PortAventura Park (Tarragona, Salou)

PortAventura Park is in the Tarragona region, in the town of Salou, a 1.5-hour drive from Barcelona. There are 2 amusement parks and a water park here, and it all works well for a family visit. The water park only opens on 1 June, but that doesn't really affect the price of the entry ticket.

PortAventura Park: visiting rules

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• Buy tickets online on the website portaventuraworld.com. You can also buy them at the ticket office on arrival, but you will have to stand in a queue, which isn't great - there will be queues all day anyway.
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• The park has a huge car park right at the entrance for 13 euros a day. No reservation is needed.
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• Take a ticket for 2 parks for 1 day (an adult ticket costs 56 euros) or for 3 parks for 2 days. Keep in mind that you will be very tired after a day in the park, and you may not want to go back a second day in a row??? Fitting 3 parks into 1 day is almost impossible - you will only manage a selection of the best rides. PortAventura is open from 10 to 18, Ferrari Land from 16 to 22, and the Caribe Aquatic Park only in summer. If you buy a ticket for 2-3 days, the days must follow each other consecutively.
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• An Express Pass is not a luxury in the park but a 100% necessity! It is valid for 1 day and gives you fast-track access either once to 1 or 10 rides, or unlimited access to "all" the roller coasters. Waiting 2 hours for a coaster... that stops being fun!!! With an Express Pass the wait is 5-15 minutes. In PortAventura you should take the Express Pass for 10 single rides (Express Pass Max, 45 euros), and in Ferrari Land the one for 5 single rides (Express Pass Max, 25 euros). The Gold Express Pass is not worth buying at all, since it works only on some attractions and saves just a few minutes. There is one catch: the Express Pass is valid only on specific rides, even the most popular ones, and for the other rides you will still have to queue.
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• The park has plenty of food, water, toilets and places to rest. It is beautiful even for a simple stroll.
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• Get to PortAventura right at opening time, 10 in the morning, to make the most of the time before 18:00. Ferrari Land opens at 16:00, and the entrance to it is inside PortAventura, near the main gate.
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• PortAventura has 5-6 main iconic rides. The rest are either for kids or just "ordinary")

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1. Furius Baco - a coaster with a powerful launch.
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2. Shambhala and Dragon Khan - the longest roller coasters in Europe, and of course mega extreme!
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3. Hurakan Condor - a free-fall ride with a breathtaking drop! It has no Express Pass, but the queue is split in two, and one part is for single riders. Do not join that queue even if you are riding alone!!! It doesn't move, and nobody manages it.
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4. Tutuki Splash - bring a rain poncho for this one, or you will have to buy one on the spot.
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5. Estació del Nord - a little steam train around the whole park, good for getting your bearings and a 25-minute break from the queues)

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• Ferrari Land has only 11 rides, and just 2 are really worth it: Torre Caida Libre (free fall) and, of course, the legendary Red Force with its wild acceleration. For thrill-seekers, Red Force will be the best roller coaster; ordinary visitors may well faint from it)))
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• All the rides in the park are located one after another, so you can go through them in order while strolling around the park.