Getting here and planning
A weekend in Altafulla: a two-day plan
What to do in Altafulla over a weekend: the Vila Closa and a dinner within the old walls on Saturday, the Roman villa, Tamarit and a rice lunch by the sea on Sunday. With times, walking distances and no car.
Two days are enough for the whole of Altafulla: the upper village on Saturday, with the Vila Closa and a dinner between 18th-century walls, and the sea below on Sunday, with the Roman villa, the walk to Tamarit Castle and a rice lunch with the water in front of you. All on foot, arriving by train.
Before you set off
- Arrive by train at Altafulla-Tamarit station, next to the beach: five minutes from Tarragona, under an hour from Barcelona. If you come by car, exit 32 of the AP-7. More in how to get to Altafulla.
- Book Saturday’s dinner if it is summer: the restaurants in the Vila Closa fill up.
- Check the calendar: the Roman villa closes on Mondays; Altafulla Castle can only be visited on the first Tuesday and the last Saturday of the month, and not at Easter or in summer. If your Saturday is the last of the month, you get the castle.
Saturday: the Vila
12:00 · Arrival and the walk up to the Vila Closa. From the station, fifteen minutes on foot uphill along the path that crosses the railway. Drop your things and enter the walled town through the castle gate.
12:30 · The Vila, unhurried. Cobbled streets, Plaça del Pou with the town hall, the church of Sant Martí (1701–1705) and the two towers of the walls. If it is the first Saturday of the month, there is a guided tour of the old town at 11 am (1 h 30, €4, booked through the Tourist Office); on summer Mondays, at 7 pm.
14:00 · Lunch in the Vila. Tapas in Plaça de la Font or the lunch menu at Gaudium, the village’s Michelin Guide restaurant, which on weekdays is the affordable way to try it (on Saturdays, better to book). The full list is in where to eat in Altafulla.
16:30 · The hermitage of Sant Antoni. A short walk from the Vila to the village viewpoint, the hermitage of 1717 paid for in part by the fishermen. From the top you see the Vila, the beach and Tamarit: this is the moment the map makes sense.
18:00 · Down to the beach. Fifteen minutes downhill to Les Botigues de Mar, the little white 18th-century houses right on the sand. A swim if it is the season; if not, a walk along the shore south to the Club Marítim and back.
20:00 · Vermouth at Les Botigues and dinner up top. The vermouth, with the sun going down behind the village, on the beach promenade. Dinner back in the Vila: the walk up at night, with the streets lit and the sea below, is part of the plan.
Sunday: the sea
9:30 · Breakfast in the seafront quarter and the first hour on the beach, which in summer is the best hour.
11:00 · The Roman villa of Els Munts. A step from the sand, on Passeig del Fortí: a 1st-century luxury villa, a World Heritage Site as part of Tàrraco, with baths, wall paintings and sea views. A good hour. In summer, book the costumed tour (977 251 515).
12:30 · The walk to Tamarit. From Les Botigues south along the sand: the Club Marítim, the mouth of the Gaià and, in half an hour, the rock of Tamarit Castle, the 12th-century fortress that closes off the bay. Go round it on the coastal path and down to Cala Jovera for a swim. We tell the story in Tamarit Castle and Cala Jovera.
14:30 · Rice by the sea. Back in Altafulla, the Sunday rice: at the Club Marítim restaurant, at the end of the beach, or at the Voramar, with the sea in front of you. Book if it is a summer weekend.
17:00 · Last beach and the train. An hour on the sand or strolling along Les Botigues, and the train home from the station, five minutes’ walk away.
If you have a third day
- Roman Tarragona, 5 minutes by train: amphitheatre, circus, walls and the Part Alta old quarter.
- The full coastal path to the Torre de la Mora: 8 km there and back along the cliffs, with a swim at Platja de la Mora.
- Torredembarra and Els Muntanyans, 62 hectares of wetland with boardwalks and the lighthouse, on foot along the coast (4.6 km) or by train.
Where to stay
The plan works just as well from the beach as from the Vila: they are fifteen minutes’ walk apart. On the beach you have the Hotel Altafulla Mar (four stars, 136 rooms) and the Hotel Yola; in the Vila, the Gran Claustre, in an 18th-century building with a spa. The details and the areas are in where to stay in Altafulla.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a car for a weekend in Altafulla?
No. You arrive by train at Altafulla-Tamarit station, next to the beach, and everything in the plan (the Vila Closa, Les Botigues, the beach, the Roman villa and Tamarit Castle) is on foot.
When is the best time for a weekend in Altafulla?
June and September, with beach weather and without the August crowds. For a village weekend without the beach, the Festa Major de Sant Martí in November or any spring weekend with the coastal path empty.
Where should you stay for this plan?
In the seafront quarter if you want the beach a minute away, or in the Vila Closa if you would rather eat well and sleep in silence. The two areas are fifteen minutes’ walk apart.