Portray of the Destination
Reus is the capital city of the area of Baix Camp. Its fertile land is dedicated to the cultivation of vineyard, olive and hazelnut. Hazelnut is important in the local economy, not only unprocessed but also transformed into a delicious eau-de-vie. Poultry farming and industry are the most important resources within the economy of the area.
The Plaza Prim is the centre of the town. The Plaza de la Llibertat (former Plaza de los Mártires) was rebuilt in 2003 but it is not as important as the other one. The oldest part of the city is located among the quarters of Robuster, Sant Pere, Jesús and Santa Ana, this area is known as "Tomb de Ravals". The modern city is located inside the city boundary of Riera Miró, Avinguda Sant Jordi, Carrer Dr. Robert, Passeig Mata, Passeig Sunyer, Plaça les Oques, Passeig Prim, Plaça Pastoreta, Avinguda La Salle, Avinguda Pere el Cerimoniós and Riera Aragó. The Town Hall is situated in Plaza del Mercadal. The police office is in Calle Dr Robert, next to Plaza Llibertat. The city court, next to the Carrefour shopping centre, where there is also a hotel and several offices. The local police is in Avenida Maria Fortuny, next to Reus Ploms swimming club. There are several parking lots in: Plaza de Les Oques, Plaza Llibertat, Plaza Prim, Plaza Pastoreta and Plaza del Baluard. A great building for exhibitions called Expro Reus is located in Sant Jordi park.
Reus, is an important city that offers its citizens a wide range of services for a comfortable quality life. The urban development is in constant expansion, and the number of inhabitants is increasing. After Tarragona, Reus is the most populated city in the province. The city commercial power offer its inhabitants a comfortable life style.
We would like to thank the "Patronato de Turismo y Comercio" of Reus for pictures provided.
Visit
www.reus.net/turime/
Geography
The city is located in the region of Catalonia, and it is bordered by France in the north, Aragon in the west, Valencia in the south, and the Mediterranean Sea in the east. Due to its large extension (31,930 km2 – 12,328 sq. miles), it is the 17th autonomous region in Spain.
The great diversity of geographical landscapes due to the difference in the relief and the climate make up the characteristic mosaic of the region of Catalonia. There is no river in Reus. The main ravines are: Abeurada, Cinc Ponts, Roquís, la Boella, Escorial and Pedret and Rieres de la Cuadra, la Selva, Maspujols and Pi del Burgar. Three different reliefs are distinguished (Pyrenees, Depresión Central and Sistema Mediterráneo mountains).
Along the seaboard (5115 km – 3178 miles) plains and cliffs coexist (Costa Brava, Costas de Garraf). Following the coastline, the two main coastal Catalonian mountain ranges rise: the littoral and the ‘pre-littoral’. Between the littoral mountains ranges and the Pyrenean the fertile plains that give place to the excellent agricultural region stretch.
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean. The polar front is the main action centre, which discharges its humid air mass and the anticyclone of the Azores that predominates in summer. Winter is a season of scarce precipitations in Catalonia. During the Autumn the Liguria Sea storm increases the cold front phenomenon. The climate is conditioned by the distant to the Atlantic Ocean. The most rainy season is spring. From the coast to the interior of Catalonia and the foothills of the Pre-Pyrenean mountain ranges, temperatures oscillate between 12ºC (54ºF) and 16ºC (60ºF), despite the coastal Catalonian mountain ranges. The temperature oscillation is a little bit larger in the interior lands.
When to go
Reus is a beautiful city to be experienced all the year. But the recommended seasons to be visited are the autumn and the spring, when extreme temperatures are not registered.
History
The origin of the city of Reus comes from the medieval times, more precisely the 12th century. However it is in the 18th century when the city population increased strongly, and became the second Catalonian city in importance, due to its eau-de-vie trade. The famous phrase, ‘Reus, Paris and London’, is a testimony of that golden age.
During the 19th and 20th century, great modernist buildings were erected in the area that turned Reus into a city with a remarkable legacy. The heraldic symbol of the city is the red rose since the 14th century. With this rose the town welcomes visitors to a capital city of 100,000 inhabitants. The surroundings of Reus also offer a marvelous beach like Regueral de Cambrils, the beautiful houses and gardens of Vilafortuny, the dam of Riudecanye, Vandellós, Prades with its beautiful mountains and village or the stunning Parque Samà, Montbrió, and Platja Miami.
