Transportation between Barcelona and Tarragona

The arena is a 10-minute walk from Tarragona's main train station. This is not the same as Camp de Tarragona station. So you need to re-check train schedules from Barcelona to the correct station. You can depart Barcelona Sants station at 8:00 or 8:30 and the train takes one hour.

Camp station is way way way inland -- you want the main station, which is right on the water, as is the arena.
If your event doesn't include lunch, then make a point of doing the lunch at the imperial Tarracco, inbetween the arena and the station, with great views and traditional food, excellent local wines. (Skip the casino)

1.) Congratulations on your attendance to the biggest gathering in the world of castellers (human towers) :)))))) Prepare to be amazed -and congratulations too in having been able to get a ticket, when they were put on sale last month they sold out in just two hours (literally!) -crazier than a Lady Gaga concert!

2.) Getting from Camp de Tarragona to Tarragona -which is roughly 8-10 miles away southbound- takes around 30' by bus. Unfortunately, bus and train arrivals are not synced though. Buses depart from Camp de Tarragona station from 8.20am onwards on Sundays, 6:20 am any other day (see right column for the schedule) and they arrive at the bus station in central Tarragona. Tickets are bought on the bus. From the bus station to Tarraco Arena there is a mere 5' walk (650 yards)

3.) There are also taxis at Camp de Tarragona.

4.) Alternatively, you can take a slow(er) -best described as "regular"- train from Barcelona-Sants to Tarragona (not Camp de Tarragona!). The city train station is located by the sea, at merely 15' walk (1200 yards) from the Tarraco Arena. For those, check Rodalies schedule (commuting lines). On Sunday, the first train departs at 6:33 am and it arrives in Tarragona at 7:44 am. Cost is between 7 and 8 € (depending on the type of train, whether R or RE, the later stops is fewer stations). Tickets are bought at the station on the day of the departure.

For those curious, @ebhatchett is attending the 27th Castle Competition of Tarragona, sort of the superbowl of this Catalan tradition in which the best "colles" (teams) that have finalised the season in the top positions compete for the title. This event is celebrated annually in a weekend in October in the Tarraco Arena in the city of Tarragona, 80 miles south of Barcelona. And if you want an insight on the thrilling tradition of human towers, see here.

Tarragona is a city full of wonderful eateries, but one that comes to mind and that's close to the Arena, is El Tiberi (literally, the "big meal", in Catalan, the local language). It's a no-frills very inexpensive buffet (under 15€ p.p.) offering typical traditional Catalan homecooked recipes. But note that on Sunday is opened from 1pm to 4pm only! Given the large attendance to the human towers event on this particular day, which is nearby, I advise to pre-book a table.

Enjoy!

We are so fortunate to have Enric here on the Forum!

I'm only just this moment noticing that the Husa hotel chain has been in financial difficulty and sold off the Imperial Tarraco hotel in May of 2017 -- can't tell if it has re-opened yet under new ownership after renovation. I really enjoyed my stay there -- I could see the beach beyond the arena from my balcony before walking down to it in the morning, and had a great night-time view of the restos as I went to sleep.

Take Enric's advice when he shares it, everyone!

(blush) Thanks :))

Back in the mid-90s, I used to "live" at the Imperial Tarraco from Mon to Thu for several months on a row while working on a project for Tarragona's major savings bank. Back then it was a good hotel albeit a sort of an 'old glory' from better times.