenger on this speeding locomotive.

The queue for this ride does get extremely busy and you can wait up to one hour to board the train as the train takes thirty minutes to reach the opposite station and then another to come back. This can become quite boring as although the queuing system has lots to see there is nowhere to sit whilst you are in the queue and little area for buggies or wheelchairs to be put in the queue. I would suggest that you fold up buggies before you get to the train as it is quite hard to manoeuvre them around the queuing system. People who have trouble walking and standing for long periods of time will find this queue really difficult to wait in. my fiancé and I decided that we would not wait for the train however if we saw that it was pulling in to the station then we would quickly run to the queue to get on which was extremely effective.

When embarking on the train at the Far West station (Penitence Station) the staff try to make this experience enormously enjoyable by acting as a character from typical Wild West films. The staff are very helpful and made sure that families with buggies were taken to the best areas of the train so that they didn’t need to fold them down however these do get full up quickly and you will need to fold down buggies if you sit in the smaller carriages.

Each carriage can hold around sixty four people but more if you have small children. The seats are made of wood and face both frontward and backwards but if you are at the back of the queue you won’t really get a choice of where you sit. The train is incredibly long and has four carriages so can hold a large amount of people. The seats are not the most comfortable and you do start to get a numb bottom!

The train takes thirty minutes to get to the next station and does give you the most spectacular view of the different areas around the park including going over the Great Wall of China, seeing the beautiful plant life of China and the amazing sights and sounds of Mexico. The train ride is a great experience and one that I am glad I didn’t miss. The whole family can enjoy this ride together and will appreciate it for many different reasons.
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The Far West area of Port Aventura is the biggest part of the park and has the most rides out of all of the areas. You can ride the tourist train here which is advisable as it takes around twenty minutes to walk here from…Read More

The Far West area of Port Aventura is the biggest part of the park and has the most rides out of all of the areas. You can ride the tourist train here which is advisable as it takes around twenty minutes to walk here from the main entrance.

It is also home to two extraordinary shows and many restaurants that all of the family will love. There are four restaurants in the Far West are of the park ranging from waitress sit down cuisine to self service style food courts. The prices of the restaurants vary immensely, my fiancé and I wanted to eat in the Jeremia’s restaurant which is self service but it was extremely busy and there were no tables. This was the case in three of the four restaurants and the forth, the Iron Horse Hotel, was just too expensive for us to eat in. Luckily there are also a few snack kiosks selling baguettes and other snack type food so we were able to eat.

The two shows in this area of the park are the Atraco al Saloon show and the Bang Bang West show. My fiancé and I saw the amazing Bang Bang West show featuring astonishing horses and accomplished acrobats performing a Wild West bank show. The show was fun for all the family and has parts that adults and children will enjoy. Younger children may be frightened at some parts of the show as there are lots of explosions and loud bangs that may startle people in the audience. The seating arena is huge but when we saw the show it was completely full up with no seating space let. We got to the arena a long time before the show started and got good seats but some people who arrived later missed out on seeing the show as it was full.

Unfortunately we were unable to see the Atraco al Saloon show as it was very busy and there was no more room when we arrived at the door. This show must have filled up quickly as we arrived fifteen minutes before the start of the show. The Port Aventura website states that this is a musical show filled with dancing, acting and adventure and is one not to miss.

There are two very similar rides in the Far West which are the Buffalo Rodeo and the wild Buffalos. They are both bumper car rides however the Buffalo Rodeo is a ride specifically for children under 1.40 m and the Wild Buffalos is for people over 1.40 m and children riding with an adult who are less than 1.40 m. On both of these rides you are able to bump one another in your bumper car. The adult version is great fun, my fiancé and I enjoyed crashing into each other and the other bumper car drivers during this ride. The ride lasted for around five minutes which gave you plenty of time to race around the area a few times trying to dodge the bumps of others or crash into as many people as possible.

