Just one hour from Barcelona, Portaventura theme park is a must for all adrenaline junkies.
Among Europe’s best theme parks, PortAventura World in Salou (Vila Seca) is Europe’s answer to the large theme park resorts of America. The theme park in its first phase opened in 1994. Since then, PortAventura has evolved and expanded, adding a water park and more attractions.
Every year over 5 million people visit PortAventura with many staying at one of the resort’s 5 hotels. The theme park features over 50 attractions and 9 rollercoasters including Dragon Khan, Shambhala, Red Force, Furious Baco and the wooden rollercoaster Stampida.
PortAventura World also features its water park Caribe Aquatic Park with a vast range of waterslides. Ferrari World opened in 2017 and features Ferrari themed rides and attractions. The theme park features special events for Halloween and Christmas, with many extra shows and performances taking place.
There are many great themed hotels to stay in within the complex. Many of these hotel rooms are themed and decorated for families. All guests that stay at the onsite hotels will be able to enter Portaventura as the hotel price includes the theme park admission. Motor homeowners can park their camper vans in a special area within the park.
Portaventura Best Rides & Attractions
Dragon Khan, the first rollercoaster installed in Portaventura and slightly dwarfed by other newer rides. Opened in 1995 this rollercoaster was regarded at the time as one of the best steel rollercoasters in Europe. The layout was designed by John Wardly and the ride was manufactured by Bollinger & Mabillard. The rollercoaster is in the china area of the theme park.ñ
The park has 9 rollercoasters and 5 waters rides and over 50 attractions, Portaventura has become Europe's leading theme park.
Shambhala is the sequel to Dragon Khan. A towering hypercoaster standing at over 76 meters tall and with speeds of up to 135 kph. This rollercoaster features a first drop of 77º angle and maximum G-force of 3.8. The ride duration is approximately 3 minutes. Red Force is a launch coaster with a height of 112 meters and top speed of 180 kph. The coaster opened in 2017 and is currently the fastest and tallest rollercoaster operating in the park. Its acceleration at launch of 0 – 180 kph in 5 seconds makes this also the fastest of the two launch coasters at Portaventura.
Portaventura also has some other important attractions. Furious Baco is a low-level launch coaster, Huracán Condor is one of the world’s tallest drop towers. Stampida is a wooden racing coaster in the Far West area of the park. There are also several water rides and Sesame Street area featuring smaller rides for children.
How to get to Portaventura Theme Park
PortAventura enjoys its own train station for trains arriving from Barcelona on line R17. The spanish high speed train AVE stops at Camp de Tarragona station where you can continue by bus or taxi to the park. There are also special day tours to Portaventura from Barcelona, these include return transport from Barcelona and entry to the theme park. The Caribe Water park is open during the warmer summer months, and combo Caribe / Portaventura entrances can be purchased.
Another option is to travel to Salou train station. You can then get a bus or taxi to the theme park. Portaventura has some promotions that offer free train travel to the theme park.
If arriving by car travel time from Barcelona is around 55 minutes. Portaventura has ample parking spaces. Reus airport is 20 minutes drive away and Barcelona airport around one hour drive. The historic city of Tarragona is just 12 KMS away and Barcelona 108 KMS.
If you set off early from Barcelona, Portaventura World Theme Park can be visited in a day. As time would be limited, it would be essential that you plan your journey carefully. If you arrive by car, make sure you plan and understand the route. If you plan to arrive by train, check the times for setting off and returning, also plan how you will get from the train station to the theme park. Portaventura World is not a place you want to arrive late, and good planning makes for a great day out.
