Magic show or PortAventura night?

The two nights side by side

Salou has two big family evenings, and they could hardly be more different. One is a magic and illusion dinner show in an intimate theatre by the port. The other is the night ticket for PortAventura Park, the theme park a short way up the coast. The first is a seated programme of close-up magic and grand illusions with selected drinks throughout. The second is an evening among rides and shows. Which is better turns on what your group wants from the night, and the table above puts the main differences next to each other. Both are dated tickets, and both sit within a short trip of each other on the Costa Daurada, so the choice is about taste and energy more than distance.

• Magic show: sit, laugh, watch, drink
• PortAventura night: queue, ride, walk
• Both: dated tickets, so check the calendar

What the magic show is

The magic show plays in a small theatre at the port, on Calle Espigó del Moll. A host welcomes you and walks you to your seat. Close-up magic comes before the main show, which then runs through grand illusions, sleight of hand, escapology, comedy and audience interaction. Selected drinks are included throughout: wine, sangria, beer and soft drinks. Dinner is part of the early show with some ticket types, while the late show is drinks only. An evening lasts up to three hours, and the booking lists it as wheelchair accessible. There is no queue for a ride and no map to learn: you arrive, you are seated, and the evening comes to you.

Read next: Salou magic dinner show: worth it?

What a PortAventura night ticket is

PortAventura Park is, in Wikipedia's words, an entertainment resort in Salou and Vila-seca, built around the PortAventura Park theme park and now including Ferrari Land and the Caribe Aquatic Park. Wikipedia calls PortAventura Park the most visited theme park in Spain. The night ticket is a separate product from the day ticket: it admits you to the park for the evening and, like any dated ticket, it is sold only for certain dates, which the booking calendar shows. Check what the ticket includes on its booking page before you choose it, because inclusions, entry details and dates are set by the park and its booking page, not by this guide.

Ages and who goes

The magic show is billed as a family show, so one table can hold a grandparent, a teenager and a seven-year-old without anyone feeling out of place. Very young children are a judgement call, and the booking page gives the package details. A theme park splits a group by height and nerve: rides carry their own height requirements, which PortAventura publishes, and it is common for part of a family to queue for a coaster while the rest wait. The first night suits mixed ages sitting together; the second suits teenagers and ride fans who want the park. If your group splits that way, the sensible plan is two evenings and not one compromise.

Food and drink

At the magic show, selected drinks are part of the ticket throughout the show, and dinner arrives only on the early show with some ticket types. Dietary needs are given when you book. At the park, food is bought inside, in restaurants the park lists on its own website, and what the night ticket includes is set out on its booking page. If you want to sit down to a meal and a drink without watching a queue, the early show with dinner is the simpler plan. If you want a street-food style evening and are happy to eat on your feet, the park is the flexible one.

How each evening ends

The magic show ends in a theatre beside the port, a short way from the Passeig Jaume I, and the lit promenade is the natural way back along the coast. A park night ends with the crowd leaving the gates together. Wikipedia says the resort is served by a railway station, PortAventura, on the coastal line, and that Salou has taxi ranks, among them one opposite the Font Lluminosa. Transport is not included in either ticket, so settle the way back before you go, and check current bus and rail times on the operators' own pages.

Weather and season

The theatre show is indoors, so a hot afternoon, a breezy sea front or a rare wet evening does not change it. A park is largely outdoors. Wikipedia says Salou has a Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot summers, the rainiest season in autumn and above 2,500 hours of sunshine a year. Both evenings are dated products, and neither is a year-round promise: the magic show runs on set dates, and the night ticket is sold for set dates too. Check the booking calendar for the week you will be there before planning anything around either. Wikipedia's figure for sunshine is a yearly average, so it tells you the coast is bright, not that any given evening will be dry.

Pace, tiredness and bedtimes

A seated show asks little of the body. After a day on the beach or in the park, that matters. The magic show gives you a roof, a chair, a drink and about three hours of entertainment that comes to you. A park evening asks for walking, queues and standing, and it suits a group with energy left. Wikipedia lists five themed areas, so there is a lot of ground to cover. There is no wrong answer, but there is a sensible order: if the family spends a full day at PortAventura, put the magic show on a quieter day, and if the holiday has a beach day to spare, the park night is easier to enjoy then.

Using both in one week

The two evenings do not fight over the same hours. A family with a week in Salou can spend a day at PortAventura or its night opening, and use a different evening for the magic show. The park also sells a one, two or three day ticket that covers PortAventura Park and Ferrari Land, a separate product from the night ticket. The booking page for each shows its own dates. The easiest plan is to pin down the magic show date first, since a seated theatre show with set dates leaves less room for choice, and then fit the park around it.

Who this isn't for

The magic show is not for anyone who wants rides, an outdoor evening, or a show on a date the calendar does not offer. A PortAventura night is not for anyone who wants to sit down for three hours with a drink, who dislikes queues, or whose group includes people who cannot manage a long evening on their feet. Neither is a tour: transport to the theatre and to the park is your own affair, and the Salou Tourist Board and the park's own pages are the places to check current getting-around details.

How to decide in one minute

Three questions settle it. First, does everyone want to sit? If so, the magic show. Second, does anyone want rides after dark? If so, the park night. Third, which dates are open? The booking calendar answers that for both. If the answers conflict, give each evening a night of its own. The magic show is the simpler of the two to organise, because the seat, the drinks and for some tickets the dinner are in one booking, and arrival is about half an hour before the show. Whichever night you pick, put the booking calendar first and the plan second, and remember that the magic show can be cancelled free a day ahead.

Read next: Early or late magic show in Salou?