AIBU to think that this Salou itinerary is doable with 5yo and 79yo?

[MiTu]

Hi! We've never been to Salou before and haven't even really travelled abroad much, I want to feel super prepared because I am a bit of a worrier, can you tell me if this looks ok for a 5yo and 79yo, and 2x 40yo's:

Day 1 (arrival day before) - chill and relax, walkabout, house of illusion in the evening
Day 2 - port aventura (79yo going to get concession ticket so no rides, fine with the walking about - hotel 20 mins walk from port aventura)
Day 3 - bus plana to Barcelona (it says 1.5hr drive to Barcelona but bus plana says almost 3hr journey? Has anyone done this before? Wanted bus for guaranteed seats for 79yo also understand there are works on train lines at the mo which is causing delays to trains)
Day 4 - hotel chill and relax
Day 5 - boat trip from Salou
Day 6 - Salou town walkabout, chill, market

I will take any and all advice and tips!

It depends very much on your children, the 79yo, and the weather.
My MIL is 79 and would very much struggle to walk all day in very hot weather, so if it's the height of the summer, it would be too much for her. Your 79yo might be fine with it though. Ditto with the children. If you are going to do all day at Port Adventure, make sure you plan plenty of rest time - perhaps go early and late, getting a taxi or bus back to the hotel in the height of the day.

The Barcelona day again sounds like it would be a long day with small children and an older relative. I've done the bus plana, and yes, it takes approx 2.5 - 3 hours, depending where you get on or off, as it makes stops on the way. I'd be more inclined to book a hotel for one night in Barcelona at the beginning or end of the holiday to make the most of the time there.

The rest sounds fine though, and only you know how well your family will cope with long days in possibly very hot weather.

My only recommendation is to add a chill day between port aventura and Barcelona. There is always a lot more walking than expected at theme parks so a day to get over it will be needed. Also a 20 min walk seems fine, but if it’s hot and people are tired I would get a taxi to/from hotel or there will likely be a bus.

We did Salou to Barcelona on a coach before and it was a long drive. Does the bus have a toilet for your 5 year old? Train would be comfier, most European lines offer seat reservations.

Sack off the boat trip and put a hotel day between Portaventura and Barcelona and you’ll have a more relaxing time. Can’t you go for longer?

I would put a day between portaventura and Barcelona. Barcelona by bus is quite boring for a 5 year old unless you’re going to the zoo. Can’t you do a beach day instead?

I wouldn’t bother with Barcelona, it is a bit far I think.

we loved Portaventura, I would plan a day there and also return one evening to experience the park at night and watch the parade (maybe at the end of a rest day). See what time the shows are and some of the attractions to make sure you can fit in everything you want to do there.

I'd scrap going to Barcelona. I've done that bus trip and it is long.

I think a relax dad would be better between the theme park and Barcelona, and I know you said the 79 year old is healthy but do they want to be trudging about the theme park? It sounds doable where in Salou are you looking at ?

A relax day not dad obviously 😂

Scrap Barcelona, the bus is too much for a 5yo and a 79yo, just to wander a little bit of the city. I'd go to Tarragona instead: Roman stuff, lots of restaurants, nice park buy the amphitheatre, walkable city, nice little shops, great atmosphere, plentiful buses.

Tarragona is lovely and a shorter journey.but if you want to go to Barcalona book an excursion there will be a toilet on the coach.

I cannot stress enough how much slower everything was on holiday in Spain last year with my 79-yr dad than I thought it would be.

He's reasonably healthy but has always dawdled, and this has obviously got more so as he's got older. I think my mistake was subconsciously expecting that he'd be able to speed up if needed e.g. catching a bus or getting to a timed event on time. He was not, God love him 😁

He's also very slow going through airports as everything is alien to him and he's fascinated/nosy...so my advice is, make your days as laid-back as possible and add more time onto any walking, including within the airports/getting to the gate!

Agree scrap Barcelona - unless there is one specific thing you want to see, you won’t have anywhere near enough time to look round it properly if you’re spending six hours on a bus. Make it a separate holiday.

When are you going? I went to Salou last June and it was 33 degrees all week, we ended up not doing as much as we’d planned as it was so hot. I agree with others about swapping the order round, port aventura is amazing and you can easily spend all day there so you might want a break between that and a long day in Barcelona

House of illusion is really good, enjoy😊

Also just noticed you are planning on walking to PA. Obviously I don’t know where your hotel is but it’s not a walk I would want to do, it’s very busy and not much shade if it is hot. There are loads of cheap busses and taxis to it though

As others have said Tarragona is probably better for a day trip, there are Roman ruins and it is a nice place to explore on foot. Cambrils is also another nice place for a more chilled day - beach, marina, shops and nice places to eat. Much nicer than Salou itself, I found it really hard to find great places to eat there and only really stayed there for ease of access to PortAventura. The beach in Salou can be absolutely mobbed so we preferred to get the bus to Cambrils or La Pineda which is much quieter and has a lovely beach.

We did 2 days at PortAventura/Ferrari Land and 1 day at the waterpark with a 7 year old and this gave us plenty time to enjoy all the rides/shows, our 7 year old loved every minute of it all. Instead of a boat trip I would maybe do two days at the park and perhaps the 79 year old has an extra day to chill at the hotel?

Hope you all have a lovely time 🙂

I agree the buses are regular, walking is madness imo

Also, I can't remember exactly where in Salou it is but on our last day and needing a break from the heat we took our son to an outdoor centre where he did archery and went on a treetop rope climbing experience. It was great because it was really shaded by all the trees. It wasn't far up from the beach, just along from shops and restaurants but I can't remember the name of it.

I'd do 1 day at the theme park and 1 day water park rather than the boat trip? And Tarragona over Barcelona, much more chilled and closer!

I'd drop the Barcelona day trip, a six hour round trip on a bus isn't fun for anyone regardless of age! Do something closer instead, there's lots to choose from.

I'd also plan it so you have something every other day with a rest day in between. And obviously give the older person the option to chill at the hotel on the theme park day.

Unless it is a bucket list iteniery I'd also drop Barcelona esp following Port Adventura. If it is essential then have a rest day in between.

You can get the boat from Salou to Cambrills rather than doing an all day/afternoon excursion. It's only about 30 mins but fun and Cambrils is nice to mooch around, one of plazas is nice for lunch and beach is quieter than Salou.

Personally I would skip Barcelona and do an extra day at PortAventura.

Don't get me wrong, I love Barcelona, but a day trip sandwiches by two three hour coach trips isn't it, especially with young kids.

There are lots of shows at PortAventura. I went a while ago but bought our tickets at home in the travel agents. They were a lot cheaper and we didn’t have to queue.
Cirque du Soleil is often there in the summer (not sure if this is still the case).

Aahh thank you all so, so much for your advice and recommendations! We are indeed now thinking of skipping Barcelona entirely, or potentially hiring a car. Personally I'd rather skip and enjoy the local area we've chosen to visit! Thank you for helping this worrier x

The buses are great, personally i dont think you would need to hire a car.

Urgh gif sorry was unintentional.