Tarragonès · city
Tarragona
The capital of Roman Hispania, now a working port city with extraordinary ruins, the best beaches closest to Barcelona, and — in odd-numbered years — the world championships of human towers.
Region
Tarragonès
Best season
May–October
Highlights
- →Roman amphitheatre overlooking the sea
- →The Passatge de la Muralla — walk along the original Roman walls
- →Pretori i Circ Romans — chariot racing circuit
- →Concurs de Castells — biennial human towers competition
- →Rambla Nova with its seafood restaurants
- →Beaches within walking distance of the old city
Tarragona is an unfair city in the best possible way. It has better Roman ruins than most of Italy. It has beaches within walking distance of its historic center. It’s 35 minutes from Barcelona by train. And yet most visitors — focused on the obvious capital — miss it entirely.
The Romans called it Tarraco and made it the capital of the entire Iberian peninsula. The ruins that remain are extraordinary: an amphitheatre built directly into the clifftop above the sea, a chariot-racing circus whose vaulted substructure runs under the medieval city, and city walls that are still largely intact and walkable. UNESCO listed the whole ensemble as a World Heritage Site in 2000, and yet on a weekday morning you can have the amphitheatre nearly to yourself.
Castellers capital: Tarragona hosts the Concurs de Castells — the biennial human towers competition — every October in odd-numbered years. This is the Olympics of castellers, with the best colles (teams) from across Catalonia competing for the championship. Tens of thousands of spectators fill the Tarraco Arena Plaça. If you can plan a trip around it, do.
The beach situation: Platja del Miracle is right below the Roman amphitheatre — remarkable setting, fine sand, not crowded by Mediterranean standards. The Serrallo district (the fishermen’s quarter) is where to eat: simple restaurants serving the day’s catch, unpretentious and good.
Getting there: AVE trains from Barcelona Sants take 35 minutes. Regional trains (Rodalies) take about 1.5 hours but cost a fraction of the price. Both are easy.