The Costa Dorada ( Duarada in Catalan ) means the Gold Coast and is around 135 Kms long stretching from Mataro in the north to Pensicola in the southern part of this beautiful coastline.

The Costa Dorada has many spacious sandy beaches with clean clear and shallow waters. The fertile lands around the coast produce some of the best wine in Spain along with olive groves, almonds hazel nuts, carobs and a wide selection of vegetables.

There are areas of pure natural beauty including two nature reserves,: the Deltra del Ebro National Park and the National Reserve of Tortoda-Besserit Passes. Another picturesque area of note and well worth a visit is the extremely beautiful Prados Mountain range.

The Coast is made up of 10 counties and 183 municipalities , the capital of which is the city of Tarragona. The 12 areas of the coast comprise of Altafulla, Calafell, Cambrils, Coma-Ruga, El Vendrell, Hospitalet Infant, L Ametlla de Mar, La Pineda, Miami Platja, Montbrio del Camp, Salou, and Tarragona.

Some of the most famous beach resorts can be found along the Costa Dorada including Salou and Cambrills, not to mention the picturesque towns of Cunit and Mont-Roig in the northern area, the Ebro delta, with long wide beaches and very fine sand . The delta to Les Cases d'Alcanar offers long beaches of clean heavy sand. Steeper and narrower beaches influenced by the nearby mountains around can be found at Vandellos, L'Ampolla and L'Ametlla de Mar btu are well worth a visit.

If you are a Spanish fiesta lover a good time to visit is between then February and March during the Carnival days. The Diada de Sant Jordi -also known as the Book Day is celebrated on April 23rd . The Revetlla de Sant Joan ( Nit del Foc or Fire Night ) is celebrated on June 23rd, and is the prelude to a series of summer events which include parties, firework displays and authentic dancing.

For food lovers the Catalan cuisine is second to none with a wide variety of international dishes , authentic Mediterranean cuisine can be found in numerous restaurants all along the Costa Dorada and as you can imagine the sea influences much of the Tarragona cooking including a wide variety of grilled and fried fish, fresh caught baby octopus, sea base cooked in salt, baby squid sauteed with broad beans, sea cucumbers and many more dishes that makes eating out in these parts something very special and unforgettable. In addition you have some excellent local wine which including Perlat Montsant.

The Costa Dorada has more then its fair share of accommodation of all types and to suit all pockets and tastes. Our pick of some of the most highly rated hotels along the gold coast include: