Parc Samà (Cambrils)

Parc Samà is a 19th-century garden and palace estate in the countryside behind Cambrils, on the Costa Daurada, about 5 km from the sea on the T-312 road towards Montbrió del Camp. You get there by car from Cambrils; there is also a bus stop at the gate. It was laid out from 1881 for Salvador Samà, Marquis of Marianao, and its paths, palms, artificial lake and grottoes are attributed to Josep Fontserè, the master builder of Barcelona’s Parc de la Ciutadella. It suits garden lovers, families with children and anyone who wants a shaded half day away from the beach. Skip it if you are after rides or a big attraction: this is a historic garden for a slow walk.

Quick facts

• Where: municipality of Cambrils (Baix Camp, Tarragona), next to the boundary with Montbrió del Camp, at km 4.3 of the T-312 road to Montbrió, at 85 m above sea level (Catalan Wikipedia, from the Generalitat’s heritage inventory).
• Size: 13.52 hectares according to the heritage inventory cited by Catalan Wikipedia; the Cambrils tourist board rounds it to 14 hectares.
• Built: 1881–1887, for Salvador Samà i Torrens (1861–1933), Marquis of Marianao.
• Designers: the gardens, lake, fountains and outbuildings are attributed to Josep Fontserè i Mestre, possibly with help from the young Antoni Gaudí; the palace is by an unidentified French architect.
• Protection: Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN) as a historic garden, listed in 1992.
• Contact: phone +34 977 82 65 14 and website parcsama.es, as listed on OpenStreetMap.
• Opening hours and tickets: not confirmed for this guide (see Practical details).

Access and parking

By car: from Cambrils, take the T-312 inland towards Montbrió del Camp. The park sits beside a roundabout where the T-312 meets the T-314, about 5.2 km from the centre of Cambrils in a straight line. OpenStreetMap shows a free surface car park for visitors next to the entrance, on the east side of the park.

By bus: OpenStreetMap has a stop called “Parc Sama” on both sides of the T-314, about 100 m from the entrance. We could not confirm which lines or how often they run, so check with the Cambrils tourist office before relying on it.

By bike: OpenStreetMap shows a small bicycle rack near the entrance.

From the coast: it is about 5.7 km in a straight line from the Port de Cambrils, 10.6 km from Salou and 9 km from the centre of Reus.

What to expect

The Catalan tourist board describes the park as a mix of the exotic and the romantic, laid out in the colonial style of Cuba, where the Samà family had made its fortune (Catalunya.com). Catalan Wikipedia adds that the family’s wealth came partly from the slave trade.

A walled enclosure holds three parts. The entrance garden runs from the main gate on the south side up to the palace along an avenue of plane trees, with geometric plantings on both sides. The palace has a floor plan of about 1,000 m², built round an inner courtyard with a pond, and once held a painting collection and a library of 4,000 volumes. It was damaged at the end of the Civil War and restored in 1939.

Behind the palace, the middle garden is a romantic layout of winding paths, lawns and tall trees, and the Cambrils tourist board counts more than 800 palm trees in the park. Its centre is the lake, fed by a canal and a waterfall and crossed by granite bridges carved to look like wood. In the middle of the lake a column of rock carries a small Gothic-style temple that serves as a viewpoint over the whole park (Catalunya.com). The north end is a wild wood of pines cut by a ravine and an artificial grotto.

The marquis kept a private zoo, and some animals are still part of the visit. The tourist board mentions peacocks; the Cambrils tourist board lists ducks and turtles on the lake and exotic birds by the waterfall. OpenStreetMap maps an aviary, a parrot house in the old monkey house, a pheasant enclosure and a fenced area with fallow deer. There is also a maze of about one hectare, two small museums run by the park (an olive-oil museum and a vermouth museum), a greenhouse, a children’s playground and a picnic area.

Practical details

• Opening hours: the Catalan tourist board’s listing gives no summer or winter hours and only says to check the park’s website, which could not be reached for this update. Call +34 977 82 65 14 or ask the Cambrils tourist office before you go.
• Tickets: the park is privately owned (Catalan Wikipedia). We could not confirm whether and how much it charges at present, so check before you go.
• Food: OpenStreetMap shows a café with outdoor seating near the entrance, with toilets for customers; there are also public toilets inside the park.
• Events: the park is a regular venue for events, among them the Cambrils International Music Festival in summer (Spain.info, Catalunya.com). On event days parts of the park may be closed.
• Time needed: allow a half day if you want to see the gardens, the lake, the maze and the animals without hurrying.

Accessibility and safety

OpenStreetMap tags the park as having limited wheelchair access. The café and its customer toilets are marked as wheelchair accessible, with a baby-changing table, while the deer enclosure is marked as not accessible. The paths are unpaved in places and the north wood has slopes and a ravine, so pushchairs are easiest on the main avenues. Keep children close to the lake and the grotto.

Best time to visit

Spring and autumn are good times to walk the gardens, when the days are milder. In July and August the park works as a shady break from the beach; go early in the day. For a quiet visit, check that no concert or private event is booked that day.

Nearby alternatives

• Cambrils, 5.2 km away: the beach town and its seafood restaurants.
• Port de Cambrils, 5.7 km away: the fishing harbour and marina, with the Torre del Port.
• Mont-roig del Camp, about 6 km away: Joan Miró’s village, the Mas Miró farm and the Miami Platja beaches.
• Reus, about 9 km away: the Modernista town and the Gaudí Centre.
• PortAventura World, 11.5 km away: the theme-park resort between Salou and Vila-seca.
• Cala Crancs, 13.4 km away: a small sandy cove on Cap de Salou.

Distances are in a straight line from the park.

FAQ

Where is Parc Samà?

In the municipality of Cambrils, beside the T-312 road towards Montbrió del Camp, about 5 km inland from the coast of Cambrils.

Is there parking at Parc Samà?

Yes. OpenStreetMap shows a free visitor car park next to the entrance.

Who designed Parc Samà? Did Gaudí work on it?

The gardens and outbuildings are attributed to Josep Fontserè, who also designed Barcelona’s Parc de la Ciutadella. Catalan Wikipedia says the young Antoni Gaudí, then his pupil, possibly helped, as he did on the Ciutadella waterfall.

Can you visit Parc Samà with children?

Yes. There is a maze, a playground, a picnic area and animals such as peacocks, ducks and fallow deer. Paths are partly unpaved.

What are the opening hours of Parc Samà?

We could not confirm them: the tourist board’s listing refers to the park’s own website. Phone the park on +34 977 82 65 14 before you go.

Sources and freshness