Our upcoming trip to Spain will begin in Barcelona. We will arrive on a transatlantic cruise in early May, 2027. We expect a 4-5 day stay in the area. (Barcelona is the final destination of our cruise. We will not be continuing on with the ship). I have been researching hotels in an expanding circle from Barcelona city center to the suburbs and have discovered Tarragona.
Tarragona seems an interesting town (worth a visit of its own) with nice hotels with reasonable prices (i.e. better than Barcelona prices), only an hour train ride from downtown Barcelona. Would it be a reasonable base for exploring the area? Would an hour train ride into Barcelona and another hour ride back be worth the effort? Or would it be better to bite the bullet and pay the Barcelona prices and just do a day trip to Tarragona?