Reus is a city which is constantly growing and for several years, it has been promoting its own monuments and modernist buildings, like its central area and its stores. The city is doing a great work of modernization of its houses and infrastructure, maybe the last one is the central library Xavier Amorós, located in the old slaughterhouse of the city.
The origin name of Reus is not clear. Some people say that it is a derivation of the Latin word used to designate prisoners. Nowadays, the Celtic origin is the most accepted thesis, the word ‘red’ originated the name ‘redis’ (or reddis), and it would mean a “crossroads” something that it is still considered today.
Joan Prim is one of the most distinguished figures of Reus: he was born the 16th of December of 1814 and died on the 30th of December of 1870. He was President of the Cabinet of Ministers since 1869. His grandfather was a notary public and his father, Pablo Prim, was lieutenant colonel, inheriting the notary when he gave up his military position. Alejandro Garcia was his teacher at school.
When he was 19, he joined up the ‘Tiradores de Isabel II’ (Volunteers of Isabella II) an army group of volunteers that complemented the troops named after its first leader, a Valencian called Miquelot. The Miqueletes army was dissolved after the peace agreement in Rysswick but in Catalonia the mountain fusilier and the improvised troops in war times conserved this name. General Prim enrolled this troop and, during the Carlist uprising he showed great courage.
Antonio Gaudí was another distinguished figure in the city. There is no certain evidence of his birthplace. It could be in Reus, capital city of the area Baix Camp, in the Tarragona province or in Riudoms, a small village next to Reus. The name appearing in his baptism certificate in1852 is Antón Plácido Guillermo Gaudí i Cornet. He studied in the High Technical school of Architecture in Barcelona, where he graduated in 1878. During his studies he used to work with renown builders and when he finished his university studies, he opened his own office where his famous works were projected.
Traditions
The major festivity in Reus is Sant Pere feast (St. Peter), 29 June. The 25 of September is also important, it celebrates the festivity of Mare de Déu de la Misericòrdia. Carnival and “Festa de l’Anada a l’antiga a Salou” are also important events. Several quarters have their own feasts. Besides in May they celebrate the “Feria Nacional de las Rosas” (National Festivity of the Roses). Due to the importance of agriculture, Reus has their own fair, consisting in the exhibition of agricultural machinery and industrial machinery in July. At the end of October it celebrates the great fair ‘Expo-Reus’, and every week on the Plaza Prim, there is a market where almost everything you can imagine is sold, from handicrafts to clothes and also local produce.
Gastronomy
The Catalonian cuisine is essentially Mediterranean. The proximity to the sea also provides the city with fishes. Besides, ‘menjar blanc’ is the typical dish in Reus, which is like a cream with raw almonds and vanilla, sugar, milk and cinnamon. Three main products are produced in the area, hazelnut, wine and the extra virgin olive oil.
Basic Dictionary
YES: si. NO: no. HELLO: hola. GOOD BYE: adios. GOOD MORNING: buenos días. GOOD AFTERNOON: buenas tardes. GOOD NIGHT: buenas noches. PLEASE: por favor. SORRY: lo siento. THANK YOU: gracias. DOCTOR: médico. PHARMACY: farmacia. NUMBERS: 1: un. 2: dos. 3: tres. 4: cuatro. 5: cinco. 6: seis. 7: siete. 8: ocho. 9: nueve. 10: diez. 11: once. 12: doce. 13: trece. 14: catorce. 15: quince. 16: dieciséis. 17: diecisiete. 18: dieciocho. 19: diecinueve. 20: veinte. 21: veintiuno. 22: veintidós. 30: treinta. 40: cuarenta. 50: cincuenta. 60: sesenta. 70: setenta. 80: ochenta. 90: noventa. 100: cien. 1000: mil. DAYS OF THE WEEK: MONDAY: lunes. TUESDAY: martes. WEDNESDAY: miércoles. THURSDAY: jueves. FRIDAY: viernes. SATURDAY: sábado. SUNDAY: domingo. COMMON WORDS: BIG/SMALL: grande/pequeño. HOT/COLD: caliente/frío. OPEN/CLOSED: abierto/cerrado. GOOD/BAD: bueno/malo. NEW/OLD: nuevo/viejo. PUSH/PULL: empujar/tirar. ENTRANCE/EXIT: entrada/salida. LADIES/GENTLEMEN: señoras/señores. FAR/NEAR: lejos/cerca. LEFT/RIGHT: izquierda/derecha. TAXI: taxi. BUS: autobús. MEALS: BREAKFAST: desayuno. LUNCH: comida. DINNER: cena. MENU: menú. WINES: vinos. DESSERT: postre. THE BILL: la cuenta. COMMON SENTENCES: DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?: ¿Habla inglés?. I DON'T UNDERSTAND: no entiendo. WHERE IS IT?: ¿donde está? HOW MUCH IS IT: ¿Cuánto es? WHAT TIME IS IT: ¿Qué hora es? COULD YOU HELP ME: ¿Puede ayudarme?
