Costa Dorada Holidays: Resorts, Weather and Package Deals

Families come first here. Family holidays in Costa Dorada tend to centre on Salou, which draws by far the most interest of any town on this coast, thanks to its beaches such as Cap de Sant Pere and the PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park on its doorstep. Neighbouring La Pineda and Cambrils are equally close to Reus airport, which matters when you are travelling with small children and luggage.

Couples and anyone with an interest in history will find more to do than on most Spanish costas. Tarragona was the Roman city of Tarraco, and its amphitheatre, Roman theatre, circus, forums, Early Christian cemetery and the National Archaeological Museum sit alongside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Tecla. Travellers after somewhere quieter can look north to smaller towns such as Coma-ruga, Torredembarra or Cunit.

Salou is the obvious base for family holidays in Costa Dorada, Spain: the water park is in the resort, Cap de Sant Pere beach is close by, and Reus airport is about seven minutes away. La Pineda, a similar distance from the airport, is a smaller alternative a little up the coast. Cambrils, around eleven minutes from Reus, has the Castell de Vilafortuny and suits those who want a slightly calmer town while staying near the water park.

Tarragona itself is a city of over 140,000 people rather than a resort, but staying there puts the Roman sites on your doorstep and L'Arrabassada beach within reach. Further north, Calafell has its castle and an Iron Age Iberian citadel, Coma-ruga has the Pau Casals Museum, and Torredembarra and Cunit are smaller towns better reached from Barcelona airport.

The best months run from April to August. April and May bring highs of 21°C to 23°C with around six rain days a month, comfortable for sightseeing in Tarragona and gentle beach days. June reaches about 27°C, and July and August are the hottest months at 30°C and 31°C, with August among the driest of the year.

September is still warm at around 27°C but wetter, and October is the rainiest month, with about 145mm across twelve days. Winter is mild, with highs of 15°C to 17°C. July and August coincide with UK school holidays, when demand and package prices generally rise, so families tied to term dates tend to book early; those with flexibility often find late spring a good balance.

Two airports have direct flights from the UK. Reus is the one to aim for if you are heading to the southern resorts: it is around six minutes from Tarragona, seven from Salou and La Pineda, and eleven from Cambrils. Few Spanish holiday coasts offer transfers this short.

Barcelona suits the northern towns. From the airport it is about 34 minutes to Cunit, 39 to Calafell, 42 to Coma-ruga and 52 to Torredembarra. If you would rather explore independently, you can compare car hire on this page alongside the package options.

Package holidays to Costa Dorada bundle the flight, hotel and airport transfer into one booking, and when sold as a package they are ATOL-protected, so you are covered if something goes wrong with the travel company. In practice you fly into Reus or Barcelona, are met and driven to your hotel, and choose a board basis such as self-catering, half board or all inclusive to suit your budget and how much you plan to eat out.

On this page you can compare live deals from Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays and On the Beach side by side, check hotel prices if you prefer to book separately, and browse tours and tickets for the water park or Tarragona's Roman sites. Prices and availability change constantly, so compare a few dates before deciding.