The Silver River Flume is a superb ride for those hotter days as you get absolutely soaked on this ride and the water is freezing as my fiancé and I found. The flumes each hold four people and children between 1 m and 1.40 m can ride with an adult. The flume rocks all over the place as you slowly work your way down it and then climb to the highest point before you plummet into the freezing water below. A great ride as long as you don’t mind getting wet.

The Grand Canyon rapids is another wet ride that adults and children will enjoy together. I did not go on this ride as I didn’t fancy getting wet again. People between 1.10 m and 1.30 m need to ride with an adult.

Stampida is a more traditional rollercoaster in the sense that both the track and the carriage is made from wood and looks old. You need to be over 1.20 m to go on this ride but there are no other restrictions. The ride reaches great speed of 70km per hour and is really thrilling. The rollercoaster really shakes and rattles your bones as you race around the track. I would suggest that you don’t go on this rollercoaster if you have back problems or painful bones as you really do get a tough ride.

Tomahawk is a smaller version of Stampida designed for children and adults to enjoy together. Children over 1.20 m can ride alone and children between 1 m and 1.20 m. The ride is really enjoyable, my fiancé and I loved it and went on a few times even though the queue was long, our shortest waiting time was forty minutes.

The Volpaiute Ride I found was the most boring ride in the whole of the Port Aventura Park. Each carriage holds four people, my fiancé and I were sat with a man and his young son. The ride spins you around on the circle base plate that rises on one side to make the ride vertical and spins quite fast however there was very little excitement or rush on this ride and it was over within a few seconds. The man we were sat with commented to us about how boring the ride was and we defiantly agreed a real waste of time!

The Far West really does encompass a great range of the Wild West and America in general and has attractions that all of the family can enjoy.
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My fiancé and I were extremely excited about seeing the Mexico area of Port Aventura as we have always wanted to visit Mexico but have yet to do so. We wanted to experience the environmental features such as plant life, flowers and shows that encompassed…Read More

My fiancé and I were extremely excited about seeing the Mexico area of Port Aventura as we have always wanted to visit Mexico but have yet to do so. We wanted to experience the environmental features such as plant life, flowers and shows that encompassed the Mexican theme and we weren’t disappointed in the first two however as we went off season we found that the two shows in the Mexican area were not running that day and were both a little upset nevertheless we still enjoyed our time in the Mexico area of Port Aventura.

The whole of the Mexico area is stunning with extensive areas of plants and flowers and even a small water full and water feature giving the whole area a real feel of the jungles of Mexico. There is a super area where you can sit under ancient looking ruins and really believe that you are on a trek through this amazing area, you can also pose for photos on an abandoned safari truck. There are food kiosks and shops dotted around the area and you are never too far away from either which is handy if you need a snack or a toilet break.

There are six rides in the Mexico area, some are for younger children and others are for older children and adults. The feathered serpent has to be one of my favourite rides from this area of the park. This ride is almost impossible to find, the entrance is a small passage way in between the ride itself and a restaurant seating area and the ride is very hidden by the trees and plants. It was only by chance that I saw the queue. The ride has a totem in the centre and arms come off of this which is attached to seats that make the shape of a circle. These then rotate around at a medium to high speed. This ride would appeal to people who like being spun around and who do not feel too sick spinning around.

The Armadillos ride is a small mild ride specifically designed for small children with a maximum height of 1.40 m. Two children can sit in each armadillo, one behind the other. There are six Armadillos on the ride, each coloured with Mexican dress. The ride then rotates around the central ‘Armadillo handler’ and gently bounces up and down on the bumps. Young children were squealing with delight whilst on this ride and it was extremely cute to watch them enjoying themselves.

Another fantastic ride for children in this area is ‘the ponies’ ride. This ride allows children to ride on the back of a small pony around a Mexican jungle camp. The ponies trot along the track at a good speed and give children a big thrill. Children over 1.15 m can ride alone but under children 1.15 m need a grown up to ride with them. This ride also takes photos of the children as they ride around the track that can be purchased at the end of the ride.

