Salou is a city in Tarragona Province, in the south of Catalonia.
Getting there
By car, from the highway AP-7.
By plane, from the international airport Reus-Salou.
Traveling around
The public bus service and taxis service the town. To get outside Salou, and to get to the nearby Port Aventura theme park, use the train station which is located up the promenade or you can use taxis and bus services, all are relatively cheap.
See
The "font lluminosa", a fountain located at the end of the seaside walkway which offers lighting and music shows at night. There is also a beautiful beach lined with many children's play areas and sculptures.
Salou is a base for tourists, but is also used by young people and families as a place to relax and enjoy the sun and beach. For those who wish to see more of the surrounding Catalonia and Spain, consider these day trips.
Montserrat is a mountain near Barcelona, in Catalonia, in Spain. It is the site of a Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary and which is identified by some with the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth. It is a place of natural beauty, and is popular with both holiday group excursions and religious groups on pilgrimage. It has a cable car and mountain train for those who wish not to walk to parts of the mountain, although some areas such as the viewing point at the very top is only accessible by walking up relatively accessible paved paths.
Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain and the capital of the region of Catalonia. The city won't disappoint, and has many shops, bars, restaurants and sights to see. You can take the train or bus to access Barcelona which around 2 and 1/2 hours away.
Tarragona, the nearby town, with beautiful plazas and old traditional cafés, worth a quick visit.
Port Aventura is the nearby theme park, which is excellent for families and groups. It has many rollercoasters, water rides (perfect for the summer climate), simulators and restaurants. You can access Port Aventura via the train, bus and taxi.
Things to do
Salou is a package holiday destination for many different age groups, and is mainly known for its nightlife during the summer time. The many clubs and discos in the clubbing area are crowded every night of the week during the months of July and August. During these months, the number of foreigners is higher than the number of locals, which justifies the high number of international bars and pubs that you can find in Salou.
Unlike many Spanish resorts, Salou does not really have a gay scene, the resort of Sitges just south of Barcelona is the Costa Dorada's most popular resort for gay travellers (Approx 40 miles from Salou).
Most shops and businesses take advantage of the lively night-time atmosphere and are open until quite late. Indeed, you can expect to see streets thronged with tourists shopping for souvenirs and gifts along with more practical items at 10pm in the evening, even in April.
During the day, the movement passes to the long sand beaches of Salou.
Eat
In Salou you can find a high variety of international restaurants, as well as the well-known typical mediterranean food restaurants, although the standard of cuisine is of the "non-Gourmet" type. It is difficult to find any place offering anything other that the ubiquitous steak/chips, chicken/chips and burger/chips. Of course, there is a McDonald's and Burger King in Salou, as well as many Chinese restaurants, which offer "eat all you want" menus from €9.50. These represent good value for money.
For more upmarket and quality cuisine, try and walk up the promenade towards the Marina and the station were many good restaurants surround the area, close to the Spanish mansions along the seafront. Pizzerias, Seafood restaurants and Authentic Italian ice cream parlours are located around here. The area is less popular with young tourists as it is a long distance from most hotels, but the walk on the promenade is worth it.
The neighbouring town of Cambrils is famous throughout Spain for its seafood restaurants and its well worth taking a vist.
Drink
The huge amount of bars, pubs and clubs gives you the option (if not the obligation) of drinking any kind of beer, wine or "cubata" (any alcoholic drink mixed with soft drinks).
Sleep
Salou is a tourist resort and thus has many hotels and apartment blocks located there. Quality varies greatly and can be judged by the number of stars (i.e 3-Star, 4-Star) displayed outside the premises.
Buy
There are plenty of small shops in Salou, specially in the streets along the beach and in Barcelona street. Many sell the same type of souvenirs and some of the merchandise can be quite tacky.
You can find some upmarket boutiques further up the promenade, near the station and marina. Accompanied by a few upmarket restaurants, a few designer boutiques are are around this area.
Contact & location
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Salou is a city in Tarragona Province, in the south of Catalonia.
Getting there
By car, from the highway AP-7. By plane, from the international airport Reus-Salou.
