An hour from Barcelona, is the charming Roman town of Tarragona, which continues to thrive as a peaceful place to shop, explore and relax. This pretty port city is a lesser known escape from the hustle and bustle of Gaudi’s Barcelona.

I visited Tarragona for an afternoon in June and found it to be much more than I expected. All I knew was that it was Roman. I expected a village with some ruins. It is however a vibrant location where historic artefacts and modern lifestyle has been intertwined to create a remarkable space.

A World Heritage City

Tarragona is the only World Heritage City in Catalonia, and one of the main reasons is because of its Roman history. It was once the capital of the Roman’s Hispanic empire. The city was extremely important to the empire, and still has many monuments in existence today to visit and see. Not only can you visit individual monuments such as amphitheater, walls, aqueduct, and forum, but the city also offers a themed Roman walking route, tours, and even a Roman festival called Tarraco Viva to celebrate its heritage in May each year.

I am a huge history fan and so I was happy to see plenty of old buildings and structures, and hear the stories of the city and its importance to the Romans. I had a whistle-stop walk through of the cathedral, and I would have happily spent more time there as its quite a large space to explore.

The Cathedral is easy to recognize from many travel and culture documentaries, as the location that begins the walk of human towers. Human towers or castles ‘Colles Castelleres’ are exactly how it sounds. Originating in Tarragona from Valencian dancing, the events consist of large teams of people standing on each others shoulders to create a human tower. They then take a walk (as a tower) from the Cathedral and through the streets of the city. Visitors travel for many miles to watch this event and residents will open their balconies up to people to view. I would love to return to see this event from a short distance, but I am not totally convinced that I would want to be anywhere near the bottom of the tower… or the top! Apparently, the top of the tower is normally reserved for the tiniest members of the group, so young children and toddlers get the honor of being the shining star at the top!

Exploring the modern city

Whilst appreciating the historic framework of the city, you can also enjoy the facilities on offer today. Tarragona offers modern shopping and dining in its high street La Rambla Nova, as well as the opportunity to eat fresh cuisine at its central market. Looking to relax? You can make your way to the ‘Balcony of the Mediterranean’ at the top of La Rambla Nova. Here you can view a straight view along the coastline and relax on a bench or make your way down to the sandy beaches below. The only downside is that the beach and the town are separated by the railway track, so you have to walk quite far before you can cross over into the beach. The long balcony promenade provides a beautiful scene to wonder along the edge of the city and towards the marina.

Port and Serrallo area

In the port area of the city, typical seafood restaurants can be found, as well as beautiful scenery of fisherman pulling in the fresh day’s catch. This also happens to be the city’s museum district, being home to the port museum, archeological museum and the historic lighthouse and city clock.

Generally, I found Tarragona to be a very peaceful city with a lot to offer all in one place. I would happily visit again and even spend a good few days here.