Tarragona was Tarraco, one of the great cities of Roman Spain, and its walls, amphitheatre and chariot-racing circus still sit in the middle of a busy Catalan port. It is also a capital of castells, the human towers that Catalonia has turned into a competitive sport. Here are the facts and stories behind it.
10 fun facts about Tarragona
- A Roman capital: Tarraco was the capital of Hispania Citerior, later the province of Tarraconensis, the largest in Roman Spain. Emperor Augustus spent the winter of 26 to 25 BC here while recovering from an illness during his campaigns in the north.
- A World Heritage city: in 2000 UNESCO listed the Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco, from the walls and amphitheatre in town to monuments in the surrounding countryside.
- An arena by the sea: the amphitheatre, built around the end of the 1st century AD, held up to 15,000 spectators. In 259 the bishop Fructuosus and his deacons Augurius and Eulogius were burned alive here, and a church was later built in the arena in their memory.
- A racetrack under the houses: the Roman circus, where crowds watched chariot races, now lies partly beneath the buildings of the old town. You can walk through its vaulted passages, which once supported the stands.
- Walls older than the empire: the oldest parts of Tarragona's Roman walls date from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, making them among the oldest Roman structures outside Italy.
- A cathedral on an imperial temple: the cathedral, begun in the 12th century in a mix of Romanesque and Gothic, stands on the upper terrace where a temple to the deified Augustus once rose.
- Human towers on the World Heritage list: UNESCO added Catalonia's castells to its list of intangible heritage in 2010. Every two years the best teams meet at the Concurs de Castells in the Tarraco Arena Plaça, the city's old bullring, most recently in October 2026.
- A tower cast in bronze: on the Rambla Nova stands the Monument als Castellers by the sculptor Francesc Anglès, a full human tower in bronze, from the crowded base to the child raising a hand at the top.
- Touch the iron: the Rambla Nova ends at the Balcó del Mediterrani, a viewpoint high above the sea. Tradition says you should touch its iron railing, tocar ferro, for good luck.
- A modernista market: the Mercat Central, an iron and glass market hall designed by Josep Maria Pujol de Barberà, opened in 1915 and reopened in 2017 after a long restoration.
The legend of the Devil's Bridge
Just north of the city, a two-tier Roman aqueduct crosses a wooded valley. It once carried water to Tarraco and is about 27 metres high at its tallest point. Its official name is the Aqüeducte de les Ferreres, but everyone calls it the Pont del Diable, the Devil's Bridge. Legend says that a local woman, tired of carrying water across the valley, made a deal with the devil: if he built a bridge for the water in a single night, he could have the soul of the first living being to cross it. The devil finished before dawn, but the woman sent a donkey across first, and the cheated devil had to leave empty-handed.
Santa Tecla, explained
Every September Tarragona celebrates its patron saint, Santa Tecla, whose feast day is 23 September. For about ten days the old town fills with processions, dragons and fire-spitting beasts, giants, fire runs called correfocs, and, of course, castells built on the Plaça de la Font in front of the City Hall.
What to eat in Tarragona
- Romesco: Tarragona's signature sauce of dried ñora peppers, roasted tomato, garlic, almonds and hazelnuts, served with grilled fish or vegetables.
- Calçots: long, sweet spring onions grilled over flames and dipped in a romesco-style sauce, the winter and spring speciality of nearby Valls.
- Fresh fish from El Serrallo: the fishing quarter by the port has its own fish auction and a row of seafood restaurants.
- Arròs negre: rice cooked with squid and its ink, a dark, intense paella-style dish found all along this coast.
- Vermouth and Priorat: nearby Reus is known for its vermouth, and the rugged Priorat region inland makes some of Spain's most admired red wines.
Good to know before you go
- The amphitheatre, the circus and several other Roman sites are run by the city's History Museum, and a combined ticket covers more than one of them.
- The Pont del Diable is a short bus or car ride north of the centre, and you can walk along the top of the aqueduct.
- During Santa Tecla in September and in Concurs de Castells years, accommodation fills up fast, so book early.
Explore Tarragona with World City Trail
Our Tarragona scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 32 minutes of walking, and includes the Monument als Castellers and the Mercat Central.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like and play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
Play the Tarragona scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.