Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
doors, surmounted by a cross and an elaborate rose window. Except for during services, en-
trance to the cathedral is through the lovely
cloisters
(
claustre
; signposted up a street to the
left of the facade), where among several oddly sculpted capitals is one representing a cat's
funeral being directed by rats. The ticket also gives access to the
Museu Diocesà
, piled high
with ecclesiastical treasures.
Museu Nacional Arqueològic
Pl. del Rei 5 • June-Sept Tues-Sat 9.30am-8.30pm, Sun 10am-2pm; Oct-May Tues-Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun
10am-2pm • €2.40 •
mnat.cat
Tarragona has several museums - dedicated among other things to modern art, old weapons,
the port and harbour and the noble Castellarnau family - but the only essential visit is to the
archeology museum, the
MuseuNacionalArqueològic
. The huge collection is a marvellous
reflection of the richness of imperial Tarraco, with thematic displays on the various remains
andbuildingsaroundthecity,aswellaswholeroomsdevotedtoinscriptions,mosaics,sculp-
ture, ceramics and jewellery.
Roman Tarragona: Museu d'Història de Tarragona
April-SeptTues-Sat9am-9pm,Sun&hols9am-3pm;Oct-MarchTues-Sat9am-7pm,Sun&hols10am-3pm
• Each site €3.15, joint ticket to all €10.55, under-16s free •
museutgn.com
The local Roman sites are grouped together under the umbrella of the
Museu d'Història de
Tarragona
(Tarragona History Museum) and all with the same opening hours and admission
details. These start most spectacularly with the
Pretori i Circ Romans
(entered from Pl. del
Rei), built at the end of the first century AD to hold chariot races. The vaults and chambers
have been restored to spectacular effect, while a lift takes you up to the roof of the tower for
the best view in Tarragona, looking down over the nearby
Amfiteatre
. There may only be
scant remains of the ceremonial provincial forum (Pl. del Fòrum), but the
Fòrum Local
(c/
Lleida, a short walk west of Rambla Nova, near the central market) is far more impressive,
where the evocative remains of temple, shops, Roman road and house foundations can still
be seen. Other remains lie further out, including those of the ancient
necropolis,
where both
pagan and Christian tombs have been uncovered - this lies a twenty-minute walk from the
centre, down Avinguda Ramon i Cajal, off Rambla Nova.
Aqüeducte de les Ferreres
Off N240, Lleida road • Open access • Free • Take the bus marked “Sant Salvador” (every 30min; 10min) from
the stop outside Av. Prat de la Riba 11 (western end of Rambla Nova and off Av. Ramon i Cajal)
Perhaps the most remarkable of Tarragona's monuments stands 4km outside the original city
walls, namely the
Roman aqueduct
, which brought water from the Riu Gayo, some 32km
distant. The most impressive extant section, nearly 220m long and 26m high, lies in an over-
grown valley, off the main road, in the middle of nowhere, and is popularly known as the
Pont del Diable
(“Devil's Bridge”).
