PortAventura Holidays

Three million visitors flock to PortAventura, on the Costa Dorada, each year. The giant theme park – the most popular in Spain – is what brings most of them, but the town also boasts an expansive sandy beach, and lively bars and restaurants. For more excitement, Salou is just five minutes’ drive away and Barcelona's an hour on the train.

Ferrari Land doesn’t mess around when it comes to speed. This 70,000-square-metre park opened in 2017, adding a shade of racing red to PortAventura. Red Force is the headline grabber, rising higher than Big Ben and travelling up to 110mph – making it the continent’s tallest and fastest coaster. There’s even a scaled-down version in the brand new kids’ area. Elsewhere, authentic trattorias, classic landmarks and themed shows celebrate Ferrari’s Italian heritage.

PortAventura has its own bespoke beach – a manmade one at Caribe Aquatic Park. This tropical-themed waterpark’s filled with palms, waterfalls, pools and slides. There’s a pick of other beaches nearby, as well – try popular Salou for a buzz and waterparks, or Cambrils for a quieter options. Salou is five minutes away by car, while Cambrils is 20 minutes.

The theme park’s huge, so just as well it’s been divided into six manageable themes. These include the Far West section, where you can take a white-knuckle whitewater raft along the Grand Canyon – and the Mediterranean section, where you can try the Furios Baco, the fastest rollercoaster in Europe. It’s not all high-adrenaline rides though – you’ve got can-can shows, fireworks displays and acrobatics, too.

A train will whisk you to iconic Barcelona within an hour. Here, in the capital of Catalonia, you can see Gaudí’s unfinished cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, plus modern architecture like Frank Gehry’s fish sculpture, its glass front glistening in the sunshine. After sightseeing, you can enjoy tapas along Las Ramblas, the famous pedestrianised street where street performers entertain diners.