PortAventura from Barcelona: tickets & how to get there

PortAventura World sells by park and by day, and that is where people lose money: the 1-day one-park ticket and the 1-day two-park ticket often cost exactly the same at the promotional rate. Before you pay for PortAventura Park alone, check the price of the combo with Ferrari Land. If they match, there is nothing to think about.

Under-4s pay nothing. Junior and senior rates are almost identical to each other, so two adults plus children aged 6 and 9 come to roughly €206 in admission alone — this is an expensive day out, and it is better to know that before you board the train. If you will be in the area for a few days, the jump from a one-day to a two-day ticket costs very little per person: it is the best value in the whole range.

PortAventura Park

The big one, open since 1995, and the reason you are making the trip. It is laid out as six themed worlds around a loop: Mediterrània (the entrance, with the lake and fishing harbour), Far West (the saloon, Stampida and the rapids), México (a Mayan pyramid and Hurakan Condor), China (the heart of the park, home to Dragon Khan and Shambhala), Polynesia (Tutuki Splash and shows) and SésamoAventura, the Sesame Street area built for under-8s.

• Dragon Khan — the coaster that put Spain on the theme-park map in 1995: eight inversions and up to 110 km/h. It is still brutal.
• Shambhala — a Bolliger & Mabillard hypercoaster that opened in 2012: 76 metres tall, 134 km/h, and not a single inversion. It is pure sustained airtime, and for many people the best ride in the park.
• Furius Baco, Hurakan Condor (a free-fall drop from the pyramid) and Stampida (duelling wooden coasters) round out the serious list.
• Shows. The park runs live shows through the day — the Far West and Polynesia ones are the classics. Grab the schedule at the gate: they are the best excuse to sit in the shade for half an hour.

Ferrari Land

Small, with one overwhelming reason to go: Red Force. An Intamin vertical accelerator that opened on 7 April 2017, it fires you from 0 to 180 km/h in five seconds, climbs a 112-metre tower and drops straight back down. It is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Europe, and the ride lasts less time than the queue. Around it sit simulators, twin drop towers, a children's driving circuit and a great deal of red merchandise. Two or three hours covers it: this is a companion park, not a day out.

Caribe Aquatic Park

The resort's water park — slides, a wave pool, indoor and outdoor zones — opens in summer only (roughly late May to mid-September) and does not pair well with PortAventura Park on the same day: each one needs its own. We cover it alongside the province's other water options in our guide to water parks near Barcelona.

This is a seasonal park. The 2026 season opens on 28 February 2026 and closes on 6 January 2027, with themed seasons chained together: Carnival in March, extended summer hours from 27 June to 5 September (closing as late as 23:30), Halloween from 19 September to 15 November — the park's signature season, with heavy theming and haunted walkthroughs — and Christmas through Three Kings. Ferrari Land typically opens on fewer days and for shorter hours than PortAventura Park, so if you are going outside summer, check its specific calendar before paying for the combo.

The best months are May, June and September. They dodge both plagues at once: August queues and Costa Daurada heat, which at midday in July turns the asphalt between México and China into an oven. Weekdays always beat weekends. If summer is your only option, pick a Tuesday or Wednesday and plan the middle of the day around shade.

• Eating inside. Every world has themed restaurants, from buffets to fast food, at theme-park prices (budget roughly €15–20 per person for a simple meal). You can bring water in; freeze a bottle overnight in summer and you will thank yourself at three in the afternoon.
• What the ticket doesn't cover. Parking, Express passes, food, ride photos, and the lockers you'll need before the big coasters — nearly all of them require empty pockets.
• Staying at the resort. The complex runs several themed hotels of its own, and stays with tickets included often work out cheaper than buying separately if you plan two park days. Some packages also include early access to selected rides. The budget alternative: Salou, minutes away, packed with beach hotels.
• Combine it with the coast. Salou and the Costa Daurada are right there; stay the night and your second day comes free in the form of sand. Compare with the beaches in Barcelona before deciding where to sleep.

Is it worth it on a short Barcelona trip?

Straight answer: on a three or four-day trip, no. A PortAventura day is 11 hours door to door, a third of your holiday, and it will cost you the Sagrada Família, Park Güell and the Gothic Quarter. With five days or more, or if you are travelling with teenagers who have been talking about Shambhala for months, the answer flips completely: this is the best theme park in Spain, it holds its own against the big European resorts, and the day pays for itself. And if you want rides without leaving the city, Tibidabo and the rest are in our Barcelona with kids guide.