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Parc Sama just outside Cambrils in Catalonia, Spain is a really lovely place to while away 2-3 hours with or without kids.

If you think of a National Trust type of place with a large country house and winding gardens then you won’t go far wrong. I mean Parc Sama is very Spanish and not at all built in the English country house / National Trust style but you’ll hopefully understand what I mean.

Where is Parc Sama?

Parc Sama is just outside Cambrils in Costa Dauarda or Costa Dorada as us Brits continue to call it. It’s about 20 minutes from Salou and around an hour south of Barcelona.

Although it’s only 20 minutes from the beaches of the Costa Dorada it really does feel like a million miles away and on a lovely Autumn day with the weather in the early 20’s it was a really great place for a wander when lying on the beach wouldn’t really have been an option.

How to get to Parc Sama

Realistically most people will need to drive to Parc Sama ( although several local hotels do offer shuttle service to the gardens) but there is a large free car park at the front. Grab a spot under the shaded trees if you can.

How much does it cost to get into Parc Sama?

It’s €10 for adults, €6 for kids 7-16 and it’s free for under 7’s. There are group discounts available.

History behind Parc Sama

Salvador Samà i Martí, first Marquis de Marianao, was Councillor in Habana and Senator for the Kingdom in Cuba. His successor Salvador Samà i Torrents built Parc Sama in 1881 as his families summer residence to showcase the families Cuban explorations.

Parc Sama was conceived as a romantic garden by Josep Fontserè and his disciple Antoni Gaudí – and you can see the Gaudi style in the bridges and caves particularly around the lake.

Parc Sama today

After falling out of use for many years, Parc Sama is once again being brought back to life, with the Spanish equivalent to our National Trust spending some money on the place.

Once the families personal zoo, there are deer towards the back of the park, tortoise and lots of birds.

Whilst some part of the park feel a little old fashioned.; the birds need a bit more space than they have, and the playground could do with some love too, but we all loved the lake and the caves and we spent quite some time imagining living in the colonial past and swimming in the lake on hot sunny days.

We also loved just meandering around the pathways, chatting and playing games.

What did the kids like about Parc Sama?

A simple idea, but the kids loved being able to buy corn (just one euro) for the animals from the shop on the way in. You buy a full sheaf of corn and then hand turn the sheaf into kernels – they then fed this to the ducks, peacocks and deer.

The kids also loved the tower with views over the gardens and the bridge over the lake. We also played games in the caves towards the back of the park and spent some time chatting to the parrots.

In the summer there is a Maize Maze which they would have enjoyed but visiting in Autumn means it’s been cut down for the year.

Parc Samà is open year round, generally from mid-morning to sundown but check times on their website before visiting, which we recommend that you do. Depending on which country you are visiting from, you may need a Schengen visa or an ETIAS visa waiver. Be sure to check the requirements in advance.