PortAventura World facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
PortAventura World Parks & Resort

Previously known as * Universal Mediterranea (2002–2004) * PortAventura (2005–2012) * PortAventura: European Destination Resort (2013–2015)
Location	Salou and Vila-seca, Catalonia, Spain
Coordinates	41°05′13″N 1°09′26″E / 41.086839°N 1.157272°E / 41.086839; 1.157272
Opened	13 June 2002; 23 years ago (2002-06-13) (resort) 1 May 1995; 30 years ago (1995-05-01) (first park)
Owner	Investindustrial KKR
Operated by	Investindustrial
General manager	David Garcia Blanco
Slogan	Made To Remember
Operating season	Spring through winter
Attendance	5.2 million (2019)
Area	119 ha 294 acres
Attractions
Total	53
Roller coasters	10
Water rides	5

PortAventura World is a super fun entertainment resort located in Salou and Vila-seca, Spain. It's on the beautiful Costa Daurada in Catalonia. This huge resort grew around its main theme park, PortAventura Park. It's super popular, attracting about 5.3 million visitors each year! This makes it the most visited theme park in Spain and one of the top six in Europe.

In 2017, a new park called Ferrari Land opened, and the whole place became known as PortAventura World. The resort now has three theme parks, six hotels, a big meeting center, and even a place for RVs. It's easy to get to, with Reus Airport just 15 minutes away and Barcelona Airport about an hour's drive. There's also a train station, Salou-Port Aventura, very close to the entrance.

History of PortAventura World

When Port Aventura first opened in 1995, it was owned by several companies. Later, in 1998, a company called Universal bought most of the shares. The park then changed its name to 'Universal's Port Aventura', becoming the first Universal Studios theme park in Europe!

In 2002, the resort grew even bigger. A water park called Costa Caribe and two hotels were added. The whole place was then renamed 'Universal Mediterranea'. But in 2004, Universal sold its part of PortAventura. The resort went back to being called 'PortAventura' in 2005. The space in the name was removed on purpose for trademark reasons. In 2009, over 3.3 million people visited the resort.

In 2013, a company called KKR bought almost half of PortAventura. The other half was still owned by Investindustrial. In 2016, the resort got its current name, 'PortAventura World Parks & Resort'. The second theme park, Ferrari Land, officially opened on April 7, 2017.

PortAventura Park: The Main Theme Park

Entrance to PortAventura Park

The Tutuki Splash water ride

PortAventura Park has five exciting areas based on different parts of the world: Mediterrània, Far West, México, China, and Polynesia. There's also a fun area based on Sesame Street. Mediterrània is where you enter the park.

Exciting Rides at PortAventura Park

• Furius Baco: This is a super fast roller coaster that opened in 2007. It can go up to 135 kilometers per hour (83.9 mph)!
• Stampida: A thrilling wooden roller coaster with two tracks that race each other.
• Tomahawk: A smaller wooden roller coaster that runs next to Stampida, perfect for younger riders.
• Silver River Flume: A classic log flume ride where you float down a river and then splash into the water.
• Grand Canyon Rapids: A wild whitewater raft ride that takes you through rapids, like the Grand Canyon!
• Hurakan Condor: A giant drop tower ride. It's one of the tallest in the world, standing at 330 feet (100 meters)!
• El Diablo – Tren de la Mina: A mine train roller coaster that reaches speeds of about 60 kilometers per hour.
• Dragon Khan: This roller coaster used to hold the record for having the most inversions (loops and twists). It's a very popular ride and was one of the first two roller coasters when the park opened.
• Shambhala: This huge roller coaster broke three European records when it opened! It was the fastest (134 km/h), tallest (76 meters), and had the longest drop (78 meters) in Europe.
• Angkor: A big splash battle ride that opened in 2014, themed like the ancient Angkor ruins.
• Tutuki Splash: A water ride where you plunge down a big drop, themed like an erupting volcano.
• Tami Tami: A fun roller coaster designed for children.
• Street Mission: An interactive dark ride featuring characters from Sesame Street.