Yucatan is a ride designed to through you around in your seat as much as possible. Whilst on this two seater ride you will be crushed, thrown and bounced around as the ride spins faster and faster over the bumpy track. My fiancé and I were so bruised after going on this ride but loved the thrill and excitement of trying to squash each other as much as possible. I would suggest that adults do not go on this ride with children as you cannot help but squash each other and slam into the sides of the seat which is extremely painful!

El Diable or the Devils Train is one not to miss. It is set further away from the rest of the rides down a long track and does get very popular. We had to queue for one hour to get on this ride. The train takes you on a jittery yet exciting journey through the abandoned mine, speeding its way high into the sky then plummeting down into the darkness of the mine. To ride alone you must be over 1.40 m and children between 1m and 1.40 m must be accompanied by an adult. This ride also takes photos and video footage that can be purchased at the end of the ride.

The scariest ride in the whole of the Port Aventura ride is located in the Mexico area. I refused to go this ride as I hate rides that drop you from a great height. Hurakan condor is a 100 metre free fall ride that will terrify even the bravest. You have to be between the heights of 1.40 m to 1.95 m to go on this ride and it is classed as an extreme ride. The ride has four seats that face outwards all with individual safety harnesses. You are slowly pulled up the 100 metres and are suspended at the top for a few minutes before letting you free fall down into ancient ruins. The screams from this ride were enough to send me running in the opposite direction. Queuing time for this ride was constantly over one and a half hours.

A great area of Port Aventura that the whole family can experience and that thrill seekers will love.
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The China area of Port Aventura has the most rides and shows of any of the other areas and in my opinion is the best area for thrill seekers and those wanting to experience the twists and turns of the many rides on offer. China…Read More

The China area of Port Aventura has the most rides and shows of any of the other areas and in my opinion is the best area for thrill seekers and those wanting to experience the twists and turns of the many rides on offer. China is located after the Polynesia area of Port Aventura and takes around 25-30 minutes to walk to from the main entrance and can be accessed by riding on the tourist boat from the Mediterranean area of Port Aventura.

There are lots of great shops and food stalls here including a eat as much as you like Chinese buffet style restaurant which wasn’t open when we visited off peak which was very disappointing. All of the shops in this area have a wide variety of Chinese themed merchandise, some of which is really pretty and authentic however I wasn’t too keen on buying Chinese souvenirs on our trip to Spain! The other food places were kiosks selling hot and cold food and drinks which ranged in price. We purchased a delicious tuna baguette for only €4.95 (which in this park is a bargain!). It’s nice to eat in this area of the park as you can sit by the beautiful water feature or at the feet of the Chinese warrior statue in the warm sunshine.

There are three shows in this area of the park, one of which we didn’t see as it is new to Port Aventura this summer. We were a bit dubious about the show Bubblebou as we thought it might be made for younger children but we were completely wrong. We were lucky enough to be walking past just as the queue for this show began forming so we quickly jumped on and were at the front. Although there were elements that would appeal more to a younger audience there were also times when the show is very funny and great to watch. Children have a better chance of being chosen to participate if they sit in the front rows as this is where the "Alchemist" chooses children from. A great show for the whole family. There is also a music generation show but we did not go and see this as the queue was extremely long and we wouldn’t have been able to get seats. I have read that the show is a mixture of music, dancing and acrobats and is suitable for the whole family.

There are five rides in the China area of Port Aventura. Dragon Khan has to be the best ride in this area for thrill seekers. This ride is full of scary loop the loops and fast twists and turns that will excite any adrenaline junkie. The queue for this ride does get horrendously long and can take up to two hours when we visited off season! This ride is defiantly worth the hype and the wait and is one not to be missed.

The port for the tourist boat is also located in this area of the park and is great fun. The boat takes you on a memorable journey across the stunning lake from the beautiful China to the buzzing port of the Mediterranean. The boat fits quite a few people on but does get very busy especially with buggies and younger children who may struggle to walk the long distances across the park.

