Last week I visited Salou for the second time. It’s become a bit of an annual holiday now since me and my friends enjoyed it so much last year we had to return again!

Last year I took a day trip to Tarragona as I always think it’s important not to stay put in one place! So this time after a quick Google search I settled on Tortosa.

I hopped on the train from Salou which takes an hour and costs just 7 euros. Really easy to find your way around the transport system just make sure you check the train times as they are not very frequent! Only a few services a day.

The weather was not good at all in Salou when we got here so since sunbathing and relaxing wasn’t an option I chose this day to go on an adventure and try see a bit more of Spain.

When I got off the train 1 hour south, the weather wasn’t any better… I’m sure Tortosa would have looked a lot more stunning in this photograph if there were blue sky’s!

I wandered around the place with just a general direction in mind of where I knew I wanted to head. I’d read there was a castle, a cathedral and some gardens here but probably not much more. Nevertheless I always love to wander around new places and make my own mind up before judging somewhere based on others opinions.

So I followed my instincts and headed uphill in hope to stumble across some things. At first I reached the cathedral. Unfortunately it was closed at the time I got here but I’d not planned to enter anyway so wasn’t too fussed. It wasn’t anything special to look at but here is a photo I took of it below. I think the weather makes it look pretty cool.

I then headed further uphill for a wander and soon found myself with no clue where I was going and surrounded by a whole lot of silence and not a single person. It was actually quite creepy as there were a lot of smashed up buildings overgrown with plants. At one point I came across a dog perched upon part of someone’s property. There was nothing stopping the dog from getting to me and I must admit when it started barking… I was absolutely terrified!

You can catch a glimpse of the dog in this photo that I took before I realised he was there!

A few more steps and it became apparent that I was actually walking a less beaten track up to the castle. I stumbled upon the back entrance and much to my relief… My safety.

Tortosa Castle despite me knowing nothing about the place, it made my trip to Tortosa completely worth it.

The weather was bad, I’m sure you can tell from the photographs and therefore I wasn’t in the best of moods. I was walking alone around a town that seemed to be completely deserted with no shops open, no restaurants and I was about to be eaten by a dog…

But when I came across this castle and began the brief climb to the top, as soon as I caught a glimpse of the view it all felt worthwhile.

I was thankful even just to see some blue sky once I reached the top! The first I’d seen since arriving in Spain.

The mountains in the distance were beautiful and the fact I was looking out from a castle just added to the experience!

It didn’t feel like a steep climb to get to the top and there was no real grand entrance or entry fee. There were no people around at all and the place was secluded. Very strange for such a perfect photo opportunity I felt.

In the photograph above you can see the top of the cathedral too.

A little wander around the castle and I found Parador de Tortosa which appears to be a hotel within the castle! Pretty cool and the fact it was quiet means it must be a peaceful place to stay that’s for sure.

Besides the view from the castle I didn’t see anything else that would make me recommend visiting Tortosa. I enjoyed my day trip and getting out of Salou and the view from the castle was well worth the trip in itself! Around the rest of the town I didn’t see much of anything else. I did visit mid May though so perhaps it was out of season..

Either way If you’re stuck for where to go during your visit to the area then why not stop by and make your own mind up?