Things to Do in Salou Spain: Beaches, Parks and Day Trips

Most Salou attractions fall into three groups: theme parks, beaches and archaeological sites. The big draws are PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park, a water park within the PortAventura World Resort about a mile and a quarter from the centre, and Hard Rock Entertainment World, roughly half a mile out. For many visitors these two shape the whole question of Salou what to do.

The coastline does the rest. Llevant Beach is the town's main stretch of sand, Platja dels Capellans and Platja Llarga lie a short way along, and the rocky headland gives you the Far de Salou lighthouse and the beach at Cap de Sant Pere. For a change of pace, the remains at Vil·la de la Burguera, Vil·la de Barenys and La punta de la Cella add a quieter, historical side to your list of things to do in Salou.

In Salou itself, everything is close at hand. Llevant Beach is on the doorstep, Platja dels Capellans is about half a mile away and Platja Llarga about a mile and a quarter. Cap de Sant Pere sits around 2 miles out. The two archaeological sites, Vil·la de la Burguera and Vil·la de Barenys, are both within a mile and a quarter of the centre, as is the water park.

La Pineda lies about 2 miles from Salou and is grouped with its own run of coastline in the listings: Playa La Pineda, plus a string of small coves including Platja Cala Crancs, Cala de Penya Tallada, Cala Font, Cala Vinya and Platja dels Enlliscalls. The Far de Salou lighthouse and the site at La punta de la Cella also fall on this side. If you prefer swimming from smaller coves rather than a long town beach, this is where to look among the things to do in Costa Dorada Salou has nearby.

Families tend to plan around PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park, part of the PortAventura World Resort, and Hard Rock Entertainment World, both a short hop from the centre. Because Reus airport is only 7 minutes away, younger children are spared a long transfer before the fun starts.

Llevant Beach, right in town, is the easiest beach day with small children, as there is no travel involved. Older children who enjoy exploring may like the coves towards La Pineda and the walk out to the Far de Salou lighthouse. July and August bring highs of 30 to 31°C, so park days and beach afternoons are best paced with plenty of shade.

You can compare Salou excursions, park tickets and other Salou activities on this page through the tours and tickets button, and line up car hire alongside if you want to explore further. Excursions in Salou, Spain are easiest to enjoy from April to August, when the weather is settled; September and especially October are wetter, with October averaging 145 mm of rain over 12 days.

For day trips from Salou, Barcelona is the obvious choice. A Salou to Barcelona day trip means a drive of a little over an hour to Barcelona airport, and the city's port is about 56 miles away, so an organised trip or a hire car both work. Most British travellers arrive on a package with flights into Reus or Barcelona, and you can compare package deals, hotel prices and car hire here too. Prices tend to rise in the school holidays, so book early if you are tied to those dates.