TARRAGONA SPAIN Travel Guide BY JACKIE DE BURCA & COLLABORATORS TARRAGONA TRAVEL GUIDE 1. Introducing Tarragona Introducing Tarragona By Jackie De Burca, author of Salvador Dalí at Home, who has lived in Spain since 2003 – with contributions from travel bloggers and locals. As a huge fan of Barcelona, I can understand why so many visitors gravitate to this wonderful city and live in blissful ignorance of the fascinating city of Tarragona. I can only strongly encourage you to think again, and visit Tarragona, it’s a gorgeous city. Tarragona UNESCO Heritage Walking around the area where you can see the Arrabassada Beach © Alberich Fotògrafs amphitheatre, the views are absolutely amazing, as the amphitheatre is right by the sea. There’s Tarragona is an hour from Barcelona by train or car, something both odd and awesome about seeing it. and only a few minutes away from Reus Airport Behind you are parts of Tarraco, which is one of (10 km), and was once the capital of the Roman Catalonia’s 9 wonders of UNESCO sites and Empire here in Spain. Today Tarragona is a place heritage, but there’s just so much more besides in where history and culture are crowned with the city, as you’ll discover in this Tarragona Spain Mediterranean blue skies, blessed with beautiful Travel Guide. beaches and adorned by an abundance of ne wine and cuisine. Tarragona Spain Travel Guide - Travel Inspires Page 1 1 TARRAGONA TRAVEL GUIDE 1. Introducing Tarragona Tarraco is an impressive sight from many places, as Filled With Festivities (All dates below are for are the views from the Mediterranean Balcony 2018 but they can be used as rough (Balcó del Mediterrani). The city has tangible history guidelines for other years) that palpitates around you, modernist architecture, a magnicent cathedral and Ramblas, not unlike Would you believe that there’s hardly a month that those of Barcelona. In the Rambla Nova you’ll nd goes by in Tarragona, when there’s not at least one some unique Modernist buildings. festival on? It’s hard to say which is the best month to visit Tarragona. Maybe go in May if you’re a foodie or a history buff, and be there for the Tárraco a Taula (Roman foodie festival) (11th- 27th May). Rambla Nova Bubbling With Contrasts & Experiences Tarragona is a city lled with light, colour and Around the same time you can experience the contrasts, bubbling over with sensations for you to famous Tarraco Viva Festival (13th-27th May)– experience. On a Sunday go to the market, just the wonderful ancient Roman festival, where you outside the wonderfully impressive Basilica can check out re-enactments, gladiators and much Cathedral. The contrast of the grandeur of the more. This is really out of this world. cathedral with the buzz and colour of the market is really something else. Tarragona Spain Travel Guide - Travel Inspires Page 1 2 TARRAGONA TRAVEL GUIDE 1. Introducing Tarragona Then on the night of the 23rd June (eve of the Feast Day of St. John) is the Noche de San Juan – Night of Saint John – which is a fantastic summer solstice celebration. This is the ideal time to get rid of your bad stuff from the year before, by going into the water at midnight – in the midst of reworks, witches, bonres and parties that go on til dawn. In case that’s not enough, the Human Towers (UNESCO culture) kicks off in Tarragona on the 24th June until the 20th October. Amphitheatre Tárraco Viva © Manel Antolí (RV Edipress) 2. Tarragona Top Sights & Experiences One year we were in Tarragona on 11th March, so we 1. Tarragona Cathedral Santa Thecla (Saint were there for the Tres Tombs – Three Turns Tecla) Festival. This is a tradition that is linked to Saint Anthony Abad, a patron saint of animals. The This magnicent Cathedral was declared to be a animals do a particular route three times with their National monument in 1905. In the year 1171 owners, and get blessed. Tres Tombs translates into construction began, and as is often the case, the site three turns. There were horses and Shetland ponies, chosen had already been home to other spiritual some pulling chariots and others being ridden or buildings, such as a Roman Temple, a Moorish led. It was so colourful and striking. Mosque and a Visigothic Cathedral. Today the Cathedral of Santa Tecla looms over the old quarter majestically in the region’s typical sandstone, with its emblematic soaring entrance and its façade’s rose coloured window. Or you could always visit in June, when you will have Corpus Christi (3rd June) where the traditional and religious elements are intertwined in the parade that features towering giants, dances and a drummer, who announces the beginning of the Cathedral © Manel Antolí (RV Edipress) festival on horseback Tarragona Spain Travel Guide - Travel Inspires Page 1 3 TARRAGONA TRAVEL GUIDE 2. Top Sights & Experiences Although its architecture began in the Romanesque genre, later elements were created in the Gothic style, as construction carried on over a few centuries. In 1331, the Cathedral was consecrated but building work ceased from 1348 because of the horric impact of the Black Death. Even though construction work started later again and continued for a number of centuries, the Cathedral’s main façade, which features three The Cathedral just keeps on giving with its ever so beautiful portals, remains unnished. However the impressive tower, spectacular altarpiece and intricate, amazing stone sculptures of the apostles numerous chapels. have a suitably breathtaking impact to distract the visitor for a while. 