family travel guide
Since the biggest amusement park in Spain was built next to the resort of Salou, it has become extremely popular. But the city has another appealing feature: Salou has been named one of the best family holiday destinations by the Catalan Tourism Agency. It is confirmed by a certificate and more than anything else by the fact that the hotels, beaches, and restaurants have all the facilities for families with little ones. Find out everything you need about the resort in our Kidpassage review. Find out why holidays with children in Salou have been popular for decades.
Salou is a resort in eastern Spain on the Balearic Sea, in the province of Tarragona in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. The distance from Salou to Tarragona (provincial capital) is 12 km, to Reus — 11 km, to Barcelona — 113 km and to Valencia — 250 km.
The coast where Salou is located is known as the Costa Dorada or Golden Coast. It's pretty simple — the sand on the beaches does have a golden cast. As for the cost of a holiday, Salou is not golden; the prices are quite affordable.
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A successful holiday in Salou begins with the road. The resort does not have an airport, but Barcelona's major airport is nearby, and from there, there is a direct train to Salou. The journey won't tire the little ones out, so once you arrive, you can hit the beach or go for your first walk around town.
In the first hours of your holiday, you'll notice that the resort hasn't been awarded a Family Tourism Destination certificate for nothing. The conclusions will look something like this.
Family hotels are recognizable by the DTF sign. You will find everything you need on holiday with an infant in the rooms. Older children will enjoy the attractions and activities in the mini-clubs. You can read about other advantages of holidays in Salou with children in the following sections.
The tourist season in Salou is less clearly tied to summer than other resorts. Yes, it is July and September that see most people come here to bask in the hot Spanish sun. The beaches and hotels are flooded with tourists, and it's worth ensuring you book a nice hotel room or comfortable apartment well in advance.
For many people, however, the main reason to come to Salou before or after the season is to enjoy the adventurous world of Port Aventura.
The famous theme park is open daily from the end of March to the end of October and at weekends in November and December. Port Aventura puts on holiday shows during Christmas and New Year and then closes until spring.
When choosing the best time to go to Salou, consult the calendar of events. Each month is packed with events: January sees the hilarious Festa Major de Salou, February the Coso Blanco Carnival, April the San Jordi (Book, Rose and Love Day), and June the Bonfire of St. Juan festival. There are plenty of reasons to take your mind off the beach life: you won't want to miss one.
Salou's Mediterranean climate can be described without scientific terms in two simple words: warm and sunny. Between May and September, there's no need to check the weather forecast because it always comes with a temperature of +22-29°C and a 'clear' icon.
Planning your Salou holiday for May is a sensible decision if you plan sunbathing and sightseeing. Temperatures rise to around +22-24°C in late spring. In May, however, the sea doesn't get warm enough, but you can replace the sea baths with a visit to a water park.
From June, the resort gradually gets hotter. The daytime temperature averages around +25-26°С but often reaches +30°С. The second half of June is an excellent time to take your child for a holiday, as the sea finally starts to warm up.
The peak of the heat in Salou is in July and August. The thermometer rises to +30° Celsius in the morning. It must be said, however, that higher temperatures are rare in the resort, and the low humidity means that the heat is not felt.
However, the best holiday in Salou with children is in September. The air temperature drops to +27°C, and the sea doesn't even consider cooling down.
October in Salou is a month of unpredictable weather. The daytime heat is gone as soon as the sun goes down. As evening falls, summer and early autumn temperatures drop to between +19-22°C and, in May, can drop to as low as +15°C. The warm season can last until November, or the rains come pouring down. However, Salou is a suitable place for holidays with babies, and the temperatures are still between +21 and 23°C.
From November to March, it's cooler in Salou, with temperatures around +13-17°C during the day and +7-10°C at night. The air warms up to +19°C, and you're just days away from the start of the beach season. Rainfall may interfere with your holiday only in November and March. Still, if you plan to visit PortAventura over Christmas and New Year, the weather will most likely be clear. In April, Salou is in full bloom in the spring sunshine.
