Costa Dorada · Salou, Cambrils and PortAventura
Salou, Cambrils and PortAventura travel guide: La Pineda to Miami Platja
Long family beaches at La Pineda and Salou, coves on Cap de Salou, three theme parks, the fishing port of Cambrils and Miró’s country at Mont-roig.
Llevant beach, Salou · Photo: Андрей Бобровский, CC BY 3.0
Part of the Costa Dorada guide · Salou, Cambrils and PortAventura
This is the resort heart of the Costa Dorada in Tarragona province, Catalonia: the coast of Vila-seca, Salou, Cambrils and Mont-roig del Camp, from La Pineda beach in the north-east to Miami Platja in the south-west, about 17 km in a straight line, with the PortAventura World resort behind Salou. Catalunya.com places PortAventura at the centre of the Costa Daurada and names Salou and Cambrils among its main resorts (Catalunya.com). This guide covers each town from north-east to south-west, the beaches and coves, what to do, where to base yourself, how to get there and a two-day route.
At a glance
- Where the coast south-west of Tarragona, from La Pineda (Vila-seca) round Cap de Salou to Cambrils and Miami Platja (Mont-roig del Camp), with Reus and its airport just inland.
- Towns La Pineda and Vila-seca, Salou and Cap de Salou, PortAventura World, Cambrils and Vilafortuny, Mont-roig del Camp and Miami Platja.
- Best for family beach holidays with shallow, calm water, theme parks and water parks, seafood in Cambrils and a short coastal walk round Cap de Salou.
- Getting there Reus airport (REU) is about 8 km from Salou in a straight line, with flight-timed buses to PortAventura, Salou and Cambrils; trains run from Barcelona to Salou-PortAventura (R17) and Cambrils (R16).
- On CostaMap guides to Salou, Vila-seca, Cambrils and Mont-roig del Camp, PortAventura World, Ferrari Land, Caribe Aquatic Park, Aquopolis, the Port de Cambrils, Cala Crancs, Parc Samà and a campsite at Miami Platja.
Map of Salou, Cambrils and PortAventura
The map shows the places on this stretch that have a CostaMap page. Tick a place type to filter, and click a marker to see the place in the panel.
Place type
Area · next level
Area mapSalou, Cambrils and PortAventura
Click a marker to see the place here. From La Pineda and Salou past PortAventura to Cambrils and Miami Platja, with Parc Samà inland.
Towns and villagesTowns and villages
From north-east to south-west along the coast, with the inland places next to the town you reach them from.
La Pineda (Vila-seca)
La Pineda Platja is the seaside district of Vila-seca, between Tarragona’s port and Cap de Salou. Its beach has more than three kilometres of golden sand with a Blue Flag, and has carried the official Family Beach label every year since 2011 (Costa Daurada tourist board, as given in our Costa Dorada guide). Spain.info lists La Pineda Platja and Vila-seca among the Costa Daurada’s recommended family destinations, and Reus airport buses stop here (Spain.info). On the seafront promenade is Aquopolis Costa Daurada, which Spain.info calls the largest water park on the Costa Daurada; it opens in summer only. The old town of Vila-seca lies inland, and PortAventura World is officially at a Vila-seca address. See our Vila-seca guide.
Salou and Cap de Salou
Salou is the largest resort of the stretch, with 31,018 residents in 2025 (Idescat, via our Salou town guide). Spain.info describes it as a certified Family Tourism Destination whose beaches and coves are protected by Cap de Salou (Spain.info). The tourist board counts 25 beaches and coves, nine with services; the three urban beaches, Llevant, Ponent and Capellans, add up to 2.5 km of sand. The palm-lined promenade behind Llevant holds the monument to King Jaume I, who sailed from Salou to conquer Mallorca in 1229, and the modernista Torre de Cal Bonet; the Torre Vella, a 16th-century defence tower, is now used for exhibitions. On the cape are small coves such as Cala Crancs, just west of the lighthouse. See also our Salou place page.