The Cobra Imperial is a fantastic little ride for both children and adults. Although it doesn’t look very impressive at first this ride is great fun and gives the passengers a thrilling experience. Remember to sit on the inside if you don’t want to get crushed by your fellow passenger, my fiancé and I didn’t consider this the first time we rode on this ride and I found it an extremely painful experience! This is especially true when riding with younger children.

The tea cups are another great ride for children and adults to enjoy together. As you can fit lots of people in one cup and there are no height restrictions for children riding with an adult, the whole family can enjoy this experience together. The tea cups can be spun quite fast if you work hard at picking up speed. My fiancé had to beg me to stop spinning them as he was beginning to feel quite ill.

The last ride is a really fun driving school for children between the heights of 1.15 m to 1.50 m. here children are given tuition in basically road safety and are shown how to drive in a medium sized true to life driving range complete with traffic lights, zebra crossings and other vehicles. The children riding around here were completely engrossed in the driving and were all very careful, they obviously took it very seriously. I believe that there was an additional cost for this ride however all children left with a picture driving licence as a memento of their experience.

My fiancé and I really enjoyed the whole of the China area of Port Aventura and would recommend it to families and couples as there are many things to see and do in this part of the park that everyone would enjoy.


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One of my fiancé and I’s favourite area of Port Aventura was the stunning Polynesia area. This is located just after the Mediterranean area at the start of the park and is extremely easy to find as the plant life becomes increasingly thick and exuberant…Read More

One of my fiancé and I’s favourite area of Port Aventura was the stunning Polynesia area. This is located just after the Mediterranean area at the start of the park and is extremely easy to find as the plant life becomes increasingly thick and exuberant with colourful flowers and luscious green foliage. At the start of Polynesia you can see the sign that welcomes you to this little bit of pure paradise.

There are lots to see and do in this area of the Port Aventura Park including looking at the incredible waterfalls, plants and foliage, seeing some amazing shows, shopping and eating in the Polynesian themed shops and restaurants and of course braving the many rides.

There are three shows within the Polynesian area that are all stunning. The smallest though by no means less important show is the Hula’s in Bora-Bora show. This show is an all music, all dancing spectacular that takes place in the restaurant. This is a great way to eat your meal, the show is fun and educational as well as a spectacle to the eye. There are lots of tables and chairs in the Bora-Bora arena however when the show starts these get very filled up and people stay in their seats even after they have finished their meals to watch the show. This can be extremely annoying however to people who have just purchased food and need to sit down to eat. I would suggest that you find a table before getting food to eat in here as many people were standing up and eating in this arena.

As you walk through Polynesia you may hear the enticing drums of the Aloha Tahiti show echoing through the trees. This show is set in a large outside auditorium with plenty of bench like seating for the audience to sit on. This show does get very busy and you do need to arrive at least thirty minutes before the start of the show in order to get a seat. Here very talented performers display their incredible skills by dancing to Polynesian themed music which is played by a live band. The men and women performers are very skilled in both their tribal dancing and their ability to act out the tribal characters in a convincing way. I would recommend that you go to see this show as it is particularly beautiful and inspiring.

The third show that you can see in the Polynesian area is the Birds of Paradise show which is located about a short walk away from the main Polynesian path. The map makes this arena quite hard to find and it is confusing finding the entrance however staff are happy and willing to help you find your way. The Birds of Paradise show incredible; children and adults alike will love this show. The amount of birds on show is amazing and attracts a large crowd so arrive early to ensure that you get good seats.

There are four rides within the Polynesian area which are located in different areas of Polynesia. The first ride is the great Tutuki Splash where passengers climb up the back of a volcano in their wooden canoe and fall from the top and into a wall of water. Beware you will get soaked on this ride and you will love it! We were sitting at the front of this ride so got a double soaking as water splurges over the front of the ride as the wall of water splashes back down on top of you. The queue for this ride wasn’t too long however we went out of season when the weather was slightly cooler and people perhaps weren’t willing to get wet and cold.

