Salou Holidays

If entertainment is what you want from your holiday, Salou has it in spades. Set on Spain’s Costa Dorada, it’s got Europe’s biggest theme park on the doorstep and a waterpark just up the road. The place also sets a lively pace at night, with a big choice of bars and clubs. There’s plenty of relaxation to be had, too, though, on the town’s golden beaches.

You’ve got a choice of 2 main beaches here. On the west side of the port, the kilometre-long Playa Ponent is a spacious sandy stretch along Catalonia that's dotted with cafés. On the east side is the slightly longer Playa Llevant, which tops things off with a gym, volleyball and children’s playground. Watersports come as standard on either side.

Salou is home to Karting Salou, where you can race around the go-kart track or bungee rocket from 0 to 180 kilometres an hour in 1.3 seconds. Over at Aquapolis, on the way to neighbouring La Pineda, there are waterslides for all the family. And the mega PortAventura theme park is just 20 minutes away.

A 10-minute drive takes you to Tarragona, where there’s a Medieval citadel, an amphitheatre and a 12th-century cathedral to see. And for even more sights, there’s Barcelona – just 90 minutes away by train. Here, you’ll get a big hit of Gaudi with his La Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell, plus a chic marina and the famous Las Ramblas.