Salou's beaches are full of holidaymakers on a hot May or June day, but not many of them rush to take a dip in the sea. That's because the sea temperature in the resort in May barely reaches +18 ° C and June +22 ° C.
The sea gets warm only in the second half of June when the water gets as warm as +24°С. During July and August, the water temperature in Salou remains between +25 and 26°C.
Having warmed up during the summer, the sea is in no hurry to cool down in the fall. The water temperature remains around 25°C in September and cools down towards the end of the month to between +22 and 23°C. In October, the water temperature drops to about +25°C; in the second half of the month, it is also around +22°C -23°C. In October, the water temperature falls to 21°C. But if September was hot and dry, the sea could still be very warm in October.
Salou hotels usually offer their guests only breakfast. It is often served as a buffet with a good selection of vegetable and dairy dishes, cereals and egg dishes. If the restaurant does not have a children's menu, inquire about other special menus — diet, vegetarian or gluten-free.
But for the most part, tourists in Salou eat out and experience Catalan cuisine. Highlights include butifarra pork sausage served with beans, capipota meat and vegetable stew, and fideua, a close relative of Valencian paella. Children will undoubtedly love the dessert "crema catalana".
Sometimes, instead of a filling meal at a restaurant, you might pop into a charcuterie (butcher's shop) for a cheese and ham sandwich.
If you cook on your own, you can buy the products you need in supermarkets or small shops. There are about 20 supermarkets in Salou, including Spar, Lidl and the Spanish chains Mercadona and DIA. The resort also has a food market on Mondays.
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It only takes an hour to cross Salou on foot from west to east. Walking from north to south will take even less time. That said, Salou does have public transport, and it is in demand. Firstly, when on holiday in Salou, you want to visit PortAventura Park. You can get there on the R16 train or the Plana bus.
Secondly, Salou is close to Barcelona and Tarragona, and few people pass up the chance to take a guided tour. Intercity buses make several stops in Salou, so you can tour the entire coast without being limited to the major cities. A ticket to Tarragona costs €6 and Barcelona €15. Flight schedules are available on the Plana website.
Thirdly, another form of transport in Salou is the tourist train. It runs along the coast, through the centre of town, and can therefore serve as a means of transportation if you want to go to the supermarket or market. Adult tourist train tickets cost €6, and children from 4 to 14 years old €4. The ticket price includes the use of an audio guide.
Fourthly, taxis can be used to get around Salou. Free cars are waiting for passengers in the car parks; the fare within the city is at most €10; you can get to Tarragona for €20. Finally, the town has bicycle and electric scooter rentals.
If you are going to rent a car, you can pick it up at the airport or directly at the resort. Only paid car parks are in the centre of Salou and close to the beach. Free parking is available in areas further away from the centre and on the beach.
Salou is not to be missed amongst Spain's beach resorts. Even when the beaches are still or already cool, visitors come here because it's home to the biggest theme park, PortAventura.
Port Aventura is not one but three theme parks. It includes the luxurious water park "Costa Caribe" and the theme park "Ferrari Land".
Choosing what's fun for your child is easy, as the parks have something for everyone. Children's rides in the Sésamoaventura entertainment zone, a dizzying roller coaster, fun shows, virtual adventures in the 4D cinema, excellent water areas and steep slides in the water park, a Ferrari race (you'll forget it's a simulator), a Junior Racer Championship — all this will take at least two days.
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However, this powerful attraction is one of many in Salou. There are plenty of other little pleasures for every day in the city. For example, Bosc Aventura Rope Park is a fun place for children. Its most accessible course is designed for three-year-olds. In contrast, the most challenging course is suitable only for teenagers and adults who must move 10 metres above the ground rather than climb over obstacles.
For children who fancy themselves as Formula 1 drivers, suggest a go-kart race. The go-kart track has a children's track, and children over four are allowed to race independently.
A challenge for the mind, not the body — a magic show at the House of Illusions. How to read minds at a distance, where do cards come from in the sleeves of unsuspecting spectators, and how many objects can hide in a magician's hat — will you manage to unravel the secrets of magic? If your child needs to run out and it's too hot outside, the children's entertainment centres in shopping malls can save the day.
