Costa Dorada, the 'Gold Coast', set between Barcelona and Tarragona, offers a winning combination of golden sandy beaches, a wealth of activities, and lively nightlife. Holidays in the Costa Dorada centre round the main tourists resorts of La Pineda, Cambrils and Salou. La Pineda is a favourite with families seeking a relaxing beach resort with plenty of amenities. A mini train links La Pineda to the popular Port Aventura theme park, with its exhilarating roller coaster rides and fun shows.

The resort of Cambrils features traditional Spanish charm, with its narrow cobbled streets, old buildings and traditional tapas bars. Cambrils is renowned for its delicious seafood restaurants. The purpose-build resort of Salou is the busiest in Costa Dorada, and is bursting with high-rise hotels, bars, discos and clubs. Salou is particularly popular with groups of young holidaymakers who are after round-the-clock entertainment. By day Salou offers a range of water sports, hiking, cycling, horse riding and golfing, and by night Salou comes alive with British pubs, karaoke bars and throbbing nightclubs.

Holidays in the Costa Dorada offer a range of excursions. Those seeking a slice of Spanish culture can visit Costa Dorada's main city, Tarragona. This Roman city boasts historical ruins and magnificent museums surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. Other points of interest include the medieval city of Montblanc and the 12th-century monastery of Poblet. Also worth a visit is the seaside town of Sitges, which was popular with bohemian artists and writers in the 19th century. The charming old town of Sitges is a maze of cobbled streets and whitewashed houses.