Salou (Catalan pronunciation: [səˈlɔw]) is a municipality of the comarca of Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain.

Founded by the Greeks in the 6th century B.C., the coastal town was a notable commercial port during medieval and modern ages.

Aside from its string of beaches interrupted by rocky coves, and its landscaped promenade, one of its main attractions is the PortAventura World resort.

Used as a port by Greeks (who named it Salanrio) and Romans (who named it after Salauris), it appeared again in an important historic event, when in 1229 the fleet of James I of Aragon departed from the port of Salou to conquer the Balearic Islands, thus creating the Kingdom of Majorca.

In 1286 Alfons III of Aragon also departed from this port to conquer Menorca, the last Moorish territory of the Balearic Islands.

After that it was considered an unsafe place, so in 1530 Archbishop of Tarragona decided to erect a new defence tower, now called Torre Vella.

In 1865 the railway station began to operate, opening a new development time, that led one hundred years later to a tourist boom that has brought prosperity to the town.

Salou was separated from the adjacent municipality of Vila-seca on 30 October 1989 by a decision of the Supreme Court of Spain.

Saloufest is the University sports festival which takes place on two separate occasions in April on an annual basis.

In the future, the local government is expected to position Salou as a sport tourism destination and therefore will promote different projects that include first class facilities to provide the city with the necessary resources to become a tourist destination that attracts visitors of reference[clarification needed], especially in low season.

Some regional trains now terminate at the station Salou - Port Aventura to the north east of the city centre, which opened in 1996 soon after the inauguration of PortAventura.