Hubby is a Roman history nut, so this a must-do, regardless. Although might be doable as one day on short daylight, either soon or next winter, we'll stay overnight. Are there guides and really good travel offices? We'd really like the benefit of someone with knowledge of history, the sites and any funny problems like closings and hard to find entrances. May be our one splurge.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
The impressive Roman aqueduct is 4 km north of the town, a must see. This website http://www.virtourist.com/europe/tarragona/index.html gives you good visuals of Tarragona.Rick doesn't cover Tarragona in his Spain book, you could browse the Michelin Green Guide or other guidebooks to determine if their coverage of Tarragona justifies the price of the book.
Posted by
OP
Brooklyn, NY
17 posts
Thanks. Aqueduct by bus?
Tourism said I'd have to call, but no info. Wish Rick would cover day trips from Barcelona. Those contacts are the invaluable parts of his books.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
I don't know the bus schedules there. I drove. It's only 2 to 3 miles north of town center, how much can the taxi ride cost? You have the taxi wait or come back at a set time.
Posted by
Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
324 posts
Marjorie,
As another nut, I envy your husband his first magical glimpse of the amphitheater overlooking the sea. I really like Tarragona in general, and its fairly well organized Roman stuff in particular. My recollection is that the guard at the amphitheater was reasonably knowledgeable, but that no official guide was available. The circus, while extremely well presented as a museum, was sadly lacking in information. There were several other small museums that had good information about the Roman city, but we stumbled upon them and I don't remember addresses or names offhand. In any event, Tarragona is small and definitely worth just strolling around. I hate to tempt you, but since we're talking about a splurge, you might want to consider taking a trip a bit up the coast to L'Escala to visit Empúries. As first the Greeks, then the Romans, and then early Christians came to this emporium, they settled adjacent parcels of land. All of this is remarkably well preserved and excavated, within earshot of the waves lapping a gorgeous beach. Probably the most complete forum I've ever walked through. But I digress... I'll look into guides and visiting hours if you give me a better idea of the exact dates of your trip. It'll give me a good excuse to make a day trip myself.
Posted by
OP
Brooklyn, NY
17 posts
Many thanks. I emailed you.