Roman Circus and Praetorian Tower

Roman chariot-racing track buried under the medieval town — long underground tunnels still walkable

Address Carrer de Sant Hermenegild, 43003 Tarragona
Opening Hours Tue–Sat 09:00–21:00 (summer); shorter in winter; Sun 10:00–15:00
Admission €3.30; combined Roman ticket €11.05

A peculiar archaeological site: most of the chariot-racing circus is invisible because it lies under the medieval old town, but you can walk through the surviving sections — the vaulted subterranean tunnels that once supported the seating, the curved eastern end visible from the Plaça del Rei, and the connected Praetorian Tower (12th-century medieval, with Roman foundations) which now serves as the museum's entrance.

The Praetorian Tower has the best panoramic view in the old town — climb the four floors to the roof for a 360-degree perspective over Tarragona, the cathedral, and the Mediterranean. The connecting tunnels are atmospheric and worth the visit.

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A story
The Tarragona Circus is one of the best-preserved Roman circuses in the western Empire because it was buried — rather than demolished — when the medieval city was built on top of it in the 12th century. The vaulted tunnels under the seating remained accessible as cellars and storerooms throughout the Middle Ages, and most of the circus structure was rediscovered only when archaeologists started clearing the cellars in the 1970s. The track itself, 325 metres long, ran underneath what is now the Plaça de la Font.

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