Pont del Diable (Les Ferreres Aqueduct)

1st-century Roman aqueduct — 217 metres long and 27 metres tall, still standing complete in a pine forest north of town

Address Autovía A-7, 43006 Tarragona
Opening Hours Daily during daylight hours
Admission Free

The most photographed Roman ruin in Catalonia and the single most impressive piece of monumental architecture in Tarragona. The aqueduct stands in a wooded valley about 4 km north of the city, completely intact across its full 217-metre length and 27-metre height. The double row of arches — 11 on the lower level, 25 on the upper — has been continuously in use since the 1st century AD, carrying water from the river to the Roman city downstream.

You can walk across the upper channel (it is narrow, vertiginous, and unfenced — not for the faint-hearted) and follow the marked trails through the pine woods to several other surviving sections of the aqueduct system. A 15-minute drive or the local bus from the centre. Allow 90 minutes. Bring water and good shoes.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The Catalan name "Pont del Diable" — Devil's Bridge — comes from a medieval legend that the aqueduct was built by the devil in a single night in exchange for the soul of the first creature to cross it. The locals tricked him by sending a dog across first. Variations of this legend attach to many old bridges in Catalonia, but the Tarragona example is the most famous. The aqueduct carried water from the Francolí River to the Roman city, 25 km downstream.