The coastline between Tarragona and Tamarit Altafulla is a series of natural coves backed by pine forests and has a good balance of nature with remote beaches such as Waikiki beach as well as long popular tourist beaches nearer to the towns.
This route is an EASY 14Km Linear coastal route following the GR-92 from Tarragona to Tamarit and Altafulla, similar to the Torredembarra to Tarragona route but not as long and done in reverse.
Starting at Tarragona Renfe station, turn right upon exiting the station and use the footbridge to cross over the tracks onto Tarragona beach promenade. Turn left with respect to the sea and continue walking north. The route leaves the city walking along the beach. Follow the coastline along the rocky path using the route markers of white posts or red and white trail markers. You will pass via several small beaches and the abandoned Savinosa 'Arrassaba' Hospital Ruin.
After Savinosa hospital ruin and Platja Savinosa beach the route passes via a rocky and pine forested path to cross Platja dels Capellans then onto the Playa Larga. This is a long two and a half Kilometre beach which is popular with families and Tarragona citizens as well as the tourists. You can cross this beach walking bare foot at the shoreline which is a refreshing and grounding feeling.
From this point the route follows another rocky and pine forested path to get to the Cala Fonda, Known locally as Waikiki beach. This is my recommended place to swim. To get to the beach descend a well trodden narrow path in the pine forest. This beach is shallow and you will need to walk out 200 metres or more to be fully in the water. Although not a nudist beach, you can swim naked here if you dare.
Once you have finished at Waikiki beach you can leave by the same path you used to descend or at the northern end is another well worn path that will take you back to the main GR-92 trail in the pine forest and lead onto the next beach of Cala de la Roca Plana. This is also another nudist beach.
The trail continues in the pine forest until the next waypoint whish is the Moorish watch tower a La Mora headland. Take the stairs down in the campsite and follow the campsite road till there is an exit onto La Mora beach. Here there are several restaurants and it is a good place to stop for lunch. I can recommend Restaurant Mora Mar. Note that lunch in Catalunya is between 14h and 16h. Outside of those hours, restaurants close the kitchen to prepare the restaurant for the dinner sitting.
At the end of Mora Beach there is a path leading up into the pine forest where it joins with a gravel footpath that follows the coastline. There are beautiful flowers along this section of the path. After a few kilometres this footpath transforms into a forest trail along the rocks and through more pine forests till Tamarit Castle comes into view.
The trail circles round the back of Tamarit castle past some Iberian cave dwellings to get to Tamarit beach where there is another restaurant, Restaurante Brisa Tamarit. This is also a great place to swim with the castle in the background.
To get to Tamarit-Altafulla Renfe station, continue along the beach until arriving at the town of Altafulla and continue walking along the beach promenade until getting to a roman arch between the houses. Go under the arch and follow the road away from the beach to the station.
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Allow 3-4 hours walking time plus any time you want to spend swimming and eating.
If you want to visit the Roman Ruins of Vila Romana dels Munts, in Altafulla they can be found at the northern end of the town. The photos from Vila Romana dels Munts Roman ruins can be found in the Torredembarra to Tarragona page.
This route involves walking along beaches and close to the shore so I put things that I want to remain dry inside waterproof bag inside my rucksack. I keep my phone inside an IPX8 case so I can take photos from the sea.
Take 2 - 3 Litres of water.
Address: Altafulla, Altafulla. 43893
This route starts at Tarragona which is one hour 10 minutes from Barcelona on a R14, R15, R16 or R17 Regional train. The route finishes one stop nearer to Barcelona at Tamarit-Altafulla station on the same train lines.
The last train to Barcelona departs Tamarit-Altafulla around 22:00h so there is plenty of time to complete this route without stressing about time or cutting short swimming in the beautiful beaches and coves.
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A linear Coastal walk from Tarragona via Abandoned Hospital de Arrabassada, Beaches, coves, watchtower, pine forest trails and Tamarit Castle.
Distance: 13.74 Km
Difficulty: Easy
Return Travel Fare: €16.10
Transport Network: Regional
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