Tarragona

Tarragona is a city on the northeast coast of Spain, the chief city of Tarragona Province with a population of 143,000 in 2025. It's 100 km west of Barcelona and has a beach but its distinctive attraction is its Roman ruins listed on UNESCO World Heritage Site == Understand == There was next-to-nothing here until the Romans arrived in 128 BC, and fortified a rocky plateau overlooking the coast road. They created a port at the outflow of the River Francoli, itself non-navigable but a good supply of fresh water, and Tarraco grew into their principal city in Iberia, governing two-thirds of the peninsula. When they left it dwindled into obscurity until the Reconquista ousted the Moors from this region in the 11th century. The Roman walls and other structures were then rebuilt in case the Moors were ever resurgent. Those, and the Old Town encompassed by the walls, are the main reasons to visit. Tarragona Turisme is the tourist office, in front of the cathedral at Carrer Major 37. It's open M-Sa 10:00-14:00, 15:00-18:00, Su 10:00-14:00. == Get in == === By plane === 1 Reus Airport (REU IATA) is 9 km northwest of Tarragona. A bus runs to Tarragona bus station 3-5 times per day, else go to Reus town for the hourly train. Barcelona El Prat (BCN IATA) 90 km northeast has a far better range of domestic and international flights. Bus Plana runs to Tarragona every two hours, taking 80 min from Terminal 2 and 65 min from Terminal 1 via Barcelona city centre. Otherwise change in city centre for the regional train. === By train === 2 Tarragona Station has regional trains every 30 min from Barcelona Estació de França, Passeig de Gràcia and Sants, taking 1 hr 15 min. Alternate trains continue to Reus then fan out towards Salou, Caspe, Tortosa and Lleida. Barcelona Cercanías (commuter) trains don't come this far out. 3 Camp de Tarragona Station 9 km north of town is on the high speed railway. Trains from Barcelona Sants call here every hour or two on their way to Madrid Atocha, taking 3 hr 15 min via Lleida, Zaragoza, Catalayud and Guadalajara. One per day is direct to Valencia and Alicante. Some of them start from Figueres via Girona, and one a day is from Marseilles via Avignon, but for Barcelona and anywhere further north it's simpler to change at Barcelona Sants for the regional train. A bus takes 20 min between Camp de Tarragona Station and the centre. === By bus === Alsa buses from Barcelona run five times a day, taking 1 hr 15 min. 4 Central Bus Station is by Plaça de la Imperial Tàrraco, corner of Pere Martell and Av de Roma. It's modern but devoid of any platform displays or other information. === By road === Tarragona is on AP-7, the Autopista de la Mediterrània coastal motorway, with Barcelona 100 km northeast and Valencia 250 km south. AP-27 runs inland to join AP-2 towards Lleida and Zaragoza. == Get around == Many of Tarragona's sites are concentrated within or near the compact Old City. EMT operate 8 daytime city bus routes and 3 at night. A dozen taxi firms ply in the city. == See == A combi ticket is available for Passeig Arqueològic, Circ Roma, Colonial Forum, Amphitheatre and Casa Canals, for €15 in 2026. But the Forum is closed so you have to see all the other four to benefit. A total solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 Aug 2026, starting at 20:29 and lasting one minute. The chances of a clear sky are 65% but you need to find a spot with a clear view to the northwest horizon, where the sun will be setting. Maybe a nearby hilltop. 