The Canoes ride is a great ride especially created for young children and is a smaller version of the Tutuki Splash that small children cannot go on. The ride starts off leisurely but keeps young children entertained when they sail over fun bumps causing a little bit of water to spill into their boat. Each Canoe can seat two children, one behind the other, letting them enjoy their own ride just for them.

The Kon-Tiki Wave ride is a tremendous ride that older children and adults will love. This ride takes the passengers on a stormy trip over large waves ensuring that every person on board the KonTiki boat gets hundreds of butterflies in their stomachs. You must go on this ride as it is in my opinion one of the best rides in the park. The queue is also not very long, we waited for a few minutes both times we went on this ride.

The last attraction in Polynesia is the 4D Sea Odyssey adventure which is for all the family. The queue for this ride was over an hour and a half and I must admit was not worth the wait. I was extremely surprised to find that the 4D experience wasn’t great and the story of this ride was very boring. Young children may be frightened during this ride as the music and themes are quite scary and not really appropriate for younger audiences. A big disappointment and one I suggest that you miss.

Overall I loved Polynesia and thought that the range of shows and attractions available here were of a high quality and very entertaining.
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The first area within the Port Aventura Park is the beautiful Mediterranean themed paradise. This is the first part of the park that you really get to see and gives you a real feel of what you might see and be able to see and…Read More

The first area within the Port Aventura Park is the beautiful Mediterranean themed paradise. This is the first part of the park that you really get to see and gives you a real feel of what you might see and be able to see and do whilst on your trip to Port Aventura. This part of the park is the quietest in terms of rides and attractions but has most of the shops and restaurants in the park.

In the centre of this area there is a huge lake that is very tranquil with its stunning views and flowers native to the Mediterranean. This is added to by the authentic white washed buildings of the shops and restaurants. In front of the lake is a stage like area and here at certain times of the day you can see the Port Aventura’s famous Woody Woodpecker Mascot where children and adults can queue to a have a photo with him. This queue got very long very quickly and people were quite pushy when forming the line. I would suggest that you wait until the queue has died down a little especially if you have children as it can feel quite frantic and scary in this queue with so many people desperate to get a picture.

The Mediterranean has, in my opinion, one of the best rides in Port Aventura, Furious Baco. This ride is extremely popular and does get incredibly busy at all times of the day so be prepared for a very long wait, normally 45 minutes to 1 hour and a half. The queue for this ride is well shaded but does get cold if it is a windy day due to the lack of sun. This ride is fantastic for anyone over 1.40 metres. My fiancé and I got a real thrill out of this ride.

You can also alight both the both the tourist boat at Port Drassana and the tourist train at the north station which take you around the park with fantastic scenery and views that are quite truly breathtaking. The boat and train run to a schedule, I believe every half an hour and the queues do get long but you can usually get on quite easily. I would check times and how busy it gets at different times of the year as we went off season.

As previously mentioned there are lots of shops and restaurants in the Mediterranean area of Port Aventura that sell a variety of themed merchandise, snacks and full restaurant meals. The merchandise ranges in price, some of the products are very expensive for what they are for example a fridge magnet cost €5.50 whereas I purchased a beautiful T-shirt for only €12. Make sure you look around because you can find great cheaper souvenirs. For me finding food in this area of the park was a real problem as there wasn’t much vegetarian food at all and I couldn’t find any main meal here that didn’t contain meat. The food as you would expect is very expensive but if you need to eat in the park than this is the main area to do so.

As your day draws to a close you must return to the Mediterranean for the Sesame Parade. Different characters from the cast of Sesame Street will dance along the cornered of area around magical floats. The parade is set to atmospheric music and lighting creating a true feast for the senses.