PortAventura World
The theme-park resort sits on the edge of Salou and Vila-seca, about 1.7 km from Salou’s centre. It has three parks: PortAventura Park, open since 1 May 1995, with themed areas for the Mediterranean, the Far West, Mexico, China, Polynesia and SésamoAventura and the Dragon Khan coaster (Spain.info); Ferrari Land, opened in April 2017, whose Red Force coaster is 112 m high; and the summer-only Caribe Aquatic Park. Each park has its own ticket. The resort has its own station on the Rodalies R17 and RT2 lines, and Catalunya.com notes that Greg Norman designed two of the three golf courses beside it. See our PortAventura World guide.
Cambrils and Vilafortuny
Cambrils, with 37,042 residents (INE, 2025), is a working fishing town whose life, Spain.info says, revolves around the port, watched over by an old defence tower (Spain.info). The tourist board calls it the gastronomic capital of the Costa Daurada, with more than 150 restaurants, and Catalunya.com says its food offer is the oldest on this coast (Catalunya.com). Vilafortuny, east of the centre, is a district of houses at the foot of the old castle of the barony of Vilafortuny, and near the sea stands the Telègraf de l’Esquirol, an old post that signalled along the coast with flags and lights. The fishing boats come in to the Port de Cambrils in the late afternoon, and a mini-cruise links Cambrils and Salou in just over 20 minutes, a trip run for more than 50 years (Catalunya.com). See our Cambrils town guide and Cambrils place page.
Parc Samà (inland from Cambrils)
About 5 km inland, on the road from Cambrils to Montbrió del Camp, Parc Samà is a walled 19th-century garden built from 1881 for the Marquis of Marianao, whose family had made its fortune in Cuba. The Catalan tourist board describes a colonial-style park by Josep Fontserè, Gaudí’s teacher, with avenues of palms, peacocks and a lake with a waterfall and a small Gothic temple on a rock column (Catalunya.com). It is a Cultural Asset of National Interest and a venue of the Cambrils International Music Festival.
Mont-roig del Camp and Miami Platja
Mont-roig del Camp has two halves: the old farming village inland and the resort of Miami Platja on the coast. Spain.info gives the municipality 12 km of beaches, long sandy ones and smaller, quieter coves, with campsites, apartments and housing estates behind them (Spain.info). Above the village, the shrine of the Mare de Déu de la Roca dates from the 13th century, and the 19th-century chapel of Sant Ramon served as a landmark for sailors. Joan Miró spent long stays at his family’s farm here from 1911 and said that all his work was conceived in Mont-roig; his painting The Farm shows the place (Spain.info). The farm, Mas Miró, is now run as an artist’s house by a foundation. Near the beach at Miami Platja is the Alannia Els Prats campsite. See our Mont-roig del Camp guide.
Reus (inland)
Reus, the capital of the Baix Camp, is about 8 km inland from Salou in a straight line, and its airport serves the whole stretch. Spain.info points to the modernista buildings of the Plaça de Prim and the Casa Navàs, and our Costa Dorada guide lists a Modernisme route of 27 buildings and the Gaudí Centre on the Plaça del Mercadal. See our Reus guide.
Beaches and coves
From north-east to south-west. Lengths are from Spain.info and the local tourist boards, checked November 2026.
La Pineda
More than three kilometres of golden sand with a Blue Flag and the Family Beach label, with the Aquopolis water park on the promenade.
See the Vila-seca guide →
Llevant and Ponent
Llevant is Salou’s largest natural beach, 1,200 m of golden sand with full services and a playground; Ponent runs 1,115 m along the Passeig Miramar to the start of the coast path.
See the Salou guide →
Platja Llarga
A 600 m beach of golden sand with calm water, a big pine grove behind it and hotels at both ends, about 2 km from Salou marina; parasailing in summer (Spain.info).
