Guide to Shopping in Tarragona: From Trendy Streets to Unique Markets august 21, 2024 – Posted in: Spain, Travel – Tags: , , , , ,

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Where to Shop in Tarragona?

If you’re heading shopping in Tarragona, here’s a guide to the streets in this lovely holiday town where you can find the best stores. Many people visit Tarragona on a day trip from Barcelona, so it’s helpful to know where the best shopping areas are in advance to save time!

Tarragona offers not only historical sights and fantastic beaches but also plenty of great shops. Whether you’re looking for clothes & shoes, fun souvenirs, or delicious delicacies, Tarragona has something for everyone.

The human pyramid on Rambla Nova

The human pyramid on Rambla Nova

Great Shopping Streets in Tarragona

We start on Rambla Nova, the large promenade in Tarragona shown in the image above. Rambla Nova runs all the way from Balcó del Mediterrani, the beautiful viewpoint, up to the statue of the great human pyramid. Here on Rambla Nova, tourists from all corners of the world gather in a wonderful mix of souvenir stalls, cafés, chain stores, and bookstores.

Along the way, you can explore all the small side streets. There are plenty of local shops offering a wide selection of clothing, shoes, home goods, and toys. From Rambla Nova, you can also turn onto the parallel street Carrer D’August, one of the larger pedestrian streets in Tarragona. From here, and between Rambla Nova and Rambla Vella, you’ll find many lovely shops.

Part Alta – The Old Town

From Rambla Nova, we move into the old town (Part Alta). The narrow, cobbled streets are charmingly beautiful, and you can still find ruins from earlier times in many of the shops. If you’re looking for antiques and art, this part of town is where you should shop, as you’ll also find many jewelers. Be sure to visit Carrer Major and Carrer Merceria for cozy shops with souvenirs, ceramics, and leather goods.

Mercado de Tarragona

Mercado de Tarragona

Food Markets in Tarragona

Instead of navigating the maze of the old town, you can head south from Rambla Nova to Plaça de Corsini. Here you’ll find the city’s large food market, Mercado de Tarragona. On the square in front of the market, you can shop at one of the many stalls selling inexpensive clothes and shoes or enjoy a coffee at one of the square’s cafés.

Inside, there are several small food stalls where locals enjoy a quick refreshment between shopping for vegetables, fish, and cheese. In the basement, you’ll find a huge Mercadona supermarket.

Shopping Malls in Tarragona

Tarragona has several shopping centers offering everything from international brands to local stores. The city’s largest shopping center is Parc Central, located about a 15-minute walk west of the food market. Here, you can really shop to your heart’s content with over 120 stores. You’ll find local and international brands like Mango, Zara, Tezenis, Massimo Dutti, and Primark.

Souvenirs – What to Bring Home from Tarragona?

Castellers from servirepro

Castellers from Servirepro

At the end of Rambla Nova and a few blocks further out lies the charming department store El Corte Inglés. It’s quite similar to our own department stores, and here you can find a wide range of fashion, perfume, and gourmet treats.

Tarragona has plenty of beautiful clothing and delightful Spanish shoes that you’ll be happy to take home as a daily-use souvenir. If you’d rather take an edible souvenir home, there’s cheese and ham from the food market, as well as locally produced olive oil and Catalan wine.

Tarragona also boasts many souvenir shops, and in Part Alta, you’ll find artisan shops where you can buy unique keepsakes. At the end of Rambla Nova, we found the best souvenir, which will forever remind us of a lovely vacation in Tarragona.

The city is famous for its human pyramids, Castells, like the one you can also see on Rambla Nova. At the print shop Servirepro on Carrer del Pare Palau 8, they also sell paper cutouts, and Trine, who creates paper decorations at Lou Noire, couldn’t resist the small figures forming the finest pyramid.

Opening Hours in Tarragona

Most shops in Tarragona are open from 9 or 10 AM and close for lunch at 1:30 PM. After siesta, they reopen around 4-5 PM until 8 PM. The large shopping centers are open from 9 AM to 9 PM, Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, only souvenir shops in tourist areas and small kiosks are open.

More Tips for Your Vacation in Tarragona

Bus from Barcelona Airport to Tarragona - remember to check the latest schedule at the link!

Bus from Barcelona Airport to Tarragona – remember to check the latest schedule at the link!

How to Get to Tarragona?

It’s easy to travel from Barcelona to Tarragona. If you land at Barcelona Airport, you can take a direct bus down the coast. The bus company Plana runs about once an hour to Tarragona from both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Be aware of which terminal you land in, as there is a 15-minute difference between departure times. It costs €17 and takes about an hour and a half. You can buy tickets on the bus with cash or on Omio. Click here to see the latest schedule!

If you are already in Barcelona, you can take the train from Passeig De Gràcia Station, which takes about an hour and fifteen minutes and costs €9.

Where to Stay in Tarragona?

If you really want to pamper yourself during your vacation in Tarragona, we highly recommend Hotel H10 Imperial Tarraco. We stayed here with a splendid view over the amphitheater and Torre de les Monges. The room is spacious and bright with several sections. Additionally, there is a huge bathroom with two sinks and so much closet space that there is easily room for all the belongings of a family of four.

Hotel H10 Imperial Tarraco also offered a truly excellent breakfast. The selection was exquisite, with just the right ham, fluffy pancakes, crispy croissants, sliced fruit, etc. From the restaurant, you can access one of the pools, and the other pool can be found on the top of the hotel at the rooftop bar.

Hotel H10 Imperial Tarraco is located at Balcó del Mediterrani, the city’s best viewpoint and right where everything happens. It is quite peaceful in the evenings, precisely because Tarragona has many day-trippers who only use the city during the day. Tarragona’s city center is small enough that you can stay at a slightly cheaper place and still be within walking distance of all the sights. See the wide selection of good hotels in Tarragona or conduct your own search right here:



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