Coming from Barcelona Tarragona was the first stop on our trip through Catalonia in May 2014 and we managed to visit all 14 locations of the archaeological ensemble of Tarraco. I agree with other reviewers that Tarraco is not a brilliant WHS, there are far better examples of Roman arches, amphitheatres, villas and aqueducts on the WH list. But the special feature in Tarragona is the variety of monuments, there are traces of almost every aspect of an ancient metropolis. In this regard Tarraco is similar to Mérida, but I have not yet visited Mérida, so I cannot compare. A detailed model of Roman Tarraco at its heyday in the 2nd century A.D. provides a good impression of the size and the splendour of the ancient city. The model is shown at the Antigua Audiència (3, Placa del Pallol).

First we visited the sites outside the modern city of Tarragona, they are located north of the city and to the east along the route to Barcelona. I liked best the Aqueduct de les Ferreres (Pont del Diable) and the Quarry of El Mèdeol. Both are right off the motorway, you must not pass the toll station. The two-storey aqueduct is less impressive than the one in Segovia or the Pont du Gard, but it is well preserved and we enjoyed to cross the small valley on the top level.

There are several ancient quarries around Tarragona, El Médeol (accessible via the Médeol service area) is considered the most striking. The quarry is about 200 metres long and the almost vertical walls are up to 12 metres high. The marks where the limestone blocks were cut out of the rock are still visible (photo). An impressive stone needle has been left right in the centre of the quarry, so you can try to estimate the amount of stones that were removed from there. A hiking trail with several viewing platforms runs round the quarry, the interior is also accessible.

In Tarragona, most of the Roman ruins are located in the upper town, in the area of the medieval city. Noteworthy are the remains of the circus (parts of the vaults and the southern façade), the amphitheatre with its beautiful seaside location, and the early Christian necropolis southwest of the old city.

Other parts of the WHS are rather disappointing: the sparse ruins of the Roman theater, the excavations of the Villa Els Munts, or the Villa Centcelles which is just a domed room with fragments of mosaics.

Tarragona is a lovely city, we spent two days there and had time enough to visit the beautiful cathedral and to stroll through the streets and squares of the old town - like the Placa del Forum, where you can sit right next to the Roman remains. And in the evening, at our after-dinner stroll, we got a glimpse of an intangible world heritage: the "Castells" or human towers of Catalonia. By chance we came past the training hall of the local "Castellers" and we could watch a training session. Some of the spectators who expertly commentated the exercices tried to explain us the techniques and architecture of the various types of castells - quite complicated but entertaining to watch.