Tarragona (Tarraco in Latin) is the capital of the Camp de Tarragona region and the most significant Roman city in the Iberian Peninsula — the first Roman city in Spain, founded as Tarraco in 218 BCE when the Roman generals Gnaeus and Publius Scipio landed here during the Second Punic War (the war against Hannibal Barca) and established the first permanent Roman military camp in Iberia. Tarraco grew to become the capital of the largest Roman province in Spain (Hispania Citerior, later Hispania Tarraconensis — covering the entire northern, eastern and central portions of the peninsula), the winter residence of emperors (Augustus wintered here 26-24 BCE during the Cantabrian Wars; Hadrian was here in 122-123 CE), and one of the most important cities of the Western Roman Empire, with a population of approximately 30,000 in the 1st-2nd centuries CE. The Tarraco Archaeological Ensemble was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000 for the exceptional preservation and variety of its Roman monuments: the Roman Amphitheatre (the most spectacularly sited Roman entertainment structure in the world, built directly on the cliff above the Mediterranean; the view from the top tier of the amphitheatre seats looking out to sea is the finest view of any Roman ruin in the world), the Roman Circus (the 285-metre circus for chariot racing, the best-preserved Roman circus in the Western Mediterranean), the Roman Forum (the provincial forum of the administrative capital of Hispania), the Roman Walls (the 3rd-century BCE walls — the oldest Roman walls outside Italy), and the "Devil's Bridge" (the Les Ferreres Aqueduct, 249 m long, 27 m high, 2 km north of the city). The Tarragona Cathedral (built 1171-1331 on the site of the Roman temple of Augustus and later the Great Mosque of Tarragona, reflecting 600 years of Visigoth and Moorish occupation between the Roman and medieval Christian periods) is the finest hybrid Romanesque-Gothic building in Catalonia.
Tarragona Roman Amphitheatre (the 2nd-century CE amphitheatre built directly on the cliff edge above the Mediterranean Sea — the most dramatically located Roman arena in the world; the arena seated 14,000 spectators; the tiered seating is cut into the natural hillside and the upper tier looks directly over the arena floor to the open Mediterranean; the gladiatorial combats and wild animal hunts (venationes) staged here were the primary public entertainment of Roman Tarraco; the martyrdom of Bishop Fructuosus and his deacons (259 CE — burnt alive in the arena on the orders of Emperor Valerian; the site became a Christian pilgrimage point by the late 3rd century; a Visigothic basilica was built in the arena in the 6th century; the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria del Miracle (1164) was built on the basilica foundations and its walls are still visible within the arena floor); the view from the top tier (the complete view of the Mediterranean coastline from the Ebro Delta to the south and the Tarragona port to the north, with the sea stretching to the horizon — the finest view of any Roman monument in Iberia).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideRoman Circus (the Circ Romà — the 285 × 115 m chariot racing track built in the late 1st century CE; the best-preserved Roman circus in the Western Mediterranean (the Circus Maximus in Rome is larger but largely unexcavated; the Tarragona circus is 85% identifiable in plan); the circus ran beneath the current old city in a north-south axis — the medieval streets and buildings of the old city are built directly on top of the surviving vaulted substructure (the current Plaça de la Font (the main square of old Tarragona) occupies the exact site of the circus arena floor); the vaulted substructure (accessible via the museum at the Plaça de la Font — the original Roman arched chambers under the circus track are preserved at their full height and the tour walks through 300 metres of Roman vaulted corridors); the circus towers (the two semicircular turning-point towers (metae) that marked the ends of the central spine (spina) around which the chariots turned are still partially standing above ground at the corners of the plaza).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideTarragona Provincial Forum (the Fòrum Provincial — the administrative and religious centre of the Roman province of Hispania Citerior Tarraconensis; the forum complex (the largest Roman forum in Spain; the forum temple (dedicated to the imperial cult, with the colossal marble statues of the deified emperors; the 1st-century CE temple enclosure covers the area now occupied by the Tarragona Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace); the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona (MNAT — the most important collection of Roman artefacts from the Iberian Peninsula; the mosaics (the finest Roman floor mosaic collection in Spain — the Tarragona mosaics include the famous Medusa mosaic (1st-2nd century CE) and the Fish Mosaic — the finest Roman tessellation of sea creatures in existence); the portrait sculpture gallery (the marble portraits of Roman emperors and Tarraco notables); the Scipio's Tomb (the enigmatic 2nd-century BCE Hellenistic tower tomb near Tarragona traditionally attributed to the Scipio brothers).