Ferrari Land: Speed and Fun

Italian village, Ferrari Land

Ferrari Land is a special area at PortAventura World that celebrates the famous Italian sports car brand, Ferrari! It covers 60,000 square meters and has new rides, restaurants, shops, and even car racing simulators. Ferrari Land is a separate theme park, right next to the main PortAventura Park entrance. It opened on April 7, 2017, after a big investment of over €100 million.

The park is inspired by Italy, with parts that look like Venice's Piazza San Marco and Rome's Colosseum. The most exciting ride in Ferrari Land is Red Force. This vertical accelerator coaster is 112 meters tall, making it the tallest roller coaster in Europe! It's also the fastest coaster in Europe. In 2018, Ferrari Land added a special area just for kids.

Ferrari Land is only the second amusement park in the world themed to Ferrari, after Ferrari World Abu Dhabi.

Rides and Attractions List

Roller Coasters

• 

  Furius Baco

• 

  Red Force

Flat Rides

Water Rides

Amusement Rides Using Motion Pictures

PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park: Splash into Fun!

Entrance to Costa Caribe Aquatic Park

Costa Caribe Aquatic Park – La Laguna de Woody

PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park is a fantastic water park right next to PortAventura Park. It's a huge area of 50,000 square meters, with 16 different attractions and slides! Over 8,500 square meters of the park are covered in water. It's themed like the Caribbean, with sandy beaches, palm trees, and fun Latin and reggae music. You can also find shops and restaurants there.

Water Park Rides

• King Khajuna: This is Europe's tallest free-fall slide! It's 31 meters tall and has a super steep 55-degree drop. It opened in 2013.
• Ciclón Tropical: A fun MultiBUMP slide that also opened in 2013.
• Rapid Race: A ProSlide ProRacer slide that opened in 2013.
• The Mambo and Limbo: Two exciting corkscrew waterslides that opened in 2002.
• El Tifón: Two body waterslides that opened in 2002.
• El Río Loco: A relaxing lazy river where you can float along. It opened in 2002.
• El Torrente: A big river ride where you go down in four-person round tubes. It opened in 2002.
• Barracudas: A pair of tube slides where you ride in two-person inline tubes. These opened in 2002.

Kids Rides at the Water Park

• Zona Indoor with Junior Slides: An indoor play area with a pool and slides, perfect for younger kids. It opened in 2002.
• La Laguna de Woody: A fun play area themed around Woody Woodpecker. It also opened in 2002.

Resort Hotels: Stay and Play!

The PortAventura World resort has six amazing themed hotels where you can stay:

• PortAventura Hotel PortAventura: Has a Mediterranean theme (4-star).
• PortAventura Hotel Caribe: Features a fun Caribbean theme (4-star).
• PortAventura Hotel El Paso: Designed with a Mexican theme (4-star).
• PortAventura Hotel Gold River: Includes 'The Callaghan's' and has a Western theme (4-star).
• PortAventura Hotel Colorado Creek: A rustic Western-themed hotel (4-star).
• PortAventura Hotel Mansión de Lucy: A fancy Victorian-style Western-themed hotel (5-star).

The resort also works with four other hotels nearby, called Ponient Hotels. These hotels offer free transfers to the park:

• Ponient Vila Centric by PortAventura World (4-star)
• Ponient Píramide Salou by PortAventura World (4-star)
• Ponient Dorada Palace by PortAventura World (4-star)
• Ponient Marinada by PortAventura World (4-star)

Seasonal Events: Fun All Year Round!

FiestAventura

PortAventura Park hosts special events during different seasons, making your visit even more exciting! For example, during summer nights, Halloween (from September to November), and Christmas (from November to January), the park has unique walk-around rides or shows.

For Halloween, you might find spooky mazes like [REC], Horror in Penitence, and La Selva del Miedo. There's also a thrilling nighttime Halloween show called Horror en el Lago.

See also

In Spanish: PortAventura World para niños

• Incidents at European amusement parks