2. Tarragona UNESCO Roman Ruins The amphitheatre is a marvellous sight overlooking Tarragona, formerly called Tárraco in Roman times, the Mediterranean sea, with a capacity for an was a Roman capital of great importance. audience of 15,000 people. Each year in May, the Archaeological excavations have revealed a festival Tárraco Viva takes place for two weeks collection of Roman ruins which present an giving visitors the opportunity to immerse impressive picture of how life was during that era. In themselves in Roman life reenactments and fact this ensemble of exceptional importance was experiences. The video below by the Tourist Board declared to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tarragona is a taste of this, lmed in the in 2000. amphitheatre. Other highlights include the Roman circus and theatre, two integral aspects of Roman life, which the Romans considered essential for a good lifestyle. In our routes section you can nd the Roman Route, but some relics are even hidden in restaurants and rock bars in Tarragona’s historical centre, the Part Alta. 3. Tarragona Medieval Route The Cathedral is part of Tarragona’s Medieval Route, Amphitheatre © Manel Antolí (RV Edipress) which includes other highlights such as the King’s Castle, the Jewish Quarter, the Church of St. Lawrence and the city’s walls, which were originally Roman. Tarragona Spain Travel Guide - Travel Inspires Page 1 4 TARRAGONA TRAVEL GUIDE 2. Top Sights & Experiences 5. Wandering Around Tarragona’s Old Quarter Mercat Central (Central market) © Manel Antolí (RV Edipress) Merceria Street Arches 4. Tarragona Modernist Route Throughout Catalonia there are numerous One of my favourite streets is Carrer Merceria marvellous examples of Modernist Architecture and (Merceria Street), which takes you from the steps of Tarragona is no exception. the Cathedral to the Baixada del Patriarca, with its wonderful Gothic 14th century arches. The Tarragona Modernist Route takes you to twenty three examples of this genre dotted around the city, This was the location of the farmers’ market in the including the city’s slaughterhouse, the wonderful Middle Ages. These days you’ll nd a Sunday Ximeni’s house, the Central Market and the morning antique market there. fascinating boat-type architecture of the Metropol Theatre. 6. Tarragona’s Castellers Experience (Human Towers) While the tourist authority of the city has adopted the theme of Living History, which is certainly true, Castellers are an absolutely essential aspect of the identity and culture of Tarragona. Castellers, which translates into human towers, is a tradition that can be traced back to 1712, in the town of Valls in the province of Tarragona. The practice didn’t take long to spread to other places in Catalonia. 5. Wandering Around Tarragona’s Old Quarter Tarragona Spain Travel Guide - Travel Inspires Page 1 5 TARRAGONA TRAVEL GUIDE 2. Top Sights & Experiences Incredibly impressive and of huge social importance nowadays in the Catalan culture, these human 8. Tarragona Balcony of the Mediterranean towers can go up to ten tiers. Today across (Balcó del Mediterrani) Catalonia there are more than 15,000 people in over A beautiful balcony overlooking the Mediterranean, 100 groups passionately practising this amazing when you visit you need to “tocar ferro” which tradition. means to touch iron, on this special railing to bring you luck. Apart from the luck it is rumoured to bring you, the views are spectacular. Human castles © Manel R. Granell As Tarragona was one of the earliest adopters of Balcó del Mediterrani (Mediterranean “balcony”) © human towers, the city is immensely proud of this Manel Antolí (RV Edipress) tradition and visitors can marvel at this spectacle from late June until late October. 9. Saunter and sample in El Serrallo 7. National Museum of Archaeology El Serrallo is the shermen’s district of Tarragona. It (Tarragona Museu Nacional Arqueologic de is living history of the city’s shing tradition, which Tarragona) has been written about as far back as the 13th century. Website: https://www.mnat.cat/en/ Saunter around the labyrinth of cobbled streets with Originally a provincial museum in the middle of the its characterful, colourful narrow buildings.