What’s Tarragona like?
I’ve had a few people write me about Tarragona, asking me “what’s it like? I’m thinking of possibly relocating there”.
In this post I’ll tell you our impressions. I’ll include a lot of photos. I’ll also include some opinions from members of our Facebook group (who had strong opinions, good and bad, on Tarragona).
What is Tarragona known for?
Tarragona was the Roman capital on the Iberian peninsula, known at the time as “Tarraco”. The whole of the city is filled with Roman sites and Roman ruins, some of them seemingly popping out of nowhere. Tarragona is one of Spain’s most historic cities and if you’re interested in Roman history it’s a place that should be high on your list. A bit more on Tarragona’s Roman History.
What else is Tarragona known for?
I’ve seen it described as a “beautiful coastal city” with “gorgeous beaches”
It’s not a big city, the population is about 130,000.
The port is one of the most important in Spain. Wikipedia “By 2024, it ranked as the most relevant port in Spain in terms of agricultural products, and it is also notable for its role in the petrochemical industry, coal, and cars, while it ranks as the top fishing port in Catalonia”.
Transportation links: There are two train stations; 1) “Camp de Tarragona” train station is a modern station outside the city catering to high-speed trains. You can get there by bus in about 20 minutes 2) “Tarragona train station” is in the city center and caters to regional travel. The bus station is in the city center.
The above are some facts I had read about Tarragona before going. But what is Tarragona like?
Our Impressions of Tarragona
We came to Tarragona via high-speed train, arriving at Camp de Tarragona outside the city. Despite it being a Sunday, a bus arrived within 15 minutes. The bus took 20 minutes to get us into the center.
The bus station in Tarragona is at the end of “Rambla Nova”: it is the main avenue in Tarragona, a 1 km stretch that takes you to the Balcón del Mediterráneo at its other extremity. Within the avenue is a wide pedestrian promenade filled with statues, monuments and shaded benches under trees. Off to the sides are some of the city’s most beautiful buildings, most dating from the mid-1800’s. You’ll find restaurants, cafés and boutique stores. Arriving here on a Sunday we were immediately impressed. Families walked the promenade, people drank coffee at the cafés. There was a very relaxed vibe and the surroundings were beautiful.
After stopping for lunch, we completed the walk to the Balcón del Mediterráneo. The views coming up to it were promising.
The views when we arrived and looked down.
I’ve had people ask me how Tarragona and its beaches compare to Malaga. I’ll be honest; a “city beach” for me is not a beach that has to be accessed through tunnels or overpasses. In Malaga (Alicante is another that comes to mind) the beaches are an extension of the city. In Tarragona you literally have to go to the other side of the train tracks. While the views of the Mediterranean are impressive (I was struck by all the ships) I was uninspired by the unattractive port facilities, train lines (and the road traffic next to it), and that thin sliver of beach.
So it Tarragona a good beach destination? I suppose you know what I think but I thought I’d Google it to see what others say.
I think the above are the most honest answers.
Bottom line for me: if you’re looking for a city with beaches, I personally don’t think Tarragona is a “beach city”.
Upper Town (Parta Alta)
Tarragona’s Old town is upward-sloping: the port is ground zero, from there the city ascends up a hill to the above mentioned Rambla Nova. Above the Rambla Nova it ascends further into what is known as the Upper Town (Parta Alta). There you´ll find most of the historical highlights such as the cathedral, city hall, the old walls as well as some Roman monuments.
What’s the upper town like?
There is a lot of beauty, particularly adjacent to any Roman ruins. Pleasant squares, clean and colourful buildings. Placa De La Font (where you’ll find city hall) is beautiful, Plaça del Fórum is very impressive (ruins in the middle of the square when the Roman Forum stood), Plaça del Rei is lovely and in the middle of a high concentration of Roman ruins. It’s not all beautiful: some of the alleys and buildings around the cathedral are full of graffiti and covered in bird poop (Tarragona sure has a lot of pigeons) and some of the streets just have drab modern-ish buildings.
Overall though, the Upper Town is a pleasant area with lots of beauty and some incredible history. Imagine living in a neighbourhood with 2,000 year old monuments all around you. I can’t get over that.
The Lower Town and El Serrallo
If the Upper Town is above the Rambla Nova, the Lower Town is below it.
Steps from the Rambla Nova, Tarragona’s Central Market is quite spectacular. A beautiful building built in the early 1900’s (it reminds one of a classic train station) it has the market on the ground floor and a large Mercadona in the basement. A mix of old and new. In front is a large square where they had an open air market where clothes, jewellery and other odds and ends were being sold. Right next to the Market is the Post Office.
It’s a nice area with stores, businesses and restaurants.