Although the Mediterranean area of Port Aventura wasn’t my favourite area of the park it is a beautiful, well created part that ties in with the overall world theme of the park itself perfectly. It is also great to stroll around the lake and take some time to relax away from the queuing crowds and screams of passengers on the rides. A perfect way to start and end your day at Port Aventura.


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When looking for a place to go on holiday over the Easter half term I looked at many different countries and decided that I would like to return to Spain as I hadn't been there since I was a little girl. I remembered a great…Read More

When looking for a place to go on holiday over the Easter half term I looked at many different countries and decided that I would like to return to Spain as I hadn't been there since I was a little girl. I remembered a great holiday that I had with my family to Salou in the Costa Dorada so wanted to go again.

From London Stansted to Barcelona the flight took about 2 hours 40 minutes which isn’t too long. Many of the planes fly to either Barcelona or Reus airport, I believe there used to be a closer airport to Salou but this got closed down so now you have to travel further once you reach Spain! Salou is about a one and a half hours drive from Barcelona airport. There are many transfer companies here; we booked our transfer with travel republic before we went for £30 per adult for a return journey. I would advise that you do this as the airport is so busy and I am not sure how easy it would be to get a taxi to Salou without having to wait for a long time.

The resort of Salou is on the north east coast of Spain in Costa Dorada (or Daurada as the Spanish spell it). Salou is a very flat area which is great for the elderly, wheelchairs and buggies or families with young children. The resort isn’t huge but the tourist train and busses are so reliable that it is easy to get to anywhere you want to go without much effort. Salou, in my opinion, has to be known for its two long sandy beaches which are perfect for families, groups and couples. The beaches have lots to do including playgrounds, areas for sports and water sports. As these are so long you can pretty much access the beach from wherever you are in Salou just by walking down towards the coast.

Just up from the beach you can find restaurants and shops catered for the tourist. The restaurants are all average priced but you can find cheap places to eat if you look around. These are great for lunches, service is quick and staff are very friendly and welcoming. All of the staff in Salou speak good English and like it when you make the extra effort to speak Spanish to them. Here the people speak Catalonian which we found has slightly different pronunciation to Castilian.

Salou is very close to many tourist attractions including Port Aventura, Aquopolis, House of Illusions, Dancing fountain show and many more. Bus, tourist train or walking are the best ways to access these attractions as tour guided trips can be costly and not worth it as these attractions are so close to the resort. Trips to places such as Barcelona or the Nou Camp would need to be arranged through a tour guide though unless you feel confident enough to go alone.

During the evening Salou is more lively with lots of pubs and bars tailored to tourists. I don't particularly like some of the more English bars but many families enjoy this type of place. There are also the fantastic light fountains every Sunday night which are free! These are great to watch with perfectly timed lights and music to go with the movement of the water in the fountain.

The main tours outside of the hotels are run by the local bus company Plana tours, these have trips to everywhere near to Salou and charge reasonable prices for their tours.

Overall I believe that Salou is a super holiday destination for families, couples or groups as there is so much to do in such a compact area.
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We traded into a resort in Salou as the closest option to spending time in Barcelona. We drove the 1.5 hours into Barcelona 3 days and rested in Salou 3 days. Salou is definitely a tourist beach town, with all that implies - nothing of…Read More

We traded into a resort in Salou as the closest option to spending time in Barcelona. We drove the 1.5 hours into Barcelona 3 days and rested in Salou 3 days. Salou is definitely a tourist beach town, with all that implies - nothing of particular cultural note, but a pretty little town with pleasant beaches and lots of people-watching to be done. The drive into Barcelona is pretty, and both routes are along a toll road; we discovered we could pay the tolls on our credit card and get through more quickly, since you could go through an automatic terminal. Traffic as we approached the city usually backed up and stalled, so increased our drive time. Driving and parking in the city was challenging - got lost frequently, and after the first day, just looked for public garages near a metro stop. We'd park underground, where we felt it was a little safer, and then take the subway (metro) everywhere. A wonderfully convenient, affordable, clean and easy way to save your feet and still see all corners of the city. We bought a 3-day pass and used it extensively.

