Port Aventura amusement park
Port Aventura is one of the most visited amusement parks and resorts in Spain. It is located on the Costa Dorada, near the town of Salou, 105 kilometers southwest of Barcelona. In Spanish, the name “PortAventura” means “port of adventure”. Near the amusement park is located a large water park Costa Caribe, golf courses, beach clubs, a large lake and several modern hotels. The symbol of PortAventura was a funny cartoon character – Woody Woodpecker woodpecker.
Video: PortAventura
Contents- Highlights
- Mediterranean Area
- Wild West Territory
Traveling Mexico - China Park Area
- Island Polynesia
Children’s Party – Sesame Aventura - Extreme rides of the park
- Shopping
Where to stay - Water Park
- Opening times and tickets
- How to get there
Highlights
Mediterranean Zone
Upon entering PortAventura through the main entrance, tourists enter the Mediterranean Zone. Several small restaurants, cafes and stores selling souvenirs are open here. The setting of the fabulous Mediterranean is similar to a small fishing village or a cozy Catalan town.
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From the picturesque Port de la Drassana pier, small ships can be sailed to other parts of PortAventura. Water travel is so popular with tourists that there are often lines in front of the pier. However, you don’t have to wait for a ship – the other themed parts of the park are just as interesting to walk to.
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Lovers of Mediterranean cuisine should check out the small restaurant near the port called Racó de Mar. And those who want to taste the best of traditional Spanish cuisine and enjoy the taste of local wines should dine at Vinosfera Tapes i Vins. There is always a large assortment of pinchos, which are popular in Spain. Children and lovers of sweets usually prefer to relax in “Il caffè di Roma”, where you can always taste fresh pizza, cakes and flavorful pastries.
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Wild West Territory
Entering this part of PortAventura Park, visitors find themselves in the midst of typical American landscapes, familiar to everyone from westerns and popular cartoons. The Wild West even has its own Grand Canyon, where the exciting Grand Canyon Rapids attraction is open. Tourists board a large balloon and explore the steep “rock” walls of the canyon while rafting down the river.
.This part of the park is characterized by an indomitable cowboy spirit. You can feel it on the Tomahawk and Stampida roller coasters, where trains run on wooden tracks. The popular Silver River Flume, a ride that looks like a rushing mountain river, also evokes a lot of emotions. It is rafted in boats stylized as huge logs.
.To become a real cowboy for a while in PortAventura you can also visit the Shooting Gallery, the cowboy saloon, ride the carousel or the Buffalo Rodeo. Well, those who are tired can have a good time at Madame Lilie’s Grill, an American restaurant that serves excellent steaks.
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Travel Mexico
PortAventura offers tourists an interesting journey through hot Mexico. Here you can see typical Mexican plants, copies of the famous pyramids and stylized ruins of ancient monuments. In Mexico there are daily colorful performances and rousing songs. In this area of the park there are rides “Mine Train”, “Temple of Fire”, “Feathered Kite” and carousel “Yucatan”. And fans of spicy and savory cuisine have the opportunity to savor the flavors of traditional dishes at La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant.
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China Zone of the park
The Chinese zone of PortAventura is full of exoticism, allegorical, appealing oriental flavor and is enjoyed by absolutely all guests of the park. Part of Chinatown is dedicated to a fun playground with a merry-go-round and rides for kids.
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Island Polynesia
An abundance of fragrant flowers, sounds of drums, unusual names and interesting adventures await tourists who take a trip through the park area dedicated to Polynesia. It occupies the smallest part of PortAventura. During the fast-paced Tutuki Splash, the carriages at 50 km/h go off the slopes of the volcano into its mouth, filled with water. This always causes a sea of splashing and raucous laughter from all the tourists.
Those who like a more relaxed ride can go on the steep Tami-Tami slides or take an aerial journey on the “Kon-Tiki”. For those who want to experience “diving” in a bathyscaphe, the Sea Odyssey simulator is open. There is also a popular family fun activity in Polynesia – four-seater canoe rafting, a 4D Sea Odisea movie theater, and a Bora-Bora restaurant that makes delicious exotic fruit salads..