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideBalcony of the Mediterranean (the Passeig Arqueològic — the promenade built on and between the Roman and medieval walls on the seaward side of the old city; the Roman walls (3rd century BCE — the oldest large-scale Roman walls outside Italy; built during the Second Punic War when Tarraco was the first Roman base in Spain; the wall stones are the largest Roman masonry blocks in Spain (some blocks weigh 10 tonnes) and the construction technique (the rusticated "cyclopean" large-block masonry of the Hellenistic period) distinguishes them from all later Roman constructions in Iberia); the Balcony of the Mediterranean (the Mirador del Mediterrani — the 270° panoramic view point at the eastern end of the Rambla Nova, Tarragona's main boulevard — the view directly south over the Mediterranean with the Roman amphitheatre visible below and the Mediterranean coast stretching in both directions; the most famous view in Tarragona).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideTarragona Cathedral (the Catedral de Santa Tecla — built 1171-1331; UNESCO Ensemble; the finest hybrid Romanesque-Gothic cathedral in Catalonia; the site has been continuously sacred for 2,200 years (Roman temple of Augustus, 1st century BCE; Visigothic basilica, 6th century; Great Mosque of Tarragona (after the Moorish conquest of 713 CE — the mosque reused the Roman temple structure); Christian cathedral begun 1171 on the reconquest); the Romanesque apse and transept (the eastern end of the building retains the full Romanesque character (the round arches, the corbelled eaves, the blind arcading on the apse exterior); the Gothic nave (the central nave was extended to the west in the Gothic period (1260-1331) with the pointed arches and the flying buttresses that contrast with the Romanesque eastern end); the cloister (the finest Romanesque cloister in Catalonia — the carved capitals of the arcade piers depict the Tarragona bestiary: the cat-and-rat procession capital is the most celebrated (the cats act as priests in a mock-religious procession carrying a dead rat, a satirical image of 12th-century clerical corruption)).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLes Ferreres Aqueduct (the Pont del Diable — the "Devil's Bridge"; 4 km north of Tarragona city centre; one of the finest surviving Roman aqueducts in the world; 249 m long, 27 m high at the maximum point above the Francolí River gorge; built 1st century BCE to carry water from the Gaia River source 15 km away to the Roman city; the two-tier arcade structure (the lower tier of 11 full arches supports the upper tier of 25 arches that carries the water channel); the limestone construction (the local golden limestone of the Tarragona quarries — the same stone used throughout the Roman city construction; the aqueduct has been used as a local crossing (the "bridge" function of the name) since the medieval period; the name "Pont del Diable" (Devil's Bridge) derives from the medieval legend that only the devil could build an arch so high; the same legend applies to many impressive medieval bridges in Catalonia and Aragon).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideCastells (the Catalan "human tower" tradition — UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage 2010; the castellers (human tower builders) of Tarragona and the surrounding Camp de Tarragona area are the most competitive in Catalonia (the Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls and the Colla Joves dels Xiquets de Valls — the two rival colles of Valls, 20 km north of Tarragona, are the most celebrated castellers in the world); the structure of a castell (the pinya (the base — 50-100+ people forming the wide supporting ring), the tronc (the trunk — the narrowing column of people above the pinya), the pom de dalt (the cap — the final 3-4 small children who complete the top of the tower); the highest achieved castells: the 10 × 9 (ten people high, nine people in the upper tiers — 10 levels of human beings stacked 14 metres high); the most dangerous moment: the descarregament (the dismantling — the children at the top must descend while the column below maintains stability)); the festival season (the castellers perform at the Tarragona Patron Feast (Santa Tecla, September 23) and at the principal Catalan festivals.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideTarragona evening dining (the most authentic way to eat in Tarragona — the local tapas culture): the Rambla Nova (Tarragona's main boulevard — the evening paseo (the Spanish evening walk (passeig in Catalan) where the entire town promenades before dinner; the Tarragona version is particularly elegant — the wide boulevard with the central promenade of plane trees, the cafés with the outdoor terraces, and the view south to the Balcony of the Mediterranean and the sea)); the Camp de Tarragona wines (the Tarragona DO wine designation (Denominació d'Origen Tarragona) — the heavy, full-bodied red wines of the inland vineyards; the Priorat (the prestigious Catalan wine region 40 km northwest — the Garnacha Negra and Cariñena on the slate (llicorella) soils produce some of Spain's most celebrated wines)); the fresh fish (the Tarragona fish market supplies the best fresh Mediterranean fish in Catalonia: the lluc (hake), the llobarro (sea bass), the musclos (mussels), the escopinyes (blood cockles) and the salmonetes (red mullet) cooked a la brasa (on the wood grill)).
