Miami Platja | Cambrils | Salou | Tarragona | Calafell | Sitges | Barcelona | Sant Pere de Ribes

Salou

Salou is now the most lively resort on the Costa Daurada. Summer visitors are attracted by the sandy beaches which run virtually all along the seafront and also Universal Studios "Port Adventura" theme park just outside the resort. Many of Salou's beaches are long and wide, others nestle in small, secluded coves, along the foot of the rocky Cape Salou. The town, with its shops and seafaring districts, originally stood on either side of the Carrer de Barcelona which ran from the harbour -now only for pleasure craft- to the old highway to Reus and the railway station. Later it grew outwards: the Barenys district reached Cambrils on one side, while on the other the Passeig de les Palmeres runs alongside the vast Llevant beach.

On one side of this promenade stand the most handsome summer residences in the town, some of them, such as Cal Bonet, in Modernist (Art Noveau) style. The length and width of the Passeig at Salou had a noteworthy precedent -the Promenade des Anglais at Nice- and in summer the glow of the early evening light recreates the atmosphere of the towns early years as a tourist resort at the turn of the century. At this period, people form Reus and Barcelona began to be drawn there by the exceptional climate and the scenery, which the resort owes to its geographical position, protected by Cape Salou from storms from the east and exposed to sea currents from the south-west which covered the beaches with fine golden sand. Recognizing Salou's privileged location, the Catalan king James I chose it as the port from which his fleet was to set sail to conquer Majorca, a fact that is recorded on the monument on the Passeig de les Palmeres dedicated to him.

top of page