Roman Route of Tarragona

The symbolic starting point of the route. The Carrer de Lleida is one of the historical entry points to the walled enclosure of Tarraco, and the first stretch of Roman wall is already visible from here. Orient yourself looking north: the terraced topography of the archaeological site becomes apparent from the start.

The first major monument: the 3rd-century BC walls, the oldest on the Iberian Peninsula. The Cyclopean blocks at the base contrast with the regular Roman ashlar above. The Passeig Arqueològic, between two curtain walls, is one of the most impressive walks in the Roman world. The Torre de Minerva and its relief carvings are essential.

The Plaça del Pallol occupies the centre of the ancient provincial forum of Tarraco — the administrative and religious heart of the Roman city. While much remains below ground, some columns and elements of the temple podium are visible. The provincial forum was one of the largest in the Empire outside Rome itself.

The western end of the Roman circus, reused as a medieval Praetorian palace and later as a royal prison. The tower gives the best panoramic view of the old town: from the top you simultaneously see the Roman circus (below), the medieval rooftops (around you) and the Mediterranean (on the horizon).

The main entrance to the Roman circus underground circuit is on the Plaça del Rei. This is where the walk through the barrel-vaulted galleries begins — the galleries that supported the tiers of the 325-metre circus, the longest on the Iberian Peninsula. The underground gallery is the most complete surviving example in Spain. Includes a scale model and explanation of chariot racing.

The Plaça de la Font, with its vermut terraces and Mediterranean atmosphere, sits on the site of the ancient colonial forum — the civic and commercial centre of the Roman city. Some excavations are visible through glass panels in the square. It is simultaneously the popular heart of modern Tarragona and of ancient Tarraco.

The Romanesque-Gothic cathedral of the 12th–14th centuries was built directly over the podium of the Roman Temple of Augustus. The Romanesque cloister is one of the finest works of medieval Catalan art. In the nave, some column drums and capitals are reused Roman material — the continuity between Roman temple and Christian cathedral is literally written in the stone.

Walking down the hillside toward the sea brings you to the 2nd-century AD amphitheatre — the only one in the western Roman world built facing the open sea. Capacity for 14,000 spectators, the arena where Bishop Fructuosus was martyred in 259 AD, and a Visigothic basilica built on top. The view from the upper terraces — the amphitheatre, Miracle Beach and the open Mediterranean — is probably the most moving of the whole route.

A ten-minute walk west of the amphitheatre, beside the River Francolí. The 3rd–5th century AD necropolis was the Christian cemetery of late Roman Tarraco and has over 2,000 excavated tombs. The attached museum preserves exceptional decorated sarcophagi. A lesser-known monument but historically significant.

4 km from the centre, the 1st-century AD Roman aqueduct — popularly known as the Devil's Bridge — measures 217 metres in length and is in an extraordinary state of preservation. It is not on the walking route, but if you have a car or bicycle it is absolutely worth the detour. The approach view of the aqueduct is one of the most photographed in Tarragona.

The perfect ending to the route. The MNAT brings together everything archaeology has recovered from Tarraco: mosaics, sculptures, inscriptions, everyday objects and the famous 2nd-century fish mosaic. Seeing here the objects you were imagining at the monuments gives the whole journey an extraordinary human dimension.