Currency
The oficial currency is the Euro. It is divided into 100 cents. There are 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 euro banknotes. There are also 1 and 2 euro coins, together with 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent coins.
Currency Exchange
1 EUR (Euro) = 1.20 U$D (United States Dollar), 1 EUR (Euro) = 0.66 GBP (Pound Sterling)
Prices
In comparison with other European Union countries, and perhaps due to its high tourist vocation, Spain is one of the cheapest countries. Obviously, prices vary depending on the season being higher during the summer and lower in the winter.
Useful Info
Official nameReus
CountrySpain
Time ZoneGMT +1
Official LanguageSpanish
Surface area52.71 km²
Population100,000 inhabitants
Political RegimeConstitutional Monarchy
Public holidays
January 1: New Year's Day;
January 6: Epiphany;
March 19: St Joseph;
May 1: Labor Day; August 15: Virgin assumption;
October 12: National Day;
November 1: All Saints' Day;
November 6: Constitution Day;
December 8: Immaculate Conception;
December 25: Christmas Day.
Religion
Reus is mainly catholic, and this is reflected even on the city calendar.
Religion90% Catholics
Arrival / Departure
Reus is well connected to its adjacent territories by its regional and local road network and motorways There is also a railway and a great airport which holds a large number of domestic and internationals flights mainly in summer, because of its great attraction for tourists.
Safety
Taking into account the importance that tourism has in Spain, the security of the tourists is a true priority for the country. However, some general recommendations are given to visitors like carrying the required money when going out and not the total amount taken for the holidays, also precautions need to be taken in busy places to prevent possible thefts.
Visa
The European Union tourists do not need visa to enter Spain. Neither those citizens of the United States, Argentina, Mexico nor the rest of the Latin American countries. However a return ticket must be bought. Travelers from Australia, Anguilla, Bermuda, Canada, Cyprus, South Korea, Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Israel, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Saint Helena, Singapore and Turk & Caicos do not need visa either provided that they do not stay more than 90 days in Spain.
Clothing
Clothing depends on the season. Spanish people love to wear comfortable and informal clothes. It is advisable to wear comfortable and thin clothes in summer and warm clothes in winter.
Electricity
220 volts, 50 mhz. Sockets takes two round plugs.
Radio and Television
The most popular TV channels are: TVE1, TVE2, Antena 3, Tele 5 and Cuatro. There is also a provincial TV channel with these local channels: T.V. ALCANAR, www.tevalcanar.com; Televida; Channel Reus TV.
With regard to Radio: RNE, Cadena SER, Cadena 100, Radio Clásica, Cadena COPE, Onda Cero, 40 Principales.
Telephone
The Spanish phone code is 34 and the Reus code is 977. To make a phone call to another country you must first dial 00 and then the international code of the country you would like to call to and finally dial the subscriber phone number. For phone calls within Spain a special code is not required.
The most important phone operators are Amena – www.amena.com-, Movistar/Telefónica Móviles -www.movistar.tsm.es- and Vodafone-www.vodafone.es-.
Telephone booths are very common along the streets and they work with coins or phone cards. There are also the called locutorios, they are establishments with many phone booths, where coins or cards are not needed, just pay in cash the phone call after the conversation. In many of this kind of places it is also possible to send and receive faxes and there are computers with internet connection as well.
