I was looking for a place to break my journey between Barcelona and Valencia, and Tarragona seems to be the ideal place for me to spend a night. About one-and-a-half hour away by bus from Barcelona's El Prat airport, direct bus service links the gateway to Barcelona with several renown coastal resort towns such as Tarragona, Reus, Salou, and Cambrils.
The bus from Barcelona El Prat airport leaves from the bus station in front of Terminal One and arrives at Tarragona's main bus station, situated at the centre of Tarragona. From the bus station, it is a 20-minutes walk uphills along the main throughfare of the city - Rambla Nova - to the Old Town of Tarragona, where most of the city's tourist attractions are.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to Tarragona to visit its Roman and medieval town centre, now a UNESCO inscribed World Heritage site. Among the Roman ruins is a well-preserved Roman amphitheatre right next to the town's beautiful beach; city walls and ramparts from the Roman times, as well as houses, markets, ancient Roman streets etc. Numerous Roman ruins lay side by side with medieval houses and 18th century buildings, making the entire city centre a vast open-air museum.
In addition, Tarragona is also very well know for the beautiful sandy beach and its mild, sunny climate. Its proximity to Barcelona makes it a popular day-trip destination for visitors from all over the world.
The atmosphere of the town resembles some of the smaller towns on the French Riviera, except that prices in Tarragona are so much more affordable than its French counterparts. For as little as 50 euros per night, one could get a nice room with a lovely view of the Mediterranean in a nice hotel. And there are several good restaurants and cafes in the city centre offering good food at reasonable prices.
The main shopping mile of the city is the Rambla Nova, pictured above, lined with shops, boutiques, restaurants and chic hotels on both sides of the pedestrian zone in the centre of the boulevard. Another popular place for locals to wine and dine is the Placa de la Font, the big square in front of Tarragona's Town Hall, with a great variety of tapas bars, bistro, taverns , cafes and restaurants serving local cuisines and freshly prepared snacks.
For those who prefer fresh seafood and chargrilled fish for dinner, the place to go in Tarragona is the district near the recently revamped harbour areas, next to the marina and the fish market. Rows of seafood restaurants line the area, and the ambience is very pleasant for al fresco dining, with nice fountains, spacious squares and some seaview, although most of the restaurants only start operating in the early evenings. So don't come too early to avoid disappointment.
Copyrights@2011. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
The bus from Barcelona El Prat airport leaves from the bus station in front of Terminal One and arrives at Tarragona's main bus station, situated at the centre of Tarragona. From the bus station, it is a 20-minutes walk uphills along the main throughfare of the city - Rambla Nova - to the Old Town of Tarragona, where most of the city's tourist attractions are.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to Tarragona to visit its Roman and medieval town centre, now a UNESCO inscribed World Heritage site. Among the Roman ruins is a well-preserved Roman amphitheatre right next to the town's beautiful beach; city walls and ramparts from the Roman times, as well as houses, markets, ancient Roman streets etc. Numerous Roman ruins lay side by side with medieval houses and 18th century buildings, making the entire city centre a vast open-air museum.
In addition, Tarragona is also very well know for the beautiful sandy beach and its mild, sunny climate. Its proximity to Barcelona makes it a popular day-trip destination for visitors from all over the world.
The atmosphere of the town resembles some of the smaller towns on the French Riviera, except that prices in Tarragona are so much more affordable than its French counterparts. For as little as 50 euros per night, one could get a nice room with a lovely view of the Mediterranean in a nice hotel. And there are several good restaurants and cafes in the city centre offering good food at reasonable prices.
The main shopping mile of the city is the Rambla Nova, pictured above, lined with shops, boutiques, restaurants and chic hotels on both sides of the pedestrian zone in the centre of the boulevard. Another popular place for locals to wine and dine is the Placa de la Font, the big square in front of Tarragona's Town Hall, with a great variety of tapas bars, bistro, taverns , cafes and restaurants serving local cuisines and freshly prepared snacks.
For those who prefer fresh seafood and chargrilled fish for dinner, the place to go in Tarragona is the district near the recently revamped harbour areas, next to the marina and the fish market. Rows of seafood restaurants line the area, and the ambience is very pleasant for al fresco dining, with nice fountains, spacious squares and some seaview, although most of the restaurants only start operating in the early evenings. So don't come too early to avoid disappointment.
Copyrights@2011. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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