Tarragona is the principal stop on the main line between Barcelona and Valencia and a busy regional…read moredestination in its own right. Rebuilt in the 1970s, the exterior is bleak and uninviting, but the interior is serviceable enough. For such an important station it only has four platforms in regular use, and a relatively small ticket hall, but there's a small newsagents, a confectionery shop and a decent cafeteria. Outside there is a taxi rank, and a bus stop for line 2 of the city's buses. One downside is that the only toilets (on the main platform) are two coin-operated cabins, out in the open. Let's hope you have the right change when it's pouring with rain. For once, train information is plentifully provided, with electronic departure boards and TV screens everywhere. Don't forget to validate your ticket in one of the orange machines if you haven't bought it here, before boarding your train. The ticket office is open from 5h until 23.45h, and the reservations office for advanced ticket purchases from 7h until 21.30h. Spanish trains go under a bewildering array of names, but essentially, Tarragona has a roughly hourly service of fast inter-city trains such as the 'Talgo' and 'Estrella' heading along the coast; and roughly half-hourly 'Media Distencia' services running to and from Barcelona, on their way to destinations such as Tortosa, Reus, Lleida and Zaragoza, most which are branded 'Catalunya Exprés' or 'Regional Exprés'. Since February 2008, train to Madrid on the new high speed line stop at Camp de Tarragona, 15km north of the City towards the village of Secuita.

Railway station in Tarragona is situated on the coastline, and beautiful approach to the city. The…read morestation is small and quaint at the foot of the steep climb to the town which can be reached by a winding road 10 minute walk which is very steep and winding, alternatively there are steps again very steep and difficult with luggage, not what you need after a long journey. To take a Taxi from the station to the top of the hill, the end of the rue de la rambla costs 10euros which is expensive for the two minute journey but well worth every penny after a long journey.

Cambrils is one of the main stops on the coastal railway line south of Tarragona, after Salou, on…read morethe way to Tortosa and Valencia. The building is single storey and in the typical Spanish colonial style, and for such a large resort is a bit on the small side. Services are limited to a ticket office, toilets (the key is in the ticket office), taxi rank and a waiting room with some drinks vending machines. There's an electronic ticket machine as well, for when the ticket office is closed. The station claims to be accessible, which is a bit of a surprise, given the low platforms, resulting in a hefty climb up into the trains. On the railway side of the building, all trains arrive and depart from the main platform, although there are two other, rather overgrown platforms too. There's also a rather burnt-out, derelict looking goods shed, which gives the station a rather neglected feel (though would make a good hideout for a Spaghetti Western - it looks the part, even if the rest of the surroundings don't). Services run roughly hourly north and south, served almost entirely by variants of the Media Distencia service of RENFE (there are a few long-distance trains for which reservations are required). Northbound services all go to Tarragona (20 minutes), and most continue on to Barcelona, which takes just under two hours. Southbound, trains go to Tortosa, and a handful carry on to Valencia.

A superbly stocked arts and crafts shop, which also has a business selling specialist decorative…read morepaints for buildings. Wide range of oil, watercolour and acrylic paints, pastels, papers, brushes and other artists' materials. Friendly and helpful staff, and an informative website (in Catalan). They also have a very reasonably-priced picture framing service.

This hotel is a great value, especially if you have a car. There is free parking on the street…read moreoutside the hotel. So if you're willing to walk for a while, or take a short bus ride from the stop nearby, this can save you a *lot* of money. Due to the cost of excavating around the protected Roman ruins, the parking rates in Tarragona are incredibly high -- more than in many big cities. This hotel is also very close to the beach -- handy in the summer. There's nothing else really special about this hotel, but the staff were friendly toward us, and the place is clean and quiet.

Large and friendly tourist office, situated at the main entrance to the attractive Parc del…read morePescador. The staff speak English (as well as French, German and, of course, Catalan and Spanish). They provide the usual tourist services of information on things to do, free town maps, guides, accommodation and some information on travel (although this seems limited to timetables and telling you to contact the relevant company). There's a fairly substantial range of leaflets available to browse on things to do, as well as some free tourist newspapers. There are also toilets (clean and spacious) next to the cafe behind the office, just inside the park - always useful to know!

