Reus, Spain – Europe Around

According to citypopulationreview, the Spanish city of Reus is the capital of the Baix Camp region in Catalonia. This charming town attracts tourists not only with its great shopping opportunities, but also with its rich cultural heritage: it is one of the main centers of Catalan modernist architecture, the birthplace of the architect Antonio Gaudí, the artist Maria Fortuny and General Prima. Reus also produces the famous vermouth.

3 things to do in Reus:

Get to know the life and work of Gaudí better in the museum dedicated to him.
Walk along the Moderne Walking Route.
Buy a bottle of fragrant vermouth.

How to get to Reus

Reus has its own airport that accepts charter flights and budget airlines. In the summer season, Russian Pobeda and Royal Flight fly here from Moscow. You can fly to Reus at any time with 2-3 transfers.

The city is easy to get to from Barcelona, where regular flights arrive daily, and in the summer season – charters from Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and other Russian cities. Buses can take you from Barcelona to Reus in 2.5 hours, trains will take you 1.5. From Valencia Airport located 255 km to Reus 5-6 hours drive with transfers by train or bus. From the resorts of the Costa Dorada, you can get to Reus by bus or commuter train in just 15-30 minutes.

Weather in Reus

The average daily temperature in summer in Reus is +25 °C, in winter it rarely drops below +15 °C. The water temperature is +21…+23 °C almost all year round.

Entertainment and attractions in Reus

In Reus you can see the buildings of the best Spanish architects of the 19th and 20th centuries. – primarily on the streets of Paseo de Brianco, Paseo de la Misericordia, Gaudi, Jesus Llovera. In general, Reus can be called a mecca for those who love the style of modernism in architecture. For a more detailed acquaintance with the city, you can join a sightseeing tour of the Route of Modernism in Reus (La Ruta del Modernismo) and see the best examples of Catalan Art Nouveau.

Architecture

The Modernist route is not the only way to see the city’s most interesting buildings. During an independent walk around Reus, pay attention to the Navas mansion (Casa Navas) on Mercadal Square (address: Reus, Placa del Mercadal, 5). It was built at the very beginning of the 20th century, since then the building has not been rebuilt and has remained almost the same as it was a hundred years ago – only one tower is missing, destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Today this building is considered one of the finest examples of modernism in Europe. Thanks to the care of the owners of the mansion, the interiors have been preserved almost in their original form: tiles, mosaics and stained-glass windows – the best examples of Catalan art are collected here. The furniture designed by Gaspar Omar is very interesting.

The Renaissance Temple of Mercy, built in honor of the Virgin Mary in the 17th century, is located on the outskirts of the city. Its location is not accidental: it was founded in the place where the Mother of God appeared to pastor Isabel Besora. Its walls were painted by José Franquet, Joaquim Juncosa and Juan Juncosa. The chapel was restored by the young Antoni Gaudi, exceptionally bold for his era.

Saint Peter’s Monastery is one of the 17th century ecclesiastical parishes of Reus.

Gaudí in Reus

Antonio Gaudi is the most famous native of Reus, and of course there are many places that are associated with his life and work. The name of the famous architect has become a tourist brand of the city. In addition to the Route of Modernism in Reus, they developed the Gaudi Route, which includes: Antonio’s home on San Vincente Street, a sculpture of Gaudi as a child, the Church of St. Peter, where he was baptized and the school where he studied, as well as the Temple of Mercy – he become one of the works of Gaudi, if his project for the reconstruction of the facade was approved by the authorities. You can get a route map from the Reus Tourist Office, which is located in the Gaudí Museum.

Mercadal Square is home to the new interactive Gaudí Museum, dedicated to his life and work in Reus, the features of his work and Gaudí’s role in the history of world architecture. It opened quite recently, in 2007, but managed to become one of the most attractive sights of Reus – on a par with boutiques. Here you can see models of Gaudi’s most famous creations (Sagrada Familia Cathedral, individual residential buildings in Barcelona) and an interactive map of “his” buildings in Barcelona; touch almost all the exhibits, watch a documentary about the life of an architect, sitting on mushroom chairs.

Ironically, there is not a single building in Reus itself designed by the great architect.

Fountains of Reus

In addition to architectural monuments, Reus is famous for its fountains. The most famous of them are the fountain of Neptune in Victor Square (1789), the fountain of Hercules in the square of the same name (1857), the fountain in Plaza de la Sang (1779), as well as the modern fountains of Niño de las Ocas (in the square Plaza de las Ocas), Triptolem (Plaza Juan Rebulla) and the fountain in Plaza del Canal. Hiking trails also lead to the fountains in the sculptures of Pastoret (in the square of the same name) and Maria Fortuny (Plaza de la Libertad). Other sculptures without fountains are Primus (General Prima Square) and Condesito (Maria Fortuny Square, next to the La Caixa building).