Children’s Party – Sesame Aventura
In the newest part of the adventure park there are 11 exciting attractions, most of which are designed for the youngest guests: slides, controlled fish, a tractor on which children travel through a fairy-tale farm, an unusual “Magic Tree” 12 meters high and a carousel “Aeroplane”. Sesame Aventura is always full of animators and actors dressed in costumes of favorite cartoon characters.
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Extreme attractions of the park
There are one or two extreme rides open in each zone of PortAventura. These are the most popular places in the park, where the largest number of visitors seek to get to.
Extreme rides
Extreme rides are the most popular in the park.
The undisputed leader of all park amusements is the Chinese slide Dragon Khan (“Han Dragon”). It has a length of about 1 km. Small cars with tourists descend from a height of 45 meters, passing on the way the steepest turns and twists. The train flies at a speed of 105 km/h. Since the track involves flips, tourists are asked to leave all loose belongings and hats in the luggage room.
.The highest attraction in the Mexico Zone is the Hurakan Condor. Flying from a height of 115 meters causes a lot of unusual sensations. Many jumpers say that during the free fall completely stopped breathing.
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On the territory of PortAventura Park, which is dedicated to the Mediterranean countries, there are American races Furius Baco (“Mad Worm”). The horizontal catapult is a real challenge for the brave! The thrilling attraction began operating in 2007 and for several years had the status of the fastest attraction in Europe. On Furius Baco tourists can accelerate to a speed of 135 km/h in 3.5 seconds.
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Shopping
In almost any part of the theme park there are small stores and stores selling souvenirs. In PortAventura, you can buy a variety of sweets. Opened in the Polynesia area, the Mers du Sud store offers tourists handicrafts and expressive masks made by the islanders. The Chinese part of the park sells traditional Chinese teapots, in the Mexican part – silverware and fine jewelry with precious stones. The Wild West is offered to tourists by the Western Clothing boutique. Here fans of westerns can buy for themselves and their friends stylish cowboy hats, jeans and jackets.
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Where to stay
Most tourists come to PortAventura for one day. But there are also those who want to spend several days or even a whole vacation in the amusement park. Such travelers can stay in one of six 4*-5* hotels. All of them have their own swimming pools, and entrance tickets to PortAventura are included in the price of accommodation. Since families with children often stay in these hotels, the restaurants have special children’s menus, there are outdoor playgrounds and playrooms, and during the high tourist season, animators work in the hotel parks.
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Waterpark
Next to PortAventura is the huge Costa Caribe water park. It was completely reconstructed in 2013 and therefore welcomes guests with the most modern water attractions. On 50 thousand m² there are 16 attractions, tropical gardens, comfortable seating areas, swimming pools, cafes and restaurants.
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How to get there
Tours to PortAventura are sold in all travel agencies in Barcelona and the surrounding resorts of the Catalan capital. When purchasing such a tour, travelers are taken from their hotel to the amusement park and then driven back.
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There are also several ways to get to PortAventura Park on your own. The most economical one is to come here by train. This is especially convenient for those staying in Barcelona or its resort suburbs. Next to PortAventura there is a railroad station of the same name, through which the RENFE trains pass. They depart from the Estació de França station. However, it is not at all necessary to take the train at the final station. In Barcelona, you can take the train at Barcelona-Sants station, or at Sant Andreu Comtal or Passeig de Gracia stations.
.Trains run approximately once an hour from 5.48 to 20.45. From Barcelona to PortAventura, the train takes 1 hour and 20 minutes. In addition to regular train tickets, at the train station and stations they sell the so-called “RENFE Comprehensive Ticket”, which includes the fare and a visit to the amusement park. The complex ticket is slightly cheaper than paying for the fare to PortAventura and buying a ticket to the park separately.
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Keep in mind that from Estació de França station, trains are less crowded. From the PortAventura train platform, it is not difficult to walk to the amusement park in 5-10 minutes.
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From the resorts that are not connected by train to PortAventura (such as Calellier, Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar), it is convenient to get to the park by shuttle buses.
.The trip from the capital of Catalonia to PortAventura by rental car or cab takes just over an hour.
.In addition, Reus International Airport is not far from the amusement park. From here, Autocares Plana shuttle buses and cabs reach PortAventura in 15 minutes.
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