A very well designed casa rural just south of Barcelona and not far from spain's coastal highway…read more Owners are extremely friendly and give you a guided tour around their house. We had the "suite" which was tastefully decorated in ancient stone looking style. It has its own large bathroom with bubble bath . Our 2 kids had their own room , same style and very pleasant. Breakfast was very spanish with pan con tomate and home made cake. Only down side is that in the hilly street of this pueblo there is no parking , so find a creative spot nearby .... Rest is spotless.. Little tip: you are 1 km from a local water park and village has a bar , restaurant and little superette. Final word: casa rural was perfectly designed... Almost too perfect!

This is a very small and sleepy little station serving the little town of L'Arboç, 12km south west…read moreof Vilafranca del Penedès. It's served by a roughly hourly service of trains on Line 4 of the Barcelona suburban network to and from Sant Vicenç de Calders, ten minutes away. Sant Vicenç provides connections to Tarragona and Lleida as well as the coastal line to Sitges. The station itself is pretty basic: there are four platforms, but only two are used, and access across the tracks is via a wooden foot-crossing - watch out for trains! The modern concrete station building has a small café which is open for most of the day; it also doubles up as the ticket office, and has a waiting area with seats. The station approach has limited car-parking, and taxis can be ordered from the café. There are toilets on the platform side of the building, but they are not always open. A new entertainment for waiting passengers is the high speed line from Barcelona to Madrid, which was opened in February 2008, and is situated just a few yards to the north. Trains whizz past at 186mph, which is impressive even to the most ardent non-enthusiast!

Cubelles is a small town 50km south from Barcelona and one stop on the train line from Vilanova i…read moreLa Geltru. The main beach of Platja Llarga is - thank to the odd location of the boundary between Cubelles and Vilanova - shared between Cubelles itself, and the wonderfully-named suburb of Prat de Vilanova. The beach in Cubelles is small and protected by a series of elaborate breakwaters, but the promenade continues to the Vilanova section of the beach, (where it changes name to the Passeig de Voramar) which has a magnificent and very quiet 2.5km stretch of sand and sea, backed by sand dunes which are roped off during the bird breeding season. The section of beach furthest from Cubelles is popular with gay men (and can feel quite cruisy - so be warned - though it is a good ten minute walk from Cubelles), whereas that in Cubelles itself is definitely more family-orientated. The area of sand is quite small, and the area of apartments around it is a bit dull. For my money, the beaches at Vilanova and Sitges are better. But it's a nice spot for a coffee or light lunch with views of the sea, and it's only a five minute walk from Cubelles railway station. The promenade has a series of small cafes and a tourist information office, and the beach itself has a Red Cross Post in summer, and beach showers.

I came across this beach quite by accident and glad I did! It is about half way between Villa Nova…read moreand Cubelles (do not be confused with another nudist beach nearer Vila Nova which boasts a wide promenade and large blue coloured restaurant). The beach can be reached by walking from Villa Nova Railway Station to the front and then in the direction towards St. Vincent de Calders. You pass the aforementioned nudist beach after climbing a large flight of stone steps. You just carry on as far as you can, passing a sea-facing block of quite attractive apartments. From here join a stony path alongside the railway line, and bob's your uncle here you are. Alternatively, catch the train to Cubelles station, come out of it to your left, walk under the railway lines and turn left. Walk straight on, passing a delightful bar/restaurant, you may need refreshments here, as far as you can until you come to a private road. Turn right here to the beach (not far) then left until you are quite near the block of apartments aforementioned. I would say that the walk from each station would be one hour at least. There are several horse-shoe shaped beaches, ideal for children, and very shallow walks into the sea. The last one is a nudist beach which is my favourite. However, there is nothing else there, no bar, restaurant, just lovely sand and swimming! There is a nearby car park but access to the beach is across the railway lines which I am reluctant to take as some of the trains that use this line are fast expresses. Platja LLarga is ideal to take a picnic and to be so isolated after the hectic atmosphere in Sitges. It is one of my favourite places of all time!