Whatever your holiday plans, it's always important for parents to know where to take their child for a walk. Spanish resorts abound with playgrounds, and Salou is no exception. Playgrounds range from standard plastic slides to clever metal, wood and rope designs. The slides and swings are often hidden from the sun by trees, and the playground is covered to protect children from injury while playing.
There are several playgrounds in the city park (by the way, the Bosc Aventura ropes park is next door). The park is small and well worth a wander around to follow the path of the artificial stream and feed the carp in the pond. What's there to do in Salou with the baby when it's dark but still early for bed?
The usual programme for the evening is a stroll along the promenade waiting for the singing fountain show. It's not as pompous as Barcelona's, but there's a labyrinthine fountain where you can run around in the jets, even during the show.
You can also take your child for an educational walk in Salou, such as a trip to the lighthouse. It has been shining for almost 200 years, and the old buildings remain. There are several viewpoints next to the lighthouse that overlook the sea.
Another walking attraction in the town is the bypass road. The narrow bridge of the road is laid along the sea, along the rocky shore, where there is no other way to get through. The bypass road rises only a few metres above the sea, but there are places where the path runs 77 metres above sea level. The trail leads from the city centre to the eastern outskirts, where quiet beaches alternate with secluded corners of nature.
The temptation to explore the neighbouring towns in Spain is greater than anywhere else: each resort is attractive. For example, 15 minutes by car and you're in La Pineda, home to one of the Aquopolis water parks. Give in to the temptation, and your family holiday will be even brighter.
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The same 15 minutes by train, and you're in Tarragona. There's more to do here: the Aqualeon water park, the relatively large Sports Center Land amusement park, the Jungle Trek ropes course and the Calafell Slide summer bobsled run.
If you're travelling with a child who isn't yet interested in walking the streets of old towns, suggest riding a tourist train. They'll enjoy the ride, and you can admire Roman ruins and Baroque architecture.
Spend an hour and a half on the high-speed train, and you're in Barcelona, buzzing, extraordinary, full of imagination and genius. Barcelona has an incredible number of places for children to enjoy:
Barcelona is not likely to be explored in just one day. If you plan a trip to Salou via Barcelona, stay in the Catalan capital for a few days to better understand the city's festive atmosphere.
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Golden sand and Blue Flags for coastal cleanliness are hallmarks of the beaches of Costa Dorada and Salou in particular. Every beach in the resort is well-equipped and suitable for families.
A beach is an excellent place for a holiday at sea with children, and there are playgrounds for children, the water is shallow, and the sea is almost always calm. The beaches are over a kilometre long and very busy during the high season. The longest beaches in Salou are Ponent and Llevant.
Llarga is another popular beach holiday destination in Salou. It is a large beach surrounded by pine trees far from the city centre. Here there are always fewer holidaymakers than on the city beaches. For a quiet holiday, choose the small, sandy beaches. Some are within the city limits, like Capellans and Llenguadets; others are on the outskirts of Cap de Salou.
The bays of Font and Crancs are ideal not only for sunbathing and swimming but also for snorkelling: they are the best snorkelling spots in Salou.
All beaches in the resort are free, but if you want to take a sun lounger, you have to pay for it.
Salou's sights are inconspicuous. There are no world-famous museums, no stunning antiquities. But the answer to what to see in Salou is still there, and it's not as banal as you might think.
The oldest buildings in the town are the remains of a Roman settlement. The purpose of each building, which only parts of the foundations have survived, is explained on the stands. One of the houses, for example, was used to make amphorae for transporting wine.
The history of the Old Tower is shorter. It was built in the early 16th century to protect the town and port from pirates. Today the tower hosts art exhibitions. Evidence that Salou was a significant trading centre can also be found elsewhere. The Port Commandant's Office building from the 19th century has been preserved. One of the steam trains that brought goods from Salou to Reus has also been held. Interestingly, at the end of the 19th century, the goods trains gave way to passenger trains that brought tourists to Salou's beaches.
