What's on in Tarragona

Tarragona is a working port and university city down the coast from Barcelona, and it carries its Roman past more openly than almost anywhere in Spain. This was Tarraco, a provincial capital of the empire, and the amphitheatre above the sea, the circus and the long stretches of city wall are all still there to walk among. Below the old town the beaches and the fishing harbour at El Serrallo give it an easy, lived-in coastal feel rather than a resort one.

The autumn festival of Santa Tecla is the city's grandest, with human-tower castellers and giant figures filling the streets, while Sant Magí marks high summer. On Sant Joan, midsummer bonfires burn down on the beach, and the Ciutat de Tarragona international fireworks contest lights up the bay across several nights. Here's what's on while you're here.