Police092
Ambulance061
Fire Brigade977770080
Tourist health care services112
Newspapers and Magazines
Apart from national newspapers like Abc, El Mundo, El País, La Razón y La Vanguardia, Reus counts on the Diario de Tarragona
(www.diaridetarragona.com). And the following magazines: “Época”, “Semana”, “Interviú”, “Primera Línea” and “Tiempo de Hoy”.
Postal Service
The Spanish postal service is efficient. Letters within Europe usually take 3 to 5 days. A special delivery costs a minimum of 2.5 euros. Schedules: from 8:30 to 20:30 on weekdays, Saturdays from 8:30 to 13:00.
www.correos.es Fedex and UPS courier services are also available. The Post offices are located on:
PZ. LLIBERTAT, 12, teléfono: +34 977314662
PZ. ESTACIO, 1, teléfono: +34 977319790
Health Care Services
The Spanish health care services are good and visitors can receive a quality service and also a large network of health care centres is available where to receive primary attention and specialized services, Precautions must be taken due to the harshness of the sun. The health care centres in Reus are:
CENTRO MÉDICO QUIRÚRGICO REUS, S.A. Gaudí, 26.
INSTITUTO PEDRO MATA, S.A. Carretera del Instituto Pedro Mata, s/n.
CENTRO SOCIOSANITARIO CIUDAD DE REUS Camino de Tarragona, 10.
HOSPITAL UNIVERSITARIO SAN JUAN DE REUS San Juan, s/n.
SANATORIO VILLABLANCA, S.A. Bellisens "Mas Plana".
Airport
The airport is located at the outskirts, with flights to Madrid and some others European cities. The airport is situated 3 km (1.9 miles) away from Reus and 13 Km (8 miles) to Tarragona. It is possible to get there by road, as it counts on a direct access to the national road T-11. The average time to get to the airport, is between five and fifteen minutes from Reus and between ten and twenty five minutes from Tarragona, it depends on the traffic and season. It is also possible to get there by bus, the number 50 one, Aeropuerto-Reus line, that covers the journey between the airport and the bus station. Among other sites, it stops at the train station of Renfe. Address: Autovía de Tarragona, telephone number: +34 977 77 98 32
Public Transport
The city counts on a service of urban public transport, the company name is Reus Transport Públic, SA. The fare is €1 and there are departures every 10 minutes. It is well connected with the rest of Spain by road, train and airport. Taxis are also available at the following locations:
Cooperativa de Taxis de Reus C. Lepant, 20, teléfono: +34 977 31 24 04
Agrupació Ràdio-Taxis C. Lloveres, 3, teléfono: +34 977 34 50 50
Railway
Renfe regional train network gives service to travelers by railway along the autonomous region of Catalonia and connects Catalonia with the autonomous regions of Aragon and Valencia. Reus train station is situated in: Plaça de l’Estació, Telephone Number: +34 977 31 09 88. Information: +34 902 24 02 02.
Bus
The city is well connected to the rest of Spain through its bus services. Some of the bus companies are:
Autocars Plana, Telephone Number: +34 977 21 44 75
La Hispano Igualadina, Telephone Number: +34 977 77 06 98
La Hispania, Telephone Number: +34 977 75 41 47.
Reus bus station is situated in Calle Joan Miró s/n, Telephone Number: +34 977 75 14 80. Buses (Hipano Igualadina) depart from the Tarragona bus station every 15 minutes approximately. (Telephone Number: +34 977 770698). The journey takes 15 minutes.
Car
It is possible to reach the town by car through the national roads like: N-340 and N-420, regional roads like: C-240 and C-242 and domestic roads like: motorway A-7.
Car Rentals
The following Car Rental offices can be found in the city of Reus:
ATESA Av. Marià Fortuny, 89 43203, tel. +34 977340981
AUTOCARAVANAS SAM C/ General Moragues, 86 43203, Tel. +34 977318824
Ship
It is not possible to reach the city by ship due to its geographical situation.
Destination Tourism Office in Spain See climate
www.worldweather.orgCurrency converter www.xe.com/uccA dinnerBetween 12 and 30 Euros
A coffee1 Euro
The Bus1 Euro
The taxiInitial fare: 1.10 euros (standard). 1.44 euros (night fare) and 1.65 euros (public holidays)
