Car Hire Salou: Do You Need a Car on the Costa Dorada?

For a classic beach fortnight, often not. Salou is compact: Llevant Beach is right in the centre, Platja dels Capellans is about half a mile away, and Hard Rock Entertainment World is around a mile out. Even the PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park is only about a mile from town, and neighbouring La Pineda is roughly 2 miles along the coast.

Where car rental in Salou starts to pay off is if you arrive at Barcelona rather than Reus, or if you want to explore the smaller coves at your own pace. Cala de Penya Tallada, Cala Vinya, Cala Font and Platja dels Enlliscalls are scattered along the rocky shore, alongside the Far de Salou lighthouse and the archaeological sites of Vil·la de Barenys, Vil·la de la Burguera and La punta de la Cella. Having wheels lets you string several of these into one morning.

If you would rather not drive at all, a taxi or a private transfer from Reus to Salou covers a very short journey, and many package holidays include the transfer. We cannot quote a taxi fare from Reus airport to Salou here, so check the current rate before you travel.

Reus (REU) is the obvious choice for car hire at Salou airport level: it has direct flights from the UK and is about 7 minutes' drive from both Salou and La Pineda. You can be on the beach road almost as soon as you have signed the paperwork, and returning the car before your flight home is equally painless.

Barcelona (BCN) also has direct flights from the UK and gives a wider choice of flight times, but the drive down is around 70 minutes to La Pineda and about 72 minutes to Salou. That is where car hire in Salou, Spain, makes the clearest sense, because a Barcelona to Salou taxi price over that distance adds up, and a car also gives you freedom once you arrive. If you are crossing by ferry, Barcelona's port is about 56 miles from the resort.

Distances around the resort are short: nearly every sight in the area lies within about 2 miles of the centre, so most journeys are a matter of minutes rather than hours. The longer drive is the coastal run from Barcelona airport, a little over an hour.

Summer brings the heat, with average highs of 30°C in July and 31°C in August, so expect a hot car after it has stood in the sun, and keep water on board for children. Autumn is the wettest time on this coast: October averages 145 mm of rain over around 12 days, and September and November are also damper, so allow extra time and take care on wet roads if you travel then. The best driving weather, mild and largely dry, runs from April to June.

Book early if you are travelling in the school holidays, when July and August demand on the Costa Dorada is at its height and car hire tends to cost more. Choose a full-to-full fuel policy so you only pay for what you use, and refuel close to Reus or Barcelona before you drop the car off.

Read the excess terms carefully and decide in advance whether to buy cover from the rental desk or arrange it separately. If you are travelling with young children, reserve child seats when you book rather than at the counter. You can compare car hire for Salou and the wider Costa Dorada on this page, alongside package deals, hotel prices and tours, so you can weigh up a hire car against a transfer and see which suits your trip.