Barcelona is one of my favorite international cities - the architectural diversity is more dramatic than anywhere and endlessly photogenic. Architect Gaudi certainly left his imprint on the city, and you can easily spend a whole day visiting his designs. Not to be missed are the Sagrada Familia (famous church, still under construction) and Parc Guell (inviting, visually stunning park originally designed to be a gated housing community) and apartment building La Pedrera. Beyond Gaudi, don't miss La Rambla, the long, pedestrian-friendly promenade with cool vendors, street artists, and plenty of places to sit, have a pitcher of sangria, and people-watch. If it's a clear day, the cable car to the top of Mt. Tibadabo is worthwhile for sweeping city views, but if it's hazy, skip it. Likewise, the view from Montjuic hilltop is pretty if it’s a clear day. The fort itself isn't anything special.

There are so many restaurants and cafes at every price level that everyone can easily find something to enjoy. I'd read that restaurants and stores closed for "siesta," so plan on late dinners. We definitely didn't find that to be the case - people were eating at all times of the day and night, but occasionally smaller shops would be closed between 2-5pm then reopen in the evening. To eat, we just wandered each day and tried a place that looked intriguing or different, or sometimes just because it was convenient. All menus are in several languages, and usually accompanied by photos so you know what you're getting. Lots of mainstream food, but plenty of places that served local cuisine.

Rarely found language to be a problem; with our smattering of Spanish and mostly their better English, it usually wasn't difficult to purchase anything or order food or ask directions. It's such a large, busy city with a vast number of tourists that you're as likely to hear German or Dutch or French as you are Spanish.

This is a budget vacation for a very, very, very middle class. There was even a supper bulk of rushing into beach shorts. Although I went to dinner in a dress. The first couple of nights looked at me with wide eyes, and then used.In…Read More

This is a budget vacation for a very, very, very middle class. There was even a supper bulk of rushing into beach shorts. Although I went to dinner in a dress. The first couple of nights looked at me with wide eyes, and then used.
In the sea - a smooth and long run, you can drown in only a very strong desire: walk, walk, and all of you on the neck. I do not know how to swim, and at first once a complex. And then look: there is such a half laps the shore.

Salou is a city not for a family holiday. This city of bars and discos, mad tourists from Holland, England and other European countries. Discos are all indoors, but the lads on the street and threw the gorlopanit to 8 am. We are in no way strained, because We did not come to lie on the beach and sleep in the room, namely hang out. For families especially with children, quiet and measured very suitable La Pineda and Cambrills - margin Salou.

Disco!
Salou - a rave site, designed mainly for young people 18-23 years old, I'm sorry if someone hurt you. And hang out until morning and when we are restless tourists, swept in the morning at the station, the young Party People still could not disperse. The mud banks, garbage - just the knee, just enough time to remove the clock to 10.

They begin to work hours from 11 pm, but the people to catch up with 00.30 and later. Almost all the clubs - free. There is a fee disco "Snoopy's" (10 euros), but many distributors of flyers have always given a flyer for free entry. I liked the disco "ENJOY", "BLUE BAHIA" and "KISS". By the way, the absolute majority discos are on the same street. At "ENJOY" and "BLUE BAHIA" tremendous atmosphere, besides every Thursday and Saturday after midnight are the lessons of salsa. In the "Snoopy's" I did not like that was a lot of people, mostly under the huge 2.20-meter Dutch tobacco-stained, all the pushing and shoving, very few people danced. Basically, all moved around the room. In "TROPICAL" a lot of tourists "who for .... Many say that this place is known acquaintance "with the continuation, for which here and stare their prime local and the visiting Spaniards. And this is true .... Girls, if you are beautiful, you will want to meet the owners of all the above facilities, where you will relax in the bar on the street.Close