See the Salou guide →
Cala Crancs
A U-shaped cove of about 80 m between rocks that keep the water calm, with services in summer and good snorkelling; a small car park and steps lead down (Spain.info).
See the Cala Crancs guide →
Vilafortuny, Regueral and La Llosa
Vilafortuny is 1,762 m of fine golden sand with a cycle path behind it; Prat d’en Forés-Regueral (937 m) is next to the centre and La Llosa (about 2,000 m) runs west of the port. Cambrils has four Blue Flag beaches.
See the Cambrils guide →
Miami Platja
Flat sandy beaches such as Platja de Cristall and Platja de Rifà, with campsites and apartments behind, and smaller coves for windsurfing and spearfishing (Spain.info).
See the Mont-roig guide →Things to do
Theme parks and water parks
PortAventura Park, Ferrari Land and Caribe Aquatic Park make up PortAventura World; opening dates change by park and season, and the operator says weekends are busier and suggests Tuesday to Thursday. Ferrari Land’s Red Force goes from 0 to 180 km/h in 5 seconds, and Caribe covers more than 50,000 m² with 16 attractions and pools (our park guides, from the operator). Aquopolis in La Pineda is the smaller, separate water park on the seafront.
Nature: the Camí de Ronda and Parc Samà
Salou’s Camí de Ronda follows the coast for 9.49 km from Punta de Sant Pere, at the end of Ponent, round Cap de Salou to the Racó de Salou next to La Pineda, reaching 77 m above the sea and passing Capellans, Llenguadets, Llarga, Penya Tallada, Font, Vinya and Crancs coves; some stretches have stairs or rocky ground (Salou tourist board, via our Salou guide). Spain.info also mentions a route of 23 viewpoints between sea and mountains. Inland, Parc Samà offers shade, a maze and a lake. Mont-roig has 10 mountain-bike routes of varying difficulty.
History and art
Salou’s monument to Jaume I recalls the Catalan fleet that left for Mallorca in 1229, and its Torre Vella dates from the 16th century. In Cambrils, the 17th-century Torre del Port stands on the harbour promenade, and the Cambrils History Museum includes the Molí de les Tres Eres, an old water mill (Catalunya.com). Mont-roig has the Mare de Déu de la Roca shrine, the Centre Miró in the old church and Mas Miró, while Reus has its modernista centre and the Gaudí Centre.
Food
Cambrils is the place for seafood. The tourist board describes a fleet of trawlers, sardine and anchovy boats and trammel-net boats whose catch is sold the same afternoon, and guided harbour visits that must be booked ahead. Salou’s weekly market is on Monday mornings on the Passeig del 30 d’Octubre. Reus has a Vermouth Museum, and menjar blanc, a white almond-milk cream, is its local sweet (Costa Daurada tourist board, via our hub guide).
Where to stay by town
The places we would base a trip in, north-east to south-west.
La Pineda
Apartments and hotels along a long, shallow beach, a short ride from PortAventura and Tarragona.
Families with small childrenSalou
Around Llevant for the most going on and no car needed; Cap Salou for coves and quiet; near the station or the resort if the parks are the point of the trip. PortAventura also has its own hotels.
Theme parks and nightlifeCambrils
The harbour for walking to dinner, Vilafortuny for beach mornings, La Llosa for a long beach west of the port. On the R16 line to Tarragona and Barcelona.
Food and a calmer baseMiami Platja
Campsites, apartments and housing estates by flat beaches, with Mas Miró close by. You will want a car.
Camping and quiet beachesGetting there and around
By air: Reus airport (REU) is the nearest, about 8 km from Salou and 13 km from Cambrils in a straight line. Aena lists BusPlana buses from the airport to PortAventura, Salou and Cambrils, timed to flight arrivals, and Spain.info adds La Pineda among the bus destinations. Barcelona El Prat is the bigger alternative, about 90 km away.
