The best things to see and do in the Ebro Delta (Tarragona) in 1 or 2 days

El Delta of the Ebro is undoubtedly one of the most interesting places to visit to make nature activities in Catalonia.

It is located in the Terres de l'Ebre (Biosphere Reserve since 2013), a territory that covers the four southernmost regions of the Tarragona province.

Surely you know that the Delta of the Ebro is a natural area formed at the mouth of the Ebro river, the largest in Spain, the result of sediment drag, and now, after the health crisis that we are overcoming, it becomes an ideal destination for some nature holidays.

This wetland of about 320 hectares penetrates several kilometers into the Mediterranean Sea, and for its protection, in 1983 it was declared as Ebro Delta natural park, with an area of ​​just over 7.700 hectares.

El Delta of the Ebro has a great diversity of landscapes, such as lagoons, rice fields, beaches, dunes or riverside forest, and therefore, as we have highlighted, an ideal place to enjoy nature activities.

But above all, the area known as Alfacs Bay, where the town of Sant Carles de la Rapita.

What to see and do on the Ebro Delta tourism visit

Butwhat you can visit and do on your trip to Delta of the Ebro?

With the experience of a couple of trips that I have made in recent times through this territory of Terres de l'Ebre, south of the Tarragona province, I am going to suggest the best places to see y activities to do in the Ebro Delta.

Hiking and cycling through the Ebro Delta

El Delta of the Ebro is a great natural environment which has one of its best samples in the so-called Trabucator Bar, the sandy strip that separates the sea from the Alfacs Bay.

Without any buildings that disturb the landscape, it is an ideal place to enjoy the Hiking walking through the natural area that connects the delta with some salt flats.

On one side you will have a beach facing the Mediterranean Sea, and towards the other, the inner shore of the bay, of which you will be surprised by its almost zero depth, which in all cases does not exceed four meters.

But in the area you have other diverse possibilities to practice the Hiking, like the route that takes you from Marquesa beach to Far del Fangar, where you will walk through a long beach with large sandbanks and mobile dunes.

Another alternative is to practice cycle tourism, which is very easy since we are talking about a very flat area and easy to navigate.

In addition, you have various routes for cycle tourism in the Ebro Delta.

Visit the MónNatura Delta center

Una visit What you can do during your stay holidays in the Ebro Delta es visit MónNatura Delta, a center that allows you to understand the keys to this natural landscape.

Occupying the land of the old salt mines of The Tancada, riding a MónNatura Delta The environmental value of the area is highlighted during the visit of its different spaces, in which you will see what the traditional fishing technique is like and, in addition, you will be able to sail in your own punt.

In this same center you have a observatory that allows you to do the therapy. that frequent this natural area, and also learn to identify them.

Boat cruise through the Ebro Delta natural park

In your visit to the Ebro Delta a tourist activity what you can do is a cruise through the Ebro Delta natural park.

Leaving from the front of the buddha island, Every day throughout the year at 12,30:15,30 and XNUMX:XNUMX p.m., the cruise takes a tour down the river ebro next to the rice fields until reaching its mouth.

You can also make a cruise through Alfacs Bay (groups only) browsing between the mussel farms, with the option of a brief stop in one of them, where you can make a tasting of mussels and oysters from the Delta.

Tasting of mussels and oysters in a mussel farm

Maybe you don't know that the Delta of the Ebro It is a place where they are grown mussels and oysters.

You will have the opportunity to try them in Musclarium, restaurant located in one of the mussel shells, where you can go directly to eat on your own (they will take you to the restaurant on a small boat).

Or, as I mentioned previously, you can also do a tasting of the aforementioned mussels and oysters during the aforementioned cruise.

Another place in the area where you can also enjoy these tastings it is in the Fangar Bay in l'Ampolla.

• Here you have information about Badía viewpoint in l'Ampolla and other possible nature activities in l'Ampolla.

Other sea activities in the Ebro Delta

But the offer of activities With the sea as the protagonist, specifically, in the shallow waters of the bays in the area, it is very spacious.

Due to its characteristics, it is an area with calm waters and ideal for practice paddle surfing, kayaking and dinghy sailing, specifically in the aforementioned Alfacs bays and the Fangar.

You also have the possibility to kayak through the area of ​​the mouth of the Ebro river, both in the Delta of the Ebro, as since Amposta o Sant Jaume d'Enveja.

Visit the Lonja of the fishing port of Sant Carles de la Ràpita

If you like to see the traditional fishing ports, as is my case, in Sant Carles de la Rapita you find a port where an important inshore fishing fleet.

I have always liked it on trips visit fishing ports and see the great activity that develops in them.