Traveling around
The public bus service and taxis service the town. To get outside Salou, and to get to the nearby Port Aventura theme park, use the train station which is located up the promenade or you can use taxis and bus services, all are relatively cheap.
See
The "font lluminosa", a fountain located at the end of the seaside walkway which offers lighting and music shows at night. There is also a beautiful beach lined with many children's play areas and sculptures.
Salou is a base for tourists, but is also used by young people and families as a place to relax and enjoy the sun and beach. For those who wish to see more of the surrounding Catalonia and Spain, consider these day trips.
Montserrat is a mountain near Barcelona, in Catalonia, in Spain. It is the site of a Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary and which is identified by some with the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth. It is a place of natural beauty, and is popular with both holiday group excursions and religious groups on pilgrimage. It has a cable car and mountain train for those who wish not to walk to parts of the mountain, although some areas such as the viewing point at the very top is only accessible by walking up relatively accessible paved paths.
Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain and the capital of the region of Catalonia. The city won't disappoint, and has many shops, bars, restaurants and sights to see. You can take the train or bus to access Barcelona which around 2 and 1/2 hours away.
Tarragona, the nearby town, with beautiful plazas and old traditional cafés, worth a quick visit.
Port Aventura is the nearby theme park, which is excellent for families and groups. It has many rollercoasters, water rides (perfect for the summer climate), simulators and restaurants. You can access Port Aventura via the train, bus and taxi.
Things to do
Salou is a package holiday destination for many different age groups, and is mainly known for its nightlife during the summer time. The many clubs and discos in the clubbing area are crowded every night of the week during the months of July and August. During these months, the number of foreigners is higher than the number of locals, which justifies the high number of international bars and pubs that you can find in Salou.
Unlike many Spanish resorts, Salou does not really have a gay scene, the resort of Sitges just south of Barcelona is the Costa Dorada's most popular resort for gay travellers (Approx 40 miles from Salou).
Most shops and businesses take advantage of the lively night-time atmosphere and are open until quite late. Indeed, you can expect to see streets thronged with tourists shopping for souvenirs and gifts along with more practical items at 10pm in the evening, even in April.
During the day, the movement passes to the long sand beaches of Salou.
Eat
In Salou you can find a high variety of international restaurants, as well as the well-known typical mediterranean food restaurants, although the standard of cuisine is of the "non-Gourmet" type. It is difficult to find any place offering anything other that the ubiquitous steak/chips, chicken/chips and burger/chips. Of course, there is a McDonald's and Burger King in Salou, as well as many Chinese restaurants, which offer "eat all you want" menus from €9.50. These represent good value for money.
For more upmarket and quality cuisine, try and walk up the promenade towards the Marina and the station were many good restaurants surround the area, close to the Spanish mansions along the seafront. Pizzerias, Seafood restaurants and Authentic Italian ice cream parlours are located around here. The area is less popular with young tourists as it is a long distance from most hotels, but the walk on the promenade is worth it.
The neighbouring town of Cambrils is famous throughout Spain for its seafood restaurants and its well worth taking a vist.
Drink
The huge amount of bars, pubs and clubs gives you the option (if not the obligation) of drinking any kind of beer, wine or "cubata" (any alcoholic drink mixed with soft drinks).
Sleep
Salou is a tourist resort and thus has many hotels and apartment blocks located there. Quality varies greatly and can be judged by the number of stars (i.e 3-Star, 4-Star) displayed outside the premises.
Buy
There are plenty of small shops in Salou, specially in the streets along the beach and in Barcelona street. Many sell the same type of souvenirs and some of the merchandise can be quite tacky.
You can find some upmarket boutiques further up the promenade, near the station and marina. Accompanied by a few upmarket restaurants, a few designer boutiques are are around this area.
Contact & location
Be the first one to add a review
The photos displayed on this page are the property of one of the following authors:
name_24616, name_7112, name_24617, name_24618, name_24619
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Whatsinaname, David, Carme Pla, Peter Fitzgerald, Alan and Evan Prodromou, Tatatabot, Willywill9876, Morph and Ciaranc
This travel guide also includes text from Wikipedia articles, all available at
View full credits