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Costa Dorada Overview

Spain’s Costa Dorada or Gold Coast is named after countless sunlit, golden beaches you will find here. Served by both Barcelona and Tarragona airports, this attractive region is extremely popular with Eurocamp customers, for the range of activities you will find here as well as the endless sunshine and soft sands.

Those seeking to explore the region will find that the Roman city of Tarragona is well worth a visit, while the National Park of the Ebro Delta offers superb scenery as well as a wide variety of flora and fauna.

The whole region is a feast for the eyes. Away from the endless golden beaches of the Costa Dorada there is mile after mile of lush countryside, ancient villages and grand medieval castles. Many visitors to the region also seek out the Penedes area, where much of the country’s own sparkling wine, cava is produced.

Our parcs here also put you within easy reach of Port Aventura Theme Park, one of Europe’s largest adventure parks, where you can discover the mysteries of Imperial China, trek through the jungles of Borneo, explore ancient Aztec Mexico and much more besides. It is also situated at Salou, which is perhaps Spain’s most exciting beach resort. While you are here though, smaller resorts such as Cambrils offer a pleasant change of pace, while Sitges is renowned for its exciting, cosmopolitan ambience.

The cuisine here is in the traditional Spanish style, with a great emphasis on seafood. And as the Spanish love to eat dinner in the late evening, you have every excuse to find a quiet bar in the early evening and enjoy the splendid choice of tapas.

Take a look at the holidays in Spain section for details on the other Spanish regions in which Eurocamp operate.

Places to visit - Sightseeing

While Spain’s Costa Dorada or Gold Coast is best-known for its beach resorts, there are also a host of fascinating cities and historic sites to discover here:

Tarragona
Once the home of Pontius Pilate, Tarragona has a rich Roman history, with a wealth of interesting remains here, including those of a Roman circus, ampitheatre and aquedeuct; though the 13th century hilltop castle is perhaps its crowning glory.

Barcelona
One of the world’s great cities, Barcelona is a treasure trove of culture and history, with a plethora of fine churches and museums waiting to be discovered, together with world-famous buildings by Antonio Gaudi and the iconic Barcelona pavilion.

Ebro Delta National Park
Covering a massive 320 square kilometres, this is Europe’s largest wetland, after the Camargue, where you will find both salt and fresh water lakes, sand dunes and salt pans, all home to more than 300 species of wild birds.

Penedes Wine Tours
Penedes is one of Spain’s biggest wine-producing areas, where great wine houses such as Torres, Freixnet and Codorniu have their homes. So this is an ideal place for wine buffs, as well as fans of the finest Spanish Cavas.

Cau Ferrat Museum, Sitges
Once the home of the great artist and writer Santiago Rusinol, where he met with friends including Picasso and El Greco, this charming museum is now home to works by these and many other great modernist painters.

Sitges
Once a sleepy backwater, Sitges is now the most avant garde of all the seaside resorts on the Costa Dorada. With its proud artistic heritage, and love of flamboyant carnivals and festivals, it’s hard not to get caught up in the party atmosphere here.

Monastery of Escaladei
While life was simple and often harsh for Carthusian monks here in the 12th century, today’s monastery allows visitors to enjoy the serenity of this lovely place, while learning about the fascinating history of the Carthusians.

Reus
While Reus can claim the great modernist architect Antoni Gaudi as a famous son of the city, its own architectural gems such as the gothic Church of San Pedro and the Prim-Rull museum are to be found in the lovely old quarter of the town.

Great for younger kids

Barcelona Aquarium
Enabling visitors to get up close to a large variety of Mediterranean and Tropical sealife, this lovely aquarium puts conservation of species high on the agenda, and also entertains youngsters with a penguin show and play area.

Aquopolis Costa Dorada
While many of the rides and flumes here are aimed at adults and older children, youngsters are sure to love the new dolphinarium, where they can see these lovely creatures perform daily.

Great for older kids

PortAventura
This spectacular theme park and aquatic park is always a hit with families, offering a vast array of rides, shows, play areas and rollercoasters set across five themed areas of the Med, Polynesia, Mexico, China and the Far West. Unmissable.

Aqualeon Costa Dorada
Offering the unusual combination of a water park and safari park in one place, Aqualeon offers you the chance to see big game in a natural habitat as well as enjoying a host of wild water rides and a mini water park for little ones.

Places to visit - Activities & events

Golf
While there are fewer courses here than on some of the other Costas, the Costa Dorada offers a number of spectacular and challenging golf clubs, including Reus Aiguesverds, Masia Bach and Bonmont Terres Noves.

Hiking
While the temperate climate and delightful scenery of the Costa Dorada make the entire area great for hiking, many walkers here head for the Montsant mountains, where there are endless trails to enjoy, together with lots of wildlife including eagles.

Watersports
The warm, clear waters of the Costa Dorada make this an ideal place to discover everything from waterskiing and sailing to windsurfing and snorkelling. Salou and Cambrils in particular are good locations for both instruction and equipment hire.

Cycling
They really look after cyclists in this part of Spain, and you will find a multitude of cycle paths and ‘greenways’ built on former railway lines. You’ll also find mountain biking centres at Amer, Quart and Castell d’Aro.

Unmissable events on the Costa Dorada

Barcelona Guitar Festival
Usually held in the late spring, this is one of the world’s biggest and best-known guitar festivals, regularly attracting big names including the likes of Brian May, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.

Barcelona La Merce Festival
Held in late September and lasting 5 days, this festival waves goodbye to the summer and welcomes in the autumn. This is Barcelona’s largest street party, held in honour of Mare de Deu de la Merce, the Patron Saint of Barcelona and is packed with hundreds of activities.

Summer Concerts of Poble Espanyol
Every July, the Poble Espanyol district of Barcelona is given over to this famous series of open air concerts, featuring a wide range of international artists.

Sitges Film Festival
Usually held in early October, this is when the flamboyant town of Sitges welcomes all of the big films and big names in world cinema to ten days of screenings, judging and prize-giving.

Cambrils Town Fair
Taking place on the first weekend in June every year, this is a rare opportunity for visitors to see the real Costa Dorada at this charming agricultural fair which concludes with a fireworks display.

Places to visit - Eating out

Offering the contrasting cuisines of mountain and coast, the Costa Dorada has a number of enjoyable specialities for you to discover:

• Romescu – A rich stew often made with lamb, based on a red pepper sauce with nuts and bread.
• Black rice – Rice is very much a staple here, but you will find the very best dishes cooked in squid or cuttlefish ink.
• Sarsuela – A delicious fish stew containing everything from squid and clams to crab and lobster, flavoured with sherry, paprika, white wine and spices.
• Wine – Wine buffs are sure to be tempted by the wines of Priorat while on the Costa Dorada. These rich reds are a well-kept Spanish secret that are well worth discovering.

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