Catalonia's theme parks: roller coasters, haunted houses, and high-speed loops

Going up and down, up and down… now to the left, now to the right… and now, SMILE!!! The roller coaster camera just captured that instant of your life enjoying a ride in one of Catalonia's amusement parks, Tibidabo or PortAventura.

Located in the southern seaside towns of Salou and Vila-seca, PortAventura is the largest and most famous theme park in Catalonia. Opened in 1995, it welcomes around 5.2 million visitors annually. But its future could have been completely different, as the area was initially one of the contenders to host Euro Disney Resort, currently known as Disneyland Paris.

In the end, it wasn't named Disneyland Barcelona, but PortAventura, yet it wasn't always named as such. For a time, it was Universal Mediterranea, as Universal Studios was behind the park for some years. In fact, the park's mascot is Woody Woodpecker, and other Universal-related characters are also still seen around.

Dragon Khan, Furious Baco, and Stampida

PortAventura has a unique skyline with plenty of loops and towers seen from afar. Over the years, it has been growing and entangling rails from different rides, but the one that has always been there is Dragon Khan.

Inaugurated by then-Catalan president Jordi Pujol, the ride sees thrill seekers go for 69 seconds at 110 km/h full through loops and down descents. The red rail is one of the most iconic rides in the park and has a Chinese tale as its backstory.

This is the case as PortAventura is divided into six different areas: the Mediterranean, Polynesia, China, Mexico, SésamoAventura children area, and Far West, which represents the wild west.

But Dragon Khan has seen many competitors over the years that try to win the title of the most memorable ride of the park, such as Furius Baco, a roller coaster that goes from 0 to 135 km/h in just 3.5 seconds, or Shambala, a hyper coaster that is the tallest ride in PortAventura, with 76 meters of height. 

Competing for the tallest, there is also Hurkan Kondor, which features a 100-meter free fall.

Other major attractions in PortAventura include Stampida, a wooded ride that sees two cars competing to be the faster, Tutuki Splash, one of the many water rides the park has, and even Uncharted: The Enigma of Penitence, the newest roller coaster and the only dark ride in the park, and the ride with the first side launch in the world and the first lateral fall in Europe.

PortAventura is also home to the only Ferrari amusement park in Europe, a water park, six four-star hotels, and one five-star hotel.

But parks are not all about fun and amazing experiences, as workers' unions sounded the alarm in August 2022 when they pushed for pay raises and a €600 bonus after seeing their salaries freeze because of the pandemic and the park's economic losses.

And for visitors, queues are the main problem. Just recently, with the opening of the new roller coaster, many took to social media to complain about the many hours they had been waiting in line to get on the 90-seconds attraction. Some, up to five hours.

With long lines in mind, the park is now testing two new options, such as launching virtual queues, where people just sign up and are warned minutes before their turn, and then a new interactive experience where people waiting in line can play a joint game with other people in line such as Pictionary.

PortAventura prices range depending on the several promotions, but a one-day adult ticket costs €42.

Old but gold, Tibidabo

Visible from many parts of the city, Tibidabo, sitting on top of the Collserola hill, is one of the oldest amusement parks still running worldwide. Dating back to 1901, it's currently owned by the Barcelona city council.

Some of the most important rides in the park include La Talaia, which sees passengers in a sort of basket-like container being raised to 50 meters above ground to enjoy the amazing views of the city. This is one of the oldest rides in the park, as it dates back to 1921.

But Tibidabo enjoys amazing views from other attractions, such as the plane, which is a replica of the first plane that was used for the commercial route from Barcelona to the Spanish capital, Madrid.

Tibidabo even has a roller coaster, a Ferris wheel visible from several areas in Barcelona, and the haunted house, Hotel Krüeger.

A new incorporation to the park is 'Beyond,' an immersive experience based on virtual reality featuring mysteries from different worlds during a 10-minute adventure while walking inside the Edifici Cel building.

The park costs €35 for those over 120 cm tall and is still among the favorite activities for children in the Catalan capital.

Montjuïc Park, a disappearing legacy

Barcelona and Catalonia have a long history of theme parks, dating back to at least 1853 when the Jardín de los Campos Elíseos opened in the Catalan capital. Those gardens were located where the current Passeig de Gràcia boulevard is located nowadays.

The park even had some roller coasters for people to enjoy back then.

But the most remembered one, which closed in the late 1990s, is the Montjuïc Amusement Park, located atop the Montjuïc hill, near where the Funicular currently ends.

Some areas are still visible, such as statues or even the ceilings from the bars or the Esfèric Restaurant, which was part of the amusement area.

The park opened in the mid-60s and closed in 1998, and it had roller coasters such as Boomerang, which was the highest ride in Spain at the time of installation, or even the Loco Ratón, one of the most popular, which was open until the 1970s.

While many Barcelona residents may still remember the park, it's unlikely younger ones will have memories of the theme park on top of the second hill the city has, competing with Tibidabo.