1 Balcó del Mediterrani is a plaza at the southeast end of Rambla. It's elevated so there are views of the sea and port, unimpeded by the road and railway tracks along the waterfront below. The statue is of Roger of Llúria (1235-1305) an Italian admiral in the service of Aragon, who defeated the French. The plaza continues east as Passeig de les Palmeres to the amphitheatre. Rambla Nova is the 3 km boulevard stretching northwest from Balcó del Mediterrani through Plaça de la Imperial Tarraco to the river. It has a broad tree-lined central pedestrian mall with traffic on either side. 2 Casa Castellarnau, Cavallers 14. Bling mansion built in the 15th century, with a mix of styles. Closed for renovation. (updated Apr 2026) 3 Catedral de Tarragona, Pla de la Seu, ☏ +34 977 226935. M-Sa 10:30-14:00, 16:00-18:00, Su 14:00-19:00. Roman Catholic cathedral with a mix of Romanesque and Gothic design built over the 12th-14th centuries. There are some 19 chapels, the best are of Corpus Christi and of Santa Tecla l'Antiga. The cloister has some excellent Romanesque stonework and has the Diocesan Museum. Adult €12.50, conc €8.50, child €5.50. (updated Apr 2026) Casc Antic is the medieval quarter, the grid of narrow streets around the cathedral. Church of Sant Llorenç 50 m east of the cathedral was built from the 12th century. It's only open for mass. 4 Casa Canals, Granada 11, ☏ +34 977 242858. Tu-Sa 09:00-20:30, Su 9:30-14:30. Mansion decorated in plush heavy 19th century style, to show off the Canals family wealth and to accommodate their guest King Carlos IV. Adult €5 or combi. (updated Apr 2026) Sant Magí is a little chapel hidden away in Portal del Carro at the north tip of Casc Antic: fishermen's boats hang beneath a canopy of stars. St Maginus was a 3rd/4th century Catalan hermit. Church of Natzaret is from the 12th century but much altered. It's on Plaça del Rei, 100 m south of the Modern Art Museum. Church of Santíssima Trinitat also on Plaça del Rei is 17th century. 5 Museo de Arte Moderno, Santa Anna 8, ☏ +34 977 235032. Tu-Sa 10:00-20:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Painting and sculpture from the 20th century, in a knock-through of 18th century houses. Free. (updated Apr 2026) Church of Sant Agustí is the last remnant of a Jesuit monastery, built from 1576. It's at Rambla Vella 12 near Circ Roma and only open for mass. Church of Sant Francesc d'Assís at Rambla Vella 28 was built in Baroque style 1704-58. It's open daily 11:00-13:00, 17:00-20:00. Church of Sant Joan Baptista is on Plaça General Prim just north of the Colonial Forum. Formerly a Capuchin monastery, it's almost as old as the cathedral but is rather plain. Eixample means extension, the city grid laid out in the 19th century northwest of Casc Antic along the spine of Rambla Nova. Church of Sant Antoni de Pàdua is at Rambla Nova 105. Castellers is the lofty monument on Rambla Nova at the crossroads with Pare Palau. It salutes the local sport of Human Towers, see below. CaixaForum is an art exhibition space off Rambla Nova at Cristòfor Colom 2. It doesn't have a permanent collection. 6 Museu del Port, Moll de la Costa, ☏ +34 977 259434. Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-19:00, Su 11:00-14:00. Exhibiting Tarragona's maritime past and present, including life on the docks, their fisheries and freight. Free. (updated Apr 2026) Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona (MNAT), Tinglado 4, Moll de Costa (opposite Port Museum), ☏ +34 977 251515. Tu-Sa 09:30-20:30, Su 10:00-14:00. Exhibiting the history of the Roman colony of Tarraco. This is a small temporary exhibition, the main museum on Plaça del Rei is closed for refurbishment with no word on its re-opening. Adult €4, conc €2. (updated Apr 2026) El Serrallo is the neighbourhood around the harbour just west of the port museum. The waterfront Moll de Pescadors is bland and modern, but Carrer de Gravina and Calle de Sant Pere in the blocks behind still retain the feel of a fishing village. The Church of Sant Pere Apòstol is neogothic, built in 1880. Far de Moll is a disused lighthouse overlooking the inner harbour. It's a sturdy brick tower of 1924, re-located here when the port expanded. 