Tarragona, Spain

Tarragona is an important cultural center and the chief town of the province of the same name. It is the first large seaside town south of Barcelona and sits picturesquely on a hill rising 525 feet above the Mediterranean. Tarragona offers a number of historical sites including churches from several different periods and a well preserved Roman colosseum. The town itself has the usual Spanish assortment of plazas sprinkled with cafes and tapas bars.

Tarragona tourist attractions include the Museum of Archaeology and the Roman ruins of Tarraco, which has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Tarragona is located near the holiday resort of Salou and the Universal Studios theme park - Port Aventura, one of the largest in Europe. Tarragona has a wall surrounding the old city with two gates: the Portal del Roser and the Portal de Sant Antoni.

Things to See & Do

* Roman ruins of Tarraco
* Museum of Archaeology
* Universal Studios theme park - Port Aventura
* Views from the Balcón del Mediterráneo

General information

Cruise Season – Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language – Spanish & Catalan
Land Area – 64.6 km²
Population – 130,000 approx
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC + one hour
International Country Telephone Code – + 34

Port Location – The port of Tarragona is located a ten minute walk from the city centre.

Travel Links – Tarragona is on the main train line between Barcelona (1 hrs) and Alicante (2-3hrs), and also on the main line between Barcelona and Madrid (4 hrs). Note that it's best to buy train tickets a few days ahead during the high season to avoid getting stuck in one place. However, you always have the chance to take a stop-train, which is reasonable when coming from Barcelona (it takes basically the same time).