Why not visit the Cathedral: The glass in the massive octagonal rose window of this Romanesque-Gothic church dates back to the 14th century, and the tomb of Joan d'Arago lies inside the ancient church.

The Costa Dorada: On the east side of Spain, runs from north of Barcelona to Tarragona and encompasses about 150 miles of golden beaches, hence its name 'the Gold Coast'. The safe, shallow waters found in Salou and Cambrils are perfect for small children.

Sitges: A little more relaxed and sophisticated. Wherever you find yourself make sure you check out the local Catalan dishes, many of which are based on fresh fish caught locally. The whole coast has a reputation for its friendly informality, its glorious beaches and almost endless sunshine.

Salou: Salou is the most lively resort on the Costa Dorada and has a busy nightlife with a large selection of disco's, bars and restaurants. In Cambrills the beach takes on a different, more romantic aspect at night along the more than 2½ miles of illuminated seafront promenade, a sight that can be enjoyed from many of Cambrils' fine restaurants.

Western Costa Dorada: This area features beaches with heavy alluvial sand and clear shallow waters and includes the districts of Baix Camp, Baix Ebre and Montsia.

Eastern Costa Dorada: The journey begins at the eastern tip of the Costa Dorada, in the district of Baix Penedes, an area with wide beaches, fine, soft sand, and calm, shallow water. In the first section, on the eastern limit of the province, we reach Cunit (population 1,217). Because of its large (2.5km) sunny beach, this little seaside town is slowly becoming an interesting and fully developed tourist centre. It lacks other particular attractions (with the exception of its 12th century Romanesque church, used as the sacristy of the parish church) besides the usual services for sea and sun worshippers. There are neither stones nor algae.

Tarragona: Once a provincial Roman capital because of its strategic position, today Tarragona is Spain's second most important port city, proving once again that location, location, location, is everything. Still visible are remnants of its imperial days under the rule of Augustus in the ruins of a great amphitheatre and other Roman buildings in the gardens above El Mirade beach.

The little village of Creixel: Set before the mountain of La Mola and built around the ancient castle of Creixell. Its old fishermans quarter, known as Les Botigues de Mar, opens up to an ample 2 kilometre beach, a prolongation of the beach of Torredembarra. An interesting tourism and summer holiday nucleus has grown here. The beach is beautiful and calm, with clear, shallow waters.

Roda de Bera: Entering the district of Tarragones we come upon Roda de Bera, a town located at the foot of El Quadrell mountain range, with 1,383 inhabitants, and offering a long and spacious sandy beach. From the small summer resort it was at the beginning of the century it has recently grown to become a busy tourist centre. A singular attraction is the Arc de Bera, a 2nd Century AD Roman victory arch edified upon what was the via Augusta in this province of the empire.

Torredembarra: A seaside town with 5,844 inhabitants and year round activity: fishing, commerce, farming, etc. It enjoys the benign climate conferred by the Mediterranean Sea during the entire year. It has a wide beach of fine sand with a soft slope and a length of 7 kilometres, beautiful cliffs and a seaside quarter, La Marina de Torredembarra, with a strong and typical flavour. The outline of the town is dominated by the 16th century Castle Palace and it conserves remains of a Roman town (Partida del Moro), two 15th century porticos, and an 18th century Baroque organ in the archpriests church.

Popular Beaches include: Torredembarra, Llevant and Cap Roig.

Middle Ages: The Monastery of Santa Maria at Poblet has been restored to its Middle Ages glory.

History: Lying between the sea and the mountain range are wide open areas, home to tranquil villages and fields of crops ranging from vineyards and olive groves to carob, hazelnut, almond trees and vegetable-garden crops.

Attractions: Inland one can easily reach places and towns with a great personality and historical interest (such as Reus, Valls, Montblanc, Tortosa) and great medieval monasteries: Poble, Santes Creus and Scala Dei, as well as picturesque landscapes (Prades, Siurana), rugged mountain ranges with big game reserves (Tivissa, Cardo and Ports de Tortosa), and the unique delta of the Ebro river, with its labyrinth of ditches and lagoons and the facilities it offers for wild fowl hunting.