Current Time in Tarragona, Spain

Tarragona is a historic city on the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain, the capital of the Province of Tarragona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the sea. As the ancient Roman city of Tarraco — the first Roman city established in Spain and at its peak the capital of the entire Iberian Peninsula — Tarragona possesses an extraordinary concentration of Roman monuments recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With a population of approximately 133,000, Tarragona combines its role as a regional administrative and economic center with an increasingly vibrant cultural tourism offer based on its Roman heritage. The city has a major chemical and petrochemical industrial port complex south of the historic center, and this industrial activity coexists with an attractive historic city and a growing reputation for gastronomy and beach tourism.

Tarraco was established as a Roman military base during the Second Punic War around 218 BC and grew into a major city — the largest in Hispania — during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. The Roman Amphitheatre, dramatically sited on the seafront cliffs and partially built into the hillside, could seat 14,000 spectators for gladiatorial games and public spectacles. Its arena floor, where the ruins of two early Christian basilicas are superimposed on the original Roman floor, encapsulates the city's layered history in one extraordinary space.

The Circus Maximus, the Roman chariot-racing track, runs beneath much of the old city center, and excavations have revealed extensive sections of its vaulted substructure open to visitors. The Praetorium Tower (Torre del Pretori), once the command post of the Roman governor and later adapted as a medieval castle, still stands in the old city. The Provincial Forum, the nerve center of Roman provincial administration, has been excavated and partially displayed beneath modern streets. The Roman Walls, enclosing the upper city on massive defensive blocks, are among the best-preserved Roman walls in the western Mediterranean.

The Cathedral of Tarragona, a massive Gothic structure built over the Roman forum and incorporating Romanesque elements in its cloister — one of the finest Romanesque cloisters in Catalonia — is the dominant monument of the medieval city. The Tarragona Archaeological Museum holds excellent collections of Roman sculpture, mosaics, and artifacts. The extraordinary Pont del Diable (Devil's Bridge), a Roman aqueduct 249 meters long and 27 meters high standing in the hills north of the city, can be reached by bicycle or on foot.

Tarragona is also known for the Castells (human towers), a UNESCO-listed Catalan tradition in which competing teams build human towers up to ten or more stories high. The local colles castelleres (tower-building clubs) participate in competitions throughout the year, particularly during the Festes de Santa Tecla in September. The beaches of the Costa Daurada (Golden Coast) south of the city are popular summer destinations.

Tarragona is well connected by AVE high-speed train to Barcelona (about 35 minutes) and to Madrid (under three hours). The AP7 motorway runs along the coast. Barcelona Airport is about 90 kilometers to the north.

Tarragona is a city where Roman grandeur and Mediterranean vitality combine in a setting of great natural beauty — an essential destination for understanding the ancient foundations of Iberian civilization.