Get pupils' hearts beating with a school trip to Spain's PortAventura

If you're planning on taking your pupils on a school tour to Spain, you might want to choose the Costa Brava for sun, sea, sand and the world-famous theme park of PortAventura.

Your students might have done you proud in their recent exams and you're thinking of a school trip to Spain that they'll really enjoy as a treat. Or you might be considering taking the youngsters on an educational tour of the country that finishes with a large dose of fun, in which case a visit to PortAventura is a must.

Whatever your reasons for taking a trip to the theme park, you're sure to find it a splendid day out for the students, and even for yourself.

Set along the Golden Coast of Salou, Tarragona, in Catalonia, the park is around an hour's drive from Barcelona and is within easy reach of two airports, making it a great attraction to visit before the journey home.

If your students have had a school trip to Spain full of history and learning, the park could be a great diversion to split up days of education and provide a welcome release before the next stint of lessons.

Inside the attraction you'll find all manner of spine-tingling rides as well as restaurants and shows to take in. Split into five lands - Mediterrania, Far West, Mexico, China and Polynesia - you could find that your pupils pick up some facts while enjoying their time at the park.

Mediterrania reproduces a typical Catalonian town on the coast, while the Far West has a Wild West theme. Mexico has been recreated in the Mayan era and China features authentic-looking sculptures of dragons. The Polynesia section is home to some of the most interesting rides, such as a cinema recreated to take viewers on a submarine tour of the ocean's depths.

Throughout the park you'll find exhilarating rides such as the Furious Baco, which boasts the quickest rollercoaster acceleration in the world, and the Dragon Khan with its record-breaking number of loops.

If heart-stopping rides aren't your thing, you might prefer to take in some of the shows offered by the park. Marvel at the acrobatic skill of the China Town dancers and the tricks carried out by the birds of Paradise, or watch a group of Wild West outlaws take a hostage only to be defeated by a group of soldiers.

A trip to PortAventura is just the ticket for a memorable day out sure to get your students' hearts pumping.