Tarragona

Arab-Berber forces took Tarragona sometime between 714 and 716. Whether the city fell by siege or peaceful surrender is still debated, the bishop Próspero's documented flight suggests violence, but archaeology shows no sudden break in urban life. What followed were several centuries of slow decline: the city never emptied entirely but lost its character as a true urban centre, caught between Andalusian and Christian spheres of power without belonging firmly to either.

Christian consolidation proved difficult. Borrell II claimed the title Prince of Tarragona in 960, but real, stable control remained elusive. In 1129, Archbishop Olegarius handed the city to the Norman mercenary Robert Bordet, who used a still-standing Roman tower, today the Torre del Pretorio, as his castle.

Conflicts between ecclesiastical and comital authority ran for decades until Barcelona's count absorbed the principality in 1151. By the late twelfth century, Tarragona had become a functioning urban centre again. Cathedral construction began in 1171, and when the building was consecrated in 1331 it anchored the city's layout for good.

Beyond the defensive perimeter lay the old Roman circus, repurposed as a commercial suburb; market gardens stretching toward the port; and agricultural land along the Francolí river.

Tarragona's Roman remains, fourteen sites in total, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. The Torre de los Escipiones, a Roman funerary tower in reasonable condition, stands six kilometres from the centre along the route of the ancient Via Augusta. Closer in, the old Roman forum occupies much of the upper old town, encircled by what remains of a Roman wall that once ran about four kilometres; roughly one kilometre survives today, along with one original arched gateway.

The amphitheatre contains not only Roman stonework but also the remains of a Visigothic basilica dedicated to San Fructuoso and a Romanesque church of Santa María del Miracle. The Roman circus, built for chariot racing, can be visited at several points around the city; its starting gates lie beneath the current town hall on Plaça de la Font. The bullring dates from 1883, built in stone and brick.

The central market is a Modernista building from 1915, designed by Josep Maria Pujol i de Barberà. The cathedral was begun around the twelfth century in Romanesque style and finished in Gothic, with Renaissance and Baroque additions. The Rambla Nova, laid out in 1854, ends at the Balcón del Mediterráneo, a clifftop viewpoint 23 metres above sea level with views across the sea, port, amphitheatre, and beach.

The old fishing quarter of Serrallo, relocated in 1854, retains some of its original character.

Reus Airport is 9 km from Tarragona, with 3–5 daily buses to the city; alternatively, take a bus to Reus town for the hourly train. Barcelona El Prat, 90 km away, has far more flights: Bus Plana runs to Tarragona every two hours (80 min from Terminal 2, 65 min from Terminal 1). Regional trains from Barcelona Estació de França, Passeig de Gràcia, and Sants run every 30 minutes, taking 1 hr 15 min.

The high-speed station Camp de Tarragona, 9 km north, has hourly or two-hourly services to Madrid (3 hr 15 min via Lleida, Zaragoza, Calatayud, and Guadalajara); a bus links it to the centre in 20 minutes. Alsa coaches from Barcelona run five times daily (1 hr 15 min). The bus station is on Plaça de la Imperial Tàrraco, corner of Pere Martell and Av de Roma, modern but with no platform displays.

Carrer Major is the old-town spine leading to the cathedral, with tapas and full meals throughout. Plaça de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer has A Tocar Ferro, Ibericus, La Pepita, Pizzeria 8½, La Finestra, La Tekla, La Lola, La Piemontesa, and La Freseria for desserts. The street west of the Forum has El Cobertizo, Tarraco Taberna, El 5 Sentits, Son's Cubanos, Circus Tarraco, Buena Gente, Aziza Copenhaguen, Bar Tania, and Restaurant Taranta.

Quattros serves Catalan cuisine at Plaça de la Font 2, open daily 11:00–00:00. The Serrallo neighbourhood has several seafood restaurants. Local DO wines are produced in the surrounding area, and vermuterias serve house-made vermouth from local white wine.