Cycling, hiking and watersports – explore your active side in Spain this season. 

Keeping the whole family entertained during the summer holiday is always a challenge, but a trip to the Costa Dorada can offer a plethora of fun and adventurous activities for all ages. With a temperate climate and with plenty of nature to explore – it's a great place to try cycling, hiking and watersports.

Active holidaymakers can also choose horseback riding, quad biking and four-wheel-drive driving routes, while families can explore the countryside discovering prehistoric caves, monasteries and ancient walled towns.

Tarragona will host the 18th Mediterranean Games in June 2017 with cycling and watersport events taking place alongside other Olympic sports. The Games are organised with the recognition of the International Olympic Committee.

The Federation of Hostelry and Tourism in Tarragona (FEHT) has pulled together a few of the active highlights below:

Cycling

Cambrils in Tarragona makes a great base for a cycling holiday and the town itself has 27km of bike lanes, with 9km of these running alongside the coast. Cambrils is a Sports Tourism Destination specialising in cycling and has been officially certified by the Catalan Tourist Board.

Cambrils is extremely well connected to the inland area of the Costa Dorada and has become the point of departure and arrival of numerous road bike routes. Ranging from more level or flat routes, to more challenging outings, all of the trails are highly varied and offer beautiful natural surroundings.

Further inland, Mont-roig del Camp is the region's first mountain-biking centre and offers circuits spanning a total of 143 kilometres. With 10 different routes and four different difficulty levels, there is something for all ages. The visitor centre offers a wide range of services related to the sport, including equipment hire and information on the various itineraries and area's tourist resources.

The region's accommodation facilities are certified to host cycling groups and feature, among other services, bicycle storage or parking facilities, a bike repair and wash area, meeting rooms, special diets, flexible meal times and catering.

Hiking

Costa Dorada is perfect for trekking enthusiasts. The large number of trails, spectacular landscapes and excellent facilities make for unforgettable walks throughout the region. The best trekking areas are Montsant Massif and the Prades Mountains.

One of the finest coastal itineraries is 'The Castle and Monastery of Cornu Bovis' trail where walkers ascent to the ancient Roman castle at Escornalbou from Duesaigues, returning via the picturesque village of L'Argentera.

The 'Depth of the Mediterranean Woodland' itinerary takes travellers from the monastery of Poblet, the most important Cistercian monastery on the Iberian Peninsula, before walking through the woods of the monks of St. Benet.

There is an extensive network of signposted 'long distance footpaths' marked in red and white and 'short distance footpaths' marked in yellow and white throughout the region.

Watersports

The sea is central to life in Costa Dorada and the region's 92km coastline is home to eight different marinas. The Nautical Station in Costa Dorada is the biggest in Catalonia and spans nearly 60km of coast including five towns; Salou, Cambrils, Mont-roig del Camp / Miami Playa, Vandellòs and l'Hospitalet del Infant and l'Ametlla de Mar.

The coast is characterised for its long beaches of fine, golden sand and the nautical station offers more than 40 activities for different ages and abilities. Activities include kayak tours, jet-skiing, scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, paddle surfing, parasailing and flyboarding, where participants are propelled into the air with a 'jet-pack' style board.

Visitors to the region should not miss the unique 'Tuna Tour' experience, where guests can swim and snorkel in the sea with giant tunas. For more information, please see here.

Where to stay on your active holiday:

Playa Montroig Camping Resort - Located on one of the Costa Dorada's best beaches and within easy reach of PortAventura theme park and the wonders of Roman Tarragona, Playa Montroig is a great location for a family holiday. Guests can choose between different sizes of plots and bungalows, while there is also a full entertainment and leisure program.

Standard accommodation available from €20, premium accommodation from €47. For more information, please see here.

Estival Eldorado Resort (Bike Hotel) – Located 1.5km from the centre of Cambrils and linked to the town along the coastal promenade, the resort offers hotel, bungalow and family villa accommodation. There are also four restaurants with different specialities and four bars distributed throughout the resort. Regarded as a bike hotel, the resort offers cycling packages for all abilities, bicycle hire, a cycling centre with storage for more than 300 bikes, an indoor cycling room and specialist guides and coaches.

Three nights in a double sea-view room with breakfast for two people is available from €318.

Five nights in Cortijo St Bungalow (Room Only) for two people is available from €565.For more information, please see here.

Tamarit Park Resort – Providing beach-side accommodation and a range of sports and fitness activities, Tamarit Park Resort is perfect for those who want to embrace the great outdoors. Located north of Tarragona, the resort has a number of onsite food options including La Brisa beachside restaurant and La Carpa tapas restaurant.

Standard camping available from €10, bungalows available from €41. For more information, please see here.

Contact

For more information or further enquiries, please contact tim@wearelotus.co.uk or rebecca@wearelotus.co.uk / 0207 953 7470.

About The Federation of Hostelry and Tourism in Tarragona (FEHT)

The FEHT is a federation that represents the whole tourism sector in the province of Tarragona, the main tourist destination being Salou. It is the umbrella organisation for: the Association of Campsites in Costa Dorada and Terres de l'Ebre, the Association of Tourist Apartments in Costa Dorada, the Hotel Business Association of Tarragona, the Association of Hotels in Tarragona, the Association of Hotels in Salou, Cambrils, La Pineda, the Association of Incoming Agencies of Costa Dorada, and PortAventura. Together these represent all the accommodation in an area covering Salou, Cambrils and Vilaseca-La Pineda. The federation represents the interests of each of the member establishments as well as the municipalities in which they are located.