7 Far de la Banya is a spindly disused lighthouse further along the harbour wall, relocated here from the Ebro estuary. You can walk out on the breakwater for another km. === Roman Tárraco === 8 Portal de Roser at the foot of Av Catalunya is the northwest gate into Old Town, and the obvious place to begin a tour of its Roman history. Marqueta de Tarraco, Plaça del Pallol 3 (within Portal de Roser), ☏ +34 977 250795. Tu-F 9:00-20:30, Sa-Su 9:30-14:30. A scale model of Tarraco in the second century AD, a good orientation before visiting the other Roman sites. Adult €5, child free. (updated Apr 2026) Passeig Arqueològic, Av Catalunya (outside Portal de Roser). Tu-Sa 09:00-20:45, Su 09:00-14:30. Walkway along the best section of the city walls. They were built in the second century AD and modified in the Middle Ages and 18th century. Adult €5 or combi. (updated Apr 2026) 9 Amphitheatre, Parc de l'Amfiteatre. Tu-Sa 09:00-18:00, Su 9:30-14:00. Roman amphitheatre built around 100 AD. It could hold 15,000 spectators and looks over the sea. It fell out of use in the 4th century and a Visigoth church and cemetery were built within. It's been partially restored. Adult €5 or combi. (updated Apr 2026) 10 Circ romà, off Rambla Vella. Tu-Sa 09:00-20:00, Su 9:30-14:30. The chariot track was built late 1st century in the reign of Domitian. Only a portion of the structure is left but some of the passages and vaults in the basement can be seen. Admission includes the nearby Torre del Pretori. Adult €5 or combi. (updated Apr 2026) 11 Teatre romà, Sant Magi 1, ☏ +34 977 251515. 2nd Su of month by reservation. The remains of the Roman theatre. It was built in the first century AD and could hold 6000 spectators. (updated Apr 2026) 12 Colonial Forum, Lleida. Closed. A colonia was a settlement of Roman citizens abroad, organised for trade and defence but not incorporated as a city. Tarraco was designated a colonia by Julius Caesar around 45 BC. The site is in two parts linked by a footbridge over C de Soller. It's an open square with the main surviving structure in the western part, the basilica which was a multipurpose civic building. (updated Apr 2026) Provincial Forum was the much grander square built from 73 AD, by which time Tarraco was a city governing a large Roman province. It was built over from the 12th century and corresponds to the north end of the Old Town, with its highest part covered by the cathedral. So look for its remnants everywhere, especially on Plaça del Pallol, Plaça del Fòrum, and around Circ romà. 13 Necròpolis, Av Ramón y Cajal 84, ☏ +34 977 211175. Closed. This was in use from the 3rd to 5th century. The Roman Empire became Christian in that era, and this is one of the earliest Christian burial sites in the western Mediterranean. The museum has sarcophagi, epitaphs and other funerary objects. (updated Apr 2026) 14 Ferreres Aquaduct (Pont del Diable), off Highway N-240 (Bus 5), ☏ +34 675 853722. 24 hr. A Roman aqueduct with two tiers of arches, 249 m long and 27 m high. It was probably built in the reign of Emperor Augustus (r 27 BC - 14 AD) and brought water from the Francolí river. Free. (updated Apr 2026) 15 Villa of Centcelles, Cami l'Almoster, Constanti, ☏ +34 977 523 374. Tu-Sa 10:00-13:30, 15:00-17:30, Su 10:00-14:00. Roman villa built circa 400 AD. Its dome mosaic may be the oldest Christian-themed mosaic in the Roman world, and the building survived by use as a church and hermitage into the 19th century. It's now managed by the Archaeology Museum. Adult €4, conc €2, child free. (updated Apr 2026) == Do == Human Towers or Castells are the custom of folk climbing onto each other to build towers four or more tiers high. (They can go as high as ten tiers, but they know you'll only put 50 cents in the collection bag so it's not worth risking their necks.) Four troupes regularly perform in public places across summer, for instance in front of the cathedral on Wednesdays in July and August. Theatre: Teatre Tarragona is at Rambla Nova 11. Teatre El Magatzem is at Reding 14. Cinema: Yelmo Cines is the most central, at Cardenal Vidal i Barraquer 15. Tarraco Arena is an event space at Mallorca 18. Golf: the nearest courses are in Salou. Football: FC Tarraco play soccer in the amateur leagues at Campclar west edge of town on Carrer Riu Llobregat. El Camino is the collective name for the network of pilgrimage trails converging on Santiago de Compostela. Tarragona is the start of a feeder trail taking