What to See in Tarragona

It's Tarragona's most famous image: a 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre carved into the hillside, with the tiers looking straight out to the Mediterranean. Gladiators and beasts once fought here before thousands of spectators, and even today it's hard to find ruins with a better view.

In the centre of the arena you can see the remains of a Visigothic basilica and a medieval church, raised to commemorate the martyrdom of Saint Fructuosus, burned here in the year 259. A single place layered with a thousand years of history.

Tarragona's Roman circus, where the chariot races were run, is one of the best preserved in the West, and it has something remarkable: much of it still lies beneath the city's houses, with vaults and galleries you walk through under the old town.

Next to the circus rises the Torre del Pretori, a Roman building later turned into a medieval palace. From its rooftop you take in the circus, the sea and the roofs of the Part Alta at a glance: the best viewpoint for grasping Roman Tárraco.

Tarragona's Roman walls are the oldest surviving Roman construction outside Italy, dating from the 3rd century BC. At their base you can still see enormous cyclopean stone blocks, so large that legend once attributed them to giants.

The Passeig Arqueològic runs along the outside of the wall on a quiet, landscaped walkway, between towers, cannons from later eras and views over the countryside. It's one of the most pleasant spots for an unhurried stroll.

The Part Alta is Tarragona's old town: a maze of medieval alleys built over the former Roman provincial forum, with hidden squares, noble houses and good terraces. Wander it without a plan and let it lead you.

At the very top stands the cathedral, Gothic and Romanesque at once, built over the great Roman temple dedicated to Augustus. Its façade, its cloister and the silence of its chapels are the crowning touch of the old city.

On the edge of the city, the Ferreres Aqueduct — better known as the Pont del Diable (Devil's Bridge) — crosses a valley with two tiers of golden-stone arches. It carried water to Tárraco and today you can walk across the top, in a green setting perfect for a short stroll.

Scattered around the surroundings are other Roman remains, such as the villa and mausoleum of Centcelles or the Mèdol quarry, which supplied much of the city's stone. Loose pieces of the same two-thousand-year-old puzzle.

Tarragona is castell country, home of the human towers that are an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. If you catch a performance, you'll see the colles raise towers several storeys high amid the roar of the square; the great stage is the Concurs de Castells, held every two years.

The main festival is Santa Tecla, in late September: days of castells, giants, fire and festive beasts through the streets. The old town is walkable, and the city connects easily by train to Barcelona (just over an hour) and by high-speed rail via the Camp de Tarragona station.