From there we walked further, heading down and towards the El Serrallo district (the fisherman’s district at the port).
Really, it’s all pretty crappy.
There are several Roman ruins in the area (key among them the Colonial Forum and the Tarraco Theatre) but they are surrounded by broken buildings, graffiti and garbage. You feel you stepped back into a scene from The Warriors (which just shows you how old I am).
El Serrallo is a popular area to come in Tarragona. On the seafront you’ll find colourful buildings and some restaurants, some street art (in the dingy backstreets behind the seafront buildings), a few museums and some huge port facilities (I mentioned up top the importance of Tarragona’s port).
You’ll also see some incredible yachts in the harbour.
Why these incredible yachts in Tarragona? One of our readers who lived in Tarragona told us: “The mega-yachts are just parked there. I believe that the Qatari Royal Family bought the port and upgraded it just for their boats. There was also a Saudi boat there and several others if you look them up. There’s a bar in the marina and the crews often hang out there in their free time, so you can get chatting to them in their off season. The boats seemed to move on in the summer. I think they just wanted a discrete, safe place to stash their assets”.
I find that very interesting.
Overall though, I didn’t find much inspiration coming to this part of the city.
People
We found the locals in Tarragona friendly. In fact, we’ve visited quite a few places around Catalonia on this trip (Tossa de Mar, Girona, Tarragona and Sitges) and have found the Catalans friendly and open to others. That’s just our relatively limited experience – some people have told us exactly the opposite.
Some Opinions on Tarragona
I asked members of our Facebook Group their opinions on Tarragona:
Andrew: “I lived in Tarragona for 5+ years 2016-2021. On the plus side, it’s fairly well connected, with decent (if rarely on time) trains to/from Barcelona and a few other spots. BUT the AVE station is miles out of town and the bus service there isn’t that great. There is an airport, which can be ok for European cities, especially in the summer. I think you have nailed the city in that the old town is quite beautiful and the ramblas are ok for strolling but much of the modern city is dirty and charmless. A few trees would go a long way. I loved the sea views and the beaches (the best ones are a short walk to the north east). I also liked the El Serallo port area for fish restaurants and also gawping at all the mega yachts. The climate is great. Can be a bit windy in winter, but usually mild and sunny. In the summer it is sticky and hot for about 6 weeks.
For me the worst side of living there was social. I thought the bar scene was frankly rubbish and whilst I did make some friends with some lovely locals, I found the average interaction rude and disinterested. There was very little spark about the place. I also found all the pro-independence graffiti and issues rather tiresome, (though that’s probably much less now). Learning Catalan will be useful here and the locals love it, though it’s not as essential as it might be in say Vic. All in a nice spot, with cool ruins and old town and fantastic city beaches and great climate, but socially poor – especially if you’re used to some other parts of the country”.
Anonymous (in response to the above): “I totally agree and I am from Barcelona considering always moving there, but the dirtiness and limited things going on, it makes me doubt, although the dirtiness and incivism it is in all Catalonia nowadays, not sure in the rest of Spain”.
Jeanne – “We find it a spectacularly beautiful, walkable, ancient city especially in summer when all the trees & flowers in full bloom!! Gorgeous sea views!!”
Paola (in response to someone asking how Tarragona compares to Malaga) – “Tarragona does not have Malaga’s charm and I didn’t find much to do. We stop in Malaga once or twice a year and always have plenty to do”.
“We are in Tarragona now for more days than needed. It has a lot of history, but the centro is kind of dirty. The beach is nice, but it’s not summer. We’re using it as a base to visit other nearby towns, but the Renfe infrastructure work is making short commutes a lot longer, with changes in trains, and sometimes even train-bus-train connections. I would recommend it as a day trip from Barcelona. We visited Reus-Gaudi’s birthplace, and also Sitges. Liked both”.
Alexandre: “We enjoyed a week there. We also took the train to Reus for a day trip. Lots of walking there”.
Our Opinion on Tarragona
I enjoyed the walking the Rambla Nova and sitting at our favorite café (Santagloria Coffee & Bakery). Afterwards we walked up to the Corte Ingles along an extension of the Rambla Nova (called Rambla President Lluís Companys), passing some little parks and fountains along the way. That’s when I said it: “I get why some people might like Tarragona”.
Lissette looked at me like I was crazy.
I don’t know why I said that, maybe I was momentarily seduced by the relaxed vibe, the friendly people we had met and the pedestrian-only promenades you’ll find in the city center.
Discussing it further, we both agreed that Tarragona isn’t a place where we could ever see ourselves. Really, there’s worse places than Tarragona. But it’s not a place we would choose.
What’s your opinion on Tarragona?
Related: What’s it like living in Tarragona?
Related: Spain’s Top Historic cities (that you should visit)
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