five days via Santes Creus, L'Espluga de Francolí, Vallbona de les Monges and Juneda to Lleida. There it joins the Catalan Way from the French border towards distant Santiago. === Beaches === Tarragona is on the Costa Daurada, with golden sand beaches stretching north of town. Nothing south as that's the industrial port. 1 Platja del Miracle (Miracle Beach), Passeig Maritim de Rafael Casanova. Some 500 m long with calm waters. It's the closest to city centre so it can get crowded. (updated Apr 2026) 2 Platja del l'Arrabassada, Passeig Maritim de Rafael Casanova. Another 500 m of golden sand, with some small beach restaurants and a palm-lined promenade. (updated Apr 2026) 3 Platja Savinosa, Francesc Girminells i Mascaro. Smaller Blue Flag beach. (updated Apr 2026) 4 Platja Llarga, C de la Platja Llarga. Popular 3 km beach with restaurants, rentals, showers and sailing club. (updated Apr 2026) 5 Platja de Tamarit. The northernmost beach in the municipality, near the outflow of the Gaià River. (updated Apr 2026) === Events === What's on? Upcoming events are posted on the Town Council website. Tour de France starts from Tarragona on 5 July 2026, racing 178 km to Barcelona. This is Day 2, with the Grand Départ on Day 1 in Barcelona. Day 3 it continues from Granollers into France. Semana Santa is Holy Week leading up to Easter, with a busy programme of ceremonies. The chief processions are led by Los Armats de la Sang, resplendent in Legionnaires' uniforms but with slow pace and mournful drum roll, as they regret their part in the Crucifixion. (Though they were just following orders, and weren't even born at the time.) Behind come the various civic and religious dignitaries, with midway the vast swaying effigy of the Madonna. Dixieland Festival is a jazz festival held over a weekend in April. Some events are ticketed but there are free gigs along Rambla Nova and other public spaces. Sant Jordi is the festival of Saint George, patron saint of the Catalans, on April 23 / 24. It's customary for couples to exchange roses and books, and it's morphed into being a book and flower market along Rambla Nova. The Human Towers usually put in an appearance, in case St George encounters an unusually tall dragon. Fireworks Contest is in the first week of July on Miracle Beach. Six pyrotechnic companies vie to light up the sky, and the winner lays on the fireworks for Santa Tecla Festival. Santa Tecla Festival is 15-23 Sep each year. St Thecla was a follower of St Paul: her serial escapes from martyrdom were more hilarious than miraculous, such as when all the killer seals got zapped by lightning. Her veneration is strongest in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, but she's nowadays the patron saint of the Hispanic internet, as tecla means a computer key. The Festival involves parades, fireworks and general razzamatazz, including the inevitable Human Towers. == Buy == Supermarkets: Mercadona are the main chain, typically open M-Sa 09:00-21:00. Mercat Central de Tarragona, Plaça de Corsini (block north of Colonial Forum), ☏ +34 977 231 551. M-Sa 08:30-21:00. Produce, meat, bread, pastries and other foods in a modernist building. The clock outside has figures that emerge at 12:00 and 18:00. (updated Apr 2026) El Corte Inglés is a big department store on Rambla President Lluís Companys, the northern extension of Rambla Nova, open M-Sa 09:00-21:00. 1 Bonavista Market, Camí I, Bonavista (3 km west of town). Su 08:00-14:00. Extensive Sunday market for foodstuffs, clothing and miscellaneous tat. Not the least bit touristy, buses run out here but you really need a car if you bulk-buy. (updated Apr 2026) == Eat == === Budget === Carrer Major is the spine of Old Town leading to the cathedral. Lots of places for tapas or full meals. Plaça de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer is lined with eating places. The plaza (which is modern and nothing to look at) is named for Jacint Verdaguer (1845-1902) a Catalan poet and priest. Around it are A tocar ferro (below), Ibericus, La Pepita, Pizzeria 8 ½, La Finestra, La Tekla, La Lola and La Piemontesa, plus La Freseria for desserts. 