Scipio's Tomb (the Torre dels Escipions — the 1st-century BCE Hellenistic tower tomb 6 km north of Tarragona on the Via Augusta (the Roman road from Rome to Cadiz that passed through Tarraco); the tower is traditionally but incorrectly attributed to the Scipio brothers (Gnaeus and Publius Scipio who founded Tarraco in 218 BCE — their tomb would be from the 2nd century BCE, not the 1st century BCE; the tower belongs to the Roman funerary tradition of the roadside mausoleum tomb rather than to the Scipio family specifically; the tower (two-storey; the upper storey carries the relief sculpture of the mourning Attis figures flanking a central panel)); the Roman Villa dels Munts (the 1st-2nd century CE luxury seaside villa 15 km north of Tarragona (near Altafulla village) — the finest Roman villa site on the Catalan coast; the mosaic floors, the heated baths (hypocaust), and the wine and olive oil production facilities of the estate; connected to the Roman road system along the coast.
Costa Daurada (the "Golden Coast" — the 216 km coastline of the Province of Tarragona named for the pale gold colour of the fine-grained sand; the beaches south of Tarragona: the Platja del Miracle (the beach directly below the Roman amphitheatre — the juxtaposition of the 2nd-century CE Roman arches above the Mediterranean beach is unique in the world; the beach is accessible by stairs down from the amphitheatre; calm, sheltered by the Roman cliff); the Salou resort (15 km south of Tarragona — the largest resort beach on the Costa Daurada; 4 km of golden sand; water sports, snorkelling on the rocky headland); the Cambrils (25 km south — the most authentic Catalan fishing port on the Costa Daurada; the fish restaurants of the Cambrils port serve the freshest fish on the coast; the suquet de peix (the Catalan fish stew with potatoes and saffron — the defining dish of the Tarragona coast)) and the Ronda de Canaletes seafront.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuidePortAventura World (10 km south of Tarragona in the Salou municipality — the largest theme park in Spain (39,000 m² of attractions) and the most visited tourist destination in the country after the big city museums; the park is divided into 6 themed areas: the Mediterranean area (the park entrance with the Catalan/Mediterranean landscape theme), Mexico (the Mayan pyramid roller coaster — Dragon Khan (8 loops, the most in any roller coaster in Spain; the Dragon Khan was the highest-rated roller coaster in Europe on opening in 1995)), China, Polynesia (the log flume), the Far West (the cowboy town with the El Diablo flume), and the SésamoAventura (the children's Sesame Street area); Ferrari Land (the adjacent theme park opened 2017 — the only Ferrari-branded theme park in Europe; the Red Force vertical launch roller coaster (0-180 km/h in 5 seconds — the fastest roller coaster in Europe; the 112 m height equals the Tarragona Roman aqueduct))) and the Ferrari showroom.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideTarragona Catalan dinner (the most distinctive cuisine in the Tarragona region): the romesco sauce (the defining condiment of the Camp de Tarragona region — the thick sauce of roasted red peppers, tomato, almonds, hazelnuts, garlic and ñora pepper, toasted bread and olive oil (the proportions are contested between every Tarragona family); romesco originated in Tarragona and remains the defining Catalan sauce of the area, used on grilled fish, on calcots, on grilled vegetables and as a salad dressing; the romesco competition (the Valls Calçotada festival in January — the most important romesco event in the world)); the calçot (the Catalonia-unique young spring onion (a variety of Allium cepa) grown using a special earthing-up technique to produce the long white stem; the calçots are grilled directly on the open fire, wrapped in newspaper to rest and steam, then peeled and dipped in romesco sauce — the calçotada (the social event) is the most important Catalan outdoor eating tradition, from January to April).