You can also visit the Masia Catalana in Salou with your child. It is a relatively new complex built in the spirit of typical Catalan settlements, with dwellings, cattle pens, and workshops. The farmstead hosts a fair of handicrafts in the summer and early autumn.
As you can see, there are few things to visit with children in Salou, so you must expand your tour geography. Luckily, ancient Tarragona and museum-rich Barcelona are close by.
Tarragona is like a one big museum. Some Roman buildings include a theatre and the 'Bridge of the Devil' (the name given to the ancient Roman aqueduct). The Tarragona Archaeological Museum displays the foundations of the Tarraco settlement, everyday objects and even children's toys.
Well, Barcelona has many places of interest for children. Some museums are explicitly aimed at children; families visit others to introduce them to the treasures of world culture.
Of course, the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and the Picasso Museum cannot be overlooked. In such solid places with works by great painters, children can stare at the ceiling (there's plenty to see in the National Museum), lie on the floor or create their ingenious canvases.
While on holiday in Salou, you can take your kids to nearby towns. A trip to Reus and the Gaudí Centre would be enjoyable. Modern multimedia technology reproduces the architect's ideas: it's incredible how daring fantasies have become very real projects.
Where to stay in Salou? The resort offers travellers a choice of fifty hotels, ranging from the big four-star to the budget, apart-hotels, apartments and campsites. The only five-star hotel in the resort is located in PortAventura Park. Around 30-holiday destinations in Salou have a Family Tourism Destination, or DTF, certificate. These are mainly hotels and apartment hotels, but several apartments and campsites have also been certified.
DTF certification means that the hotel/apartment takes care of the safety of children, the comfort of a holiday with little ones and the entertainment programme for young guests.
You can find holiday destinations marked with the DTF sign on the Salou tourism website. By referring to this sign, you can easily choose where it is best for children. Certified hotels are sure to have the following:
Meanwhile, when looking for options for where to stay in Salou with children, you can also consider non-certified hotels. Firstly, the quality of service in Spanish hotels is always top-notch, and secondly, the resort has plenty of activities for children.
If you are coming to Salou in May or early June, looking for a hotel with a swimming pool makes sense. Note that apartment hotels and houses with apartments also partly have a swimming pool.
You can look for a hotel in any part of Salou, especially as there are hardly any first-line hotels in town, and it takes up to 15 minutes to get to the beach from anywhere in the resort on foot.
The certified campsite is located on Salou's western outskirts, almost on Ponent Beach's shores. The accommodation is basic but ideal for an independent holiday in Salou with children. The good points of the campsite include spacious landscaped grounds, a variety of playgrounds, sports fields, swimming pools with waterslides and outdoor seating.
You can also look for accommodation close to Salou. Other established Costa Dorada resorts like Cambrils and La Pineda are nearby. In addition to the relatively large resorts, there are quiet villages with cheap hotels near Salou.
The nearest airports to Salou are Reus (14 km) and Barcelona (100 km). Charter flights mainly serve Reus, and travel companies provide transfers to Salou. To get from Reus Airport to Salou, you can take bus number 5. Buses run every hour between 8:00 and 20:00.
How to get to Salou from Barcelona Airport:
There is a direct bus service from Barcelona Airport to Salou with a journey time of about 2 hours. The timetable and ticket prices are on the carrier's website: https://www.busplana.com. From Tarragona to Salou, there are buses from Alsa and Plana. Bus routes also connect the city to other resorts on the Costa Dorada. The Salou official tourist website has information about bus companies and how to get to Salou by bus from other countries.
Trains to Salou from Barcelona depart from Sants train station. The journey takes just over one hour. You can also get to Salou by train from Tarragona (travel time 10-20 minutes) or by train from Valencia (travel time 2.5-4 hours). You can find timetables and ticket prices on the website of the Spanish railway company RENFE: https://www.renfe.com/.
There are large motorways along the coast from Barcelona and Valencia to Salou. Airports have offices of car rental companies. Cars can also be booked online before you travel.
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