Although since July 1, said port enters into biological ban until the end of August, if you visit at another time of the year, you will be able to see the movement of boats docking after fishing, the activity of buying and selling fish in the markets, or the preparation and care of the networks.

After the decline of the inshore fishing it's getting harder to find fishing ports that maintain their traditional atmosphere and the colorful fishing boats have been disappearing from the ports, being replaced by pleasure boats.

Now in Sant Carles de la Rapita during much of the year you can still walk through its fishing port just at the time when most of its fleet arrives with the catch ready to be auctioned.

It is one of the most important fishing ports in the Mediterranean, as it still houses a fleet of about a hundred units, including small craft vessels and large trawlers, compared to the 200 units it had a few decades ago.

La Lonja de Sant Carles de la Ràpita It opens its doors from Monday to Friday, at 15,30:XNUMX p.m., and begins to receive the catch from the small boats.

The trawlersFor their part, they have until 17,30:XNUMX p.m. to arrive at the port, so that their cargo can be received and auctioned.

Although this market was founded at the beginning of the last century by the Sant Carles fishermen's brotherhood, when you go to the port you will find a modern building in which since 2003 the traditional fish auction.

Prices are no longer chanted out loud, but between two stands there are two conveyor belts with all the fish and seafood that is going to be auctioned, which arrives in order of arrival of the boats.

Through large screens you will see the specific box of fish that is auctioned at each moment, as well as the prices, while wholesale companies, fishermen and restaurants bid downwards with an electronic system.

Currently, in the Lonja de Sant Carles de la Ràpita About 20 tons of fish and shellfish are being auctioned, the most popular species being galleys (a crustacean similar to prawns), prawns, hake, sea bream and rock octopus.

Although it is an activity in decline, you still have the opportunity to enjoy a good time watching the great activity that takes place every weekday in the afternoon in this fishing port.

Rice Festivals in the Ebro Delta

El rice cultivation It is one of the traditions that give personality to the Delta of the Ebro.

Although its production is now done mechanically, in said delta during the year various festivals are celebrated that try to keep this tradition of manual labor for planting and harvesting alive.

In my last travel to Terres de l'Ebre I was able to attend the party held on the first weekend of October organized for 25 years by the owner of the L´Estany restaurant.

On Sunday morning of this Ebro Delta Harvest FestivalAfter the arrival of the traditional harvesters' carts, the manual harvesting of the rice begins, all accompanied by traditional music and dances.

But as I have mentioned, there are several Rice festivals linked to its planting and harvesting that you can attend, which are celebrated in the months of June and September.

Here you can consult the updated information on the Rice Festivals in the Ebro Delta.

What to see and do around the Ebro Delta

For you tourism trip or stay holidays in the Ebro Delta you have others visits and excursions what you can do, which we want to highlight below.

Tortosa Cathedral

Yes in your vacation you want to visit a great monument near the Ebro Delta, that is undoubtedly the Tortosa cathedral.

On the banks of Ebro river and very close to the Delta you have the city ​​of Tortosa, which has a history of more than 2.000 years, and in which you can now see various vestiges of it, from its Zuda castle y walls, until his old Jewry from between the 12th and 15th centuries.

But from a heritage point of view, the most outstanding corner is its large cathedral.

On your walk through the historic center of Tortosa, in addition to the Renaissance cloisters of the Royal Colleges of Tortosa, above all you should visit the Cathedral of Santa María.

With a baroque façade from the 18th century, inside you will be surprised by its splendid architecture of Catalan Gothic style, and you can also visit its museum with a large exhibition of artistic works from Roman times.

Horta de Sant J0an and Picasso Center

An excursion that we recommend is visit Horta de Sant Joan, nice inland town from the region of the Terra Alta with a historic center with very interesting corners.

Located northwest of the Ebro Delta and 40 kilometers from Tortosa, is located next to the landscapes of Els Ports natural park.

In addition to walk through its Plaza Mayor and the narrow streets of its historic center, you have the opportunity to learn the curious story of the vacation that a young Picasso It happened in Horta de Sant Joan.

For this you must visit the Picasso Center, where through information panels, photos and reproductions of paintings, you will learn about the history of holiday visits which Picasso He made this historic town, the first in 1898 when he was only 16 years old.

Pinell de Brai Wine Cathedral

Know that Terres de l'Ebre It is also a territory with wine-growing areas, and in your tourism trip to the Ebro Delta you have the opportunity to see one of the most outstanding samples of those known as wine cathedrals.

This is the Pinell de Brai wine cathedral, modernist building for the cooperative winery of said town located 60 kilometers inland from the Delta of the Ebro.

The building was built between 1918 and 1927 by the architect Cesar Martinell, disciple of Gaudí, and it is very worth knowing it, taking advantage of a wine tourism visit to the cellar.