Wine & Priorat

Priorat is a gem waiting to be discovered. If you drive southwest, you will find the Priorat region approximately 35 minutes after leaving Cap Salou. There you will find a mountainous region with beautiful vineyards and tortuous roads. There are few tourists and world class red wine. It is virtually unknown to the rest of the world, only wine connoisseurs and mountain climbers are familiar with it.  

You can either visit in a day trip or break it up and cover Priorat over a few days, there is lots to visit (Scala Dei, Siurana, Porrera, Gratallops). Here are some of our favourite places.

Scala Dei - High point and oldest wine making location in Priorat.

Book a visit to impressive cellar and wine tasting (English) 

https://cellersdescaladei.com/...

The abandoned monastery is really old and impressive. 

Have a beer or coffee or snack at the local restaurant in main square and enjoy the relaxing space

Siurana is a must when visiting Priorat region, the winding road up to the old historic town is long but the views and quaint village you will find at the top are worth while the drive. We believe the highly awarded Siurana olive oil DOP is the best in the world... We would not dream of using any other olive oil in our food!

Home - Denominació d'Origen Protegida Siurana - Qualitat i tradició (dopsiurana.com)

(Fortunately you don't have to drive all the way up to Siurana to buy some, you can get some of it at the Cambrils farmers cooperative) 

Buy Extra virgin olive oil Mestral Cambrils EVOO. All products of the Agricultural Cooperative of Cambrils 

Salou

We like Salou but sometimes it is slightly overcrowded. It has nice beaches and beautiful promenades. These are our local places we will normally gravitate around - enjoy.

• Restaurante Castillo De Javier - TARRAGONA | Mediterranean cuisine near me | Book now (eatbu.com)  - this is a typical Spanish classic restaurant selling good full three course menus for decent prices. It is typically a good, classy night dining option. Best to book ahead of your visit if you can. They have a small car park.  
• La Ibense - our favorite Ice cream shop - try out local Horchata drink or Leche Merengada. Both of these are sweet drinks which are served very cold, the perfect antidote to the Mediterranean high temperatures! They have four shops in Salou, three of which are on the promenade.  
• Pollos Tahiti - This is a restaurant located near the eastern end of the promenade, but we only come here for the roast chicken take-away - it is legendary! Any local resident will tell you this is the only place you should consider when it comes to roast chicken. You can buy half a chicken or one whole chicken, they also sell crisps. You will have to join a queue, but it's usually quite fast and definitely worth it!

Ermita de Mare de Deu de la Roca - Montroig del Camp

Montroig is a small town located 20 minutes drive from Cap Salou. The birthplace of famous surreal artist Joan Miro, the town itself is not very interesting, just one of many sleepy inland towns whose economy is based on agriculture and which are mere satellites of the commercial centre of the region: the city of Reus. The landscape however can be hauntingly beautiful, a theme that would be central to Miro's work. The chapel on the rock is an impressive example of vernacular architecture complementing the natural landscape. A tiny piazza facing the small chapel offers panoramic views of the entire coastline, from Cap Salou to Delta del Ebro. Best to visit it on a clear day. You can almost drive right up to it. Click on the link for more info Ermita Mare de Déu de la Roca | Ermita Mare de Déu de la Roca (ermitadelaroca.com)  

Go south

As soon as you drive past Cambrils on your way down south, you venture into a part of Spain which is unknown to most tourists. A string of small towns stretch along the coastline between Cambrils and the Delta of the river Ebro. Some of these towns are more interesting than others, but they all have nice beaches which are much quieter than anything you will find north of Cambrils. Miami Platja, L'Hospitalet de l'Infant and Calafat have some beautiful coves (Cala) but nothing much else besides that, whereas further south there are two authentic fishing villages, a bit like Cambrils minus the tourists and the gastronomic vibe: l'Ametlla de Mar & l'Ampolla de Mar. These two towns are roughly 10 km from each other, the space between them is unspoilt coastline, except for the odd camp site and residential estate. You will find tiny beaches where you will be able to swim in the Mediterranean Sea all by yourself. Once you reach l'Ampolla de Mar, you have virtually reached the Delta. It is just under 1 hour's drive from Cap Salou. This large mass of land penetrating 20 km into the sea has been created over the centuries by the sediments of Spain's most important river in terms of water discharge: the Ebro. The landscape of the Delta is surreal: narrow roads cris-cross the flatlands amid rice fields, located on either side of the river. Deltebre is the main town on the Delta and it is located on its geographical centre, split in two by the river. It is probably fair to say that Deltebre is the ugliest town in Catalunya. Indeed, the Delta is not renowned for the picturesque quality of its townscape but for its natural landscapes and biodiversity. The Delta is a great place for birdwatching (flamingos are present all year round) or for spending the day on a seemingly endless deserted beach. Head to the settlement of Riumar, near the tip of the Delta, and from there find your way to Platja de la Marquesa or Punta del Fangar. There are no people here, only birds, sand dunes, the warm water of the Mediterranean and the distant mountains on the mainland. Swimming in these beaches is almost like doing it in a gigantic lagoon, the seabed is very flat and there are rarely any waves. At Riumar you can also jump on one of the boats that offer a route around the Delta, including the Illa de Buda (Buda Island). Another major attraction of the Delta is its gastronomy. There are many good restaurants which offer the local products: rice is the most obvious one, but also eels, muscles, oysters, and other seafood. The locals will tell you that Paella is for amateurs, real foodies prefer the Arros del Delta (Delta Rice). Head to Xiringuito Bar Pepe in L'Ampolla for a legendary Arroz con galeras (rice with mantis shrimps) on a prime location overlooking the bay at reasonable prices. Alternatively, click on the following link for a list of the best restaurants in the Delta, according to National Geographic Los ocho mejores restaurantes del Delta del Ebro (nationalgeographic.com.es)

Other useful links

Ebro Delta Tourism | Turismo Delta del Ebro

mapa_delta_ebre.pdf (gencat.cat)

Sin título-1 (gencat.cat)