The Costa Dorada or 'Gold Coast' is positioned between Barcelona and Tarragona, the region offers a great combination of golden sandy beaches, a wealth of activities, and lively nightlife. Holidays on the Costa Dorada centre round the main tourist resorts of La Pineda, Cambrils and Salou. La Pineda is a favourite with families seeking a relaxing beach resort with plenty of amenities. A mini tourist train connects La Pineda to the popular Port Aventura theme park, with its exhilarating roller coaster rides and amazing fun shows.
The established resort of Cambrils offers traditional Spanish charm, with its network of narrow cobbled streets, old buildings and traditional tapas bars. Cambrils is also renowned for its delicious seafood restaurants. The purpose-built resort of Salou is the busiest and liveliest on this part of the coast, it is bursting with high-rise hotels, bars, discos and clubs. Salou is particularly popular with groups of young holidaymakers who are attracted to the round-the-clock entertainment. During the day Salou offers a huge choice of water sports, hiking, cycling, horse riding and golf, and by night the resort comes alive with British pubs, karaoke bars and throbbing discos.
Holidays all along the Costa Dorada offer a range of excursions. Those seeking a slice of Spanish culture can visit Costa Dorada's main city, Tarragona. This Roman city boasts historical ruins (did the Romans only build ruins?) and magnificent museums surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. Other points of interest include the medieval city of Montblanc and the 12th-century monastery of Poblet. Also worth a visit is the seaside town of Sitges, which was popular with bohemian artists and writers in the 19th century. The charming old town of Sitges is a maze of cobbled streets and whitewashed houses.
