Port Aventura is the biggest theme park in southern Spain. Located in Salou resort in Catalonia, it is about an hour away from Spain’s second largest city of Barcelona. It is a place that the whole family can enjoy. There are lots of restaurants, shops, shows and attractions. Three companies came together to build the park – Universal Studios, Anheuser-Busch and Tussauds Group.
Since the park opened in 1995, it has experienced a steady growth in the number of visitors drawn from the greater Spain and around the world. The park has seen changes in ownership and name since 1995 but reverted to its original name Port Aventura when Caixa banking group acquired a controlling interest.
Port Aventura is divided into five different zones. The zones are referred to as ‘worlds’. As one enters the park, the first Port Aventura zone they will come across is the Mediterranean. In fact, at some point, the entire Port Aventura Park was known as Universal Mediterranea.
Compared to the other five zones, the Mediterranea does not have as many attractions – the most significant event in this zone is a ride on the Furius Barco roller coaster. Opened in mid 2007, the Furius Barco goes from 0 to 135 kph in just 3 seconds.
The second zone is the Far West. The Far West is the largest zone in the entire park. A visit to the Far West is considered incomplete without an experience on the wooden Stampida roller coaster. The Stampida is the second biggest roller coaster in the park.
The park’s third zone is Mexico, home of the 100 meter drop tower called the Hurakan Condor. The Hurakon Condor pushes even the bravest people to let out a scream.
Next is the Polynesia zone. It is usually thought of as the ‘softest’ zone. It is a place to get one’s adrenalin back to normal levels after the hair-raising experiences on the other 4 zones. Most notable here is the Tutuki Splash. But the relative serenity of Polynesia will quickly be shattered once you enter the last zone – China.
Here, visitors to the park come face to face with the largest roller coaster in the park – the Dragon Khan. In fact, for several years, Dragon Khan held the title of the biggest in Europe. It has 8 inverted loops that the coaster navigates at 110 kph.
Children are restricted from boarding these extreme rides. There are however several rides spread across the 5 different zones that are specifically developed for children. These include the Carrousel and Tomahawk in the Far West zone as well as Armadillos and Serpiente Emplumada in the Mexico zone.
Other than the rides, Park Aventura also has puppet shows, traditional dance and music. Each zone on Port Aventura has shops and restaurants each of which is designed in line with the theme of the zone it is in.
Entry tickets can be bought at the park’s main gate or at hotel receptions and travel agent offices. The park opens at 10AM and runs up to 8PM. During the summer and special occasions, Port Aventura is open up to midnight.
