Cheap Holidays to Salou: When to Go and How to Save

The busiest stretch is July and August, when highs sit at 30 to 31°C and UK school holidays push up demand. If you can travel outside those weeks, the shoulder months are where good value tends to appear. September is the pick for many: highs still average 27°C, though rain picks up to around nine days in the month.

October is warm at 24°C but it is the wettest month here, with about 145mm across twelve rain days, so pack for the odd downpour. From November to March the weather is cooler, from 15°C in January to 19°C in March, which suits sightseeing and coastal walks rather than sunbathing. Late spring is also worth a look: April and May bring 21 to 23°C before the summer rush, and a term-time week then can feel much calmer than August.

Salou is the larger of the two, with a population of about 26,800, and the town sits directly on Llevant Beach with Platja dels Capellans and Platja Llarga a short way along the shore. Being the main resort, it is where you will find the widest choice when comparing holiday deals in Salou, and it puts you closest to Hard Rock Entertainment World and the Roman remains of Vil·la de la Burguera.

La Pineda lies about 2 miles away and is smaller, with around 17,300 residents. It has the long Playa La Pineda plus a string of coves such as Cala Vinya, Cala de Penya Tallada and Platja dels Enlliscalls, and the Far de Salou lighthouse. Both resorts are about seven minutes from Reus, so transfer time will not separate them; compare the two side by side on dates and board basis to see which suits your budget.

Flexibility does most of the work. Midweek departures are often better value than Saturday flights, and it pays to check every regional UK airport within reach rather than only your nearest. Booking a term-time week in spring or September avoids the school-holiday premium entirely, and looking early for summer dates gives you more choice of rooms.

Cheap package holidays to Salou bundle flight, hotel and transfer, which keeps the sums simple and protects you if something goes wrong; you can compare Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays and On the Beach on this page. If you prefer to cook some meals, self-catering can trim the daily spend, and the hotel price checker here lets you weigh it against half board or all-inclusive. For cheap breaks to Salou of three or four nights, the short hop from Reus makes even a long weekend worthwhile.

Reus is the airport to aim for: it has direct flights from the United Kingdom and sits about seven minutes by road from both Salou and La Pineda, so a transfer is barely longer than a taxi queue. Most package deals to Salou use it in the summer season.

Barcelona also has direct UK flights and gives you more choice of times, at around 70 to 72 minutes' drive to the resorts. If you fly there, car hire is easy to compare on this page and gives you freedom to explore the wider Costa Dorada. Drivers coming by ferry can use Barcelona's port, about 56 miles away.