By train: Rodalies line R17 runs from Barcelona Estació de França to Salou-Port Aventura, and the resort has its own PortAventura World stop on the R17 and RT2. Cambrils is on the R16 coastal line between Barcelona, Tarragona and Tortosa. High-speed trains stop at Camp de Tarragona, from where the Plana L4 bus runs to the resort.
By car: the AP-7 motorway and the A-7 run behind the coast; the Salou tourist board gives exit 257 for the town.
Getting around: Plana runs the urban buses in Salou, bikes are for hire on Salou’s seafront, Cambrils has a cycle path along its beaches, and the mini-cruise boat links Salou and Cambrils.
A two-day route
By car or bus, north-east to south-west.
Day 1
Salou and Cap de Salou
Start early on Llevant beach, then walk the Camí de Ronda from Ponent round the cape, stopping for a swim at Cala Crancs. In the evening stroll the seafront promenade past the Jaume I monument and the fountains. If you have children, swap the walk for a full day at PortAventura World.
Day 2
Parc Samà, Mont-roig and Cambrils
Begin at Parc Samà in the cool of the morning, then drive to Mont-roig del Camp for the Mare de Déu de la Roca and Mas Miró (check its opening days first). Spend the afternoon on the beach at Miami Platja or Vilafortuny, and finish at the Port de Cambrils when the boats come in, with seafood on the harbour front.
FAQ
Is Salou or Cambrils better for a holiday?
Salou if you want PortAventura on the doorstep, long town beaches and more going on in the evening. Cambrils if you want a working fishing port, seafood and a calmer base; it is about 7 km from Salou and linked by bus, boat and promenade.
How far is PortAventura from Salou?
About 1.7 km from the centre of Salou in a straight line. The resort has its own train stop on the R17 and RT2 lines.
How do you get from Reus airport to Salou?
BusPlana runs from the airport to PortAventura, Salou and Cambrils, timed to flight arrivals. It is about 8 km in a straight line, so a taxi is also short.
Which beach is best for children near Salou?
La Pineda, with its Family Beach label and shallow water, and Salou’s Llevant beach, which has a playground and full services. Cala Crancs is calm but small and reached by steps.
Can you walk from Salou to La Pineda?
Yes. The Camí de Ronda runs 9.49 km round Cap de Salou from Ponent beach to the Racó de Salou next to La Pineda. Some stretches have stairs.
Where did Miró live near Salou?
At Mas Miró, his family’s farm at Mont-roig del Camp, about 12.5 km south-west of Salou in a straight line. It is now open to visitors as an artist’s house.
Other areas of the Costa Dorada
Costa Dorada
The coast of Tarragona province from Cunit to the Ebro Delta, with the map, beaches, weather, trains and itineraries.
Costa Dorada guide →
The Baix Penedès coast
Shallow, sandy town beaches at Cunit, Calafell and Coma-ruga, and the Roman Arc de Berà.
Baix Penedès guide →
Tarragona, Altafulla and Torredembarra
Roman Tarraco on the sea, Tamarit Castle, the walled old town of Altafulla and the dunes of Torredembarra.
Tarragona area guide →
The Ebro Delta coast
Beyond Miami Platja the coast runs south to the rice fields, lagoons and flamingos of the Ebro Delta.
Ebro Delta guide →Sources and freshness
Checked 7 November 2026. Official tourism: Catalunya.com on the Costa Daurada, Cambrils, Parc Samà and the Salou–Cambrils boat trip; Spain.info on Salou, Cambrils, Mont-roig del Camp, the Miró route, PortAventura World, Costa Dorada family holidays, Platja Llarga and Cala Crancs; PortAventura World. Figures from the Salou and Cambrils tourist boards, the Costa Daurada tourist board, Aena and Rodalies de Catalunya as cited in our town guides and the Costa Dorada guide; the Salou, Cambrils, Vila-seca and Mont-roig websites could not be reached for this update. Distances are straight lines between OpenStreetMap points (OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Photos: Wikimedia Commons, licences as credited on each image page.