1 A tocar ferro, Sant Agustí 19. Daily 07:30-22:00. Coffee bar, mixed reviews for the food (updated Feb 2023) Lleida the street west side of the Forum has El Cobertizo, Tarraco Taberna (below), El 5 Sentits, Son's Cubanos, Circus Tarraco, Buena Gente, Aziza Copenhaguen, Bar Tania and Restaurant Taranta. Tànger (below) is south side, on the lyrically-named Gasometer Street. Tàrraco Taberna, Lleida 7. M-F 09:30-15:00, 19:00-23:00. Friendly place for tapas. (updated Apr 2026) Restaurant Tànger, Gasòmetre 39 (south side of Forum), ☏ +34 631 836389. Daily 08:00-23:30. Authentic inexpensive Moroccan food, all halal. (updated Apr 2026) Istanbul, Sant Domènec 26, ☏ +34 977 216799. Tu-Su 19:30-00:30. Good authentic Turkish food, you may have to wait. (updated Apr 2026) Quattros is Catalonian cuisine 50 m west of Istanbul at Plaça de la Font 2, open daily 11:00-00:00. 2 Snack Speed Bar, Av Catalunya 5. M-Sa 08:00-14:00. It sounds like a tacky drive-thru, but it's a pleasant old trad bar with tapas. (updated Apr 2026) === Mid-range === 3 El Pulvinar, Ferrers 20, ☏ +34 977 235 631. W-M 13:00-15:45, 20:00-23:30. Pizza, pasta and other Italian dishes in a building that used to be part of the Roman Circus. (updated Apr 2026) Filosofía Restaurante, Plaça d'en Ripoll 6 (block south of Arcs), ☏ +34 693 471 639. M, W-Su 13:00-15:30, 20:30-23:30. Grilled meat, burgers and fish. (updated Apr 2026) Serrallo neighbourhood by the fishing harbour has several seafood places. === Splurge === AQ, Les Coques 7 (east flank of cathedral), ☏ +34 977 215954. M-Sa 13:15-17:00, 20:30-00:00. This earns rave reviews for its Catalan food. Go for the tasting menu. (updated Apr 2026) 4 Arcs Restaurante, Misser Sitges 13, ☏ +34 977 218040. Tu-Sa 13:00-15:30, 20:30-22:30. Great Mediterranean food. (updated Apr 2026) == Drink == You're never far from a beer, and a tapas bar to sup it in. The area around Tarragona produces DO wines. Vermouth is produced locally from white wine fortified with grape spirit and charged with botanicals. Vermuterias serve their own brand of vermouth. == Sleep == 1 Hotel Catalunya Express, General Contreras 16, ☏ +34 977 219119. Simple 30 room hotel near the railway station. Thin walls so expect noise. B&B double €90. (updated Apr 2026) Hostal Europa is a very basic place next to Catalunya Express at Orosi 11. 2 Hotel Tarragona Centro Urbis, Plaça de Corsini 10, ☏ +34 977 240116. Clean, comfy and central. Double (room only) €90. (updated Apr 2026) 3 Hotel SB Express Tarragona, Plaça de les Corts Catalanes 4, ☏ +34 977 221050. Boxy modern hotel at the top of the Rambla. Comfy and convenient. B& B double €120. (updated Apr 2026) Hotel SB Ciutat de Tarragona, Plaça de la Imperial Tàrraco 5 (above bus station), ☏ +34 977 250999. Convenient hotel, sometimes clean. B&B double €120. (updated Apr 2026) Hostal Alhambra is 100 m east of SB Express Tarragona at Av d'Estanislau Figueres 51. AC Hotel Tarragona, Av de Roma 8 (200 m west of SB Express Tarragona), ☏ +34 977 247105. Efficient clean Marriott hotel. (updated Apr 2026) 4 Hotel Canadá, Carretera de Valencia 211, ☏ +34 977 541633. 60 room budget hotel, mixed reviews on comfort and cleanliness. B&B double €90. (updated Apr 2026) Hotel Tarraco Park is opposite Canadá at Valencia 206. 5 H10 Imperial Tarraco, Rambla Vella 2, ☏ +34 977 156607. Slick modern place overlooking the amphitheatre. B&B double €100. (updated Apr 2026) 6 Hotel Astari, Via Augusta 95, ☏ +34 977 236900. Modern hotel towards the beach strip. B&B double €100. (updated Apr 2026) == Stay safe == Beware traffic, safeguard valuables and swerve clear of low life, same as anywhere else. == Connect == As of April 2026, Tarragona and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers. == Go next == Els Munts is a Roman villa 13 km east, reachable by train. Salou is a popular beach resort to the west. Reus was Antoni Gaudi's birthplace. Poblet Natural Park is 30 km north on the road to Lleida. The highlight is the Cistercian monastery.