I visited the biggest Spanish theme park resort for the first time, and here’s what I learned. You will find information about transportation, hotels, parks and more.
Getting there
If you’re travelling from abroad, by plane, chances are you will land in the Barcelona Airport ‘El Prat’. PortAventura World is located around an hour away from the airport by car, at 100 km. There are several means of transportation between the two, but the most comfortable, and the one I recommend, would be via Bus. There are some choices, BusPlana being the one I personally used as it had a more time choices. A one way trip costs 17.5€, but can be purchased with return for around 30€. This bus takes you directly to your hotel and picks you up from where you choose when booking (hotel or entrance of the park). There is also another airport, that is much closer to the resort, Reus Airport, which is located just 15 minutes away by car. This would be the better option if you wish to visit just PortAventura.
Hotels
PortAventura World features many hotels, which include tickets to both parks in the price. There are three “areas” of hotels, the Old Western themed hotels (Gold River, Mansión de Lucy and Colorado Creek), are all in the same area and include a special entrance to the PortAventura Park via the Far West land. Hotel PortAventura is located behind the Mediterranea land and has a special entrance to both parks. The two other hotels, El Paso and Caribe, are located more further away but have pathways connecting to the entrance of both parks.
All the hotels have many services such as lockers, breakfast, lunch and dinner options and many more. When checking-in, you will be given a card, this will be your room key and your park tickets. The prices vary a lot, so make sure to see and consider all the prices and hotels for your chosen dates. In terms of quality, they are all very good. All the hotels have 4 stars but Mansión de Lucy which is rocking 5 stars. If you’re a fan of the Wild West, the Gold River is definitely for you, as the theming is some of the best I’ve seen in a hotel. If you’re more into relaxation and easy access to all the parks, Hotel PortAventura might be the one. Each as its own perks and cons, so choose carefully, but rest assured that you will have a good time!
Parks
PortAventura World has three parks: PortAventura, FerrariLand and the Costa Caribe Water Park. The main park (PortAventura) is where you will find most of the attractions and experiences, with rides such Shambhala, Furious Baco, Dragon Khan, Uncharted and Sesame Street. FerrariLand is exactly what the name suggests, a land, but one worth visiting nonetheless with rides such as Red Force, Flying Dreams and the Drop Towers. Costa Caribe a is nice, yet somewhat basic, Water Park. It has pretty much what you’d expect from a water park: wave pools, lazy river and many slides!
The access to the parks is a little more complicated. If you stay in one of the hotels, you can access the PortAventura Park as many times and whenever you want for the duration of the stay. FerrariLand can only be accessed once during the stay, so plan accordingly. Costa Caribe isn’t included in your stay, you can buy a discounted day ticket when booking or later during your stay in the hotel or website. If you wish to visit FerrariLand more than once, it’s possible to buy additional tickets with a discount for staying in a hotel.
Add-ons and Services
One of the most commonly used services in the resort is PortAventura Express. With this purchasable pass, you are able to skip the lines in some of the most famous attractions in the parks. There are several passes with different perks, here is a quick summary: Max (skip the line in 10 select attractions once; preferred seating in some shows), Max Gold (skip the line in 10 select attractions once; preferred seating in some shows; one front row access in Shambhala, Furious Baco and Dragon Khan), Premium (unlimited skip the line in 10 select attractions; preferred seating in some shows), Premium Gold (unlimited skip the line in 10 select attractions; preferred seating in some shows; one front row access in Shambhala, Furious Baco and Dragon Khan).
FerrariLand and Costa Caribe also have their own separate express passes: FerrariLand Express (skip the line in 5 select attractions once); Express Premium Costa Caribe (unlimited skip the line in 6 select attractions).
What to Expect
PortAventura World is an immersive and big resort, with many experiences, shows, restaurants and (of course) attractions. It’s easy to stay more than a couple of nights as the hotels also offer some more relaxing experiences that complement the theme parks. The wait times are one of the downsides of the parks, these have gotten much better when compared to the last few years but you can still expect to wait a long time in the queues if you don’t have an express pass. Because of this, it’s also possible to recommend visiting off peak-season. One of the major reasons to visit during the more busy times is shows, as the nighttime show FiestaAventura and the hugely acclaimed Templo del Fuego (which comes from the Universal days and is somewhat similar to Poseidon’s Fury) only play during these busier times.
Similarly to other resorts such as Disney, you will walk a lot, so bring comfortable clothes and shoes. In terms of language barrier, I’m pleased to say that you shouldn’t have a very big problem. All the signs and maps are in around 4 languages (Spanish, Catalan, English and French). Most staff members also speak some English, just the necessary to help you out if necessary. Staff is also very friendly and are glad to help you, if they don’t speak English, they will ask or send you to someone that does. Either way, some basics in Spanish may come in handy!
PortAventura is an amazing theme park resort, so if you plan on visiting I recommend you also check PAFans.com and the official PortAventura websites where you will find a lot of information and many guides to help you plan everything! You may also join our DIScord where you can have a chat if you have any questions. That’s a Wrap!
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