Trains to Tarragona

Tarragona train stations

Tarragona is on the north-eastern coast of Spain. A seaside city that’s just an hour by train south of its big sister, Barcelona, it was once the Roman capital of the Iberian Peninsula, and it shows! Roman ruins are scattered about the small city, as part of its living history, and make for compelling sightseeing. It is, in addition, a proud heartland of Catalan culture and an increasingly popular holiday destination, with white-sand beaches, plenty of lively tapas bars and street-side cafes. It has two railways stations — Estación de Tarragona in the south of the city, close to the port, and Estación Camp de Tarragona, approximately 11 km north of the city, between the towns of Perafort and La Secuita. Tarragona station in the city is the hub for local services, especially to and from Barcelona and Valencia, while the Camp de Tarragona station is the centre for high-speed services on medium-distance and long-distance routes.

 Tarragona train station

The city’s train station is a relatively unadorned rectangular building, that’s simple and functional. Its 11 routes cover local, medium-distance and long-distance services. One of the most popular journeys is from Barcelona, with 34 trains daily, and the fastest journey time is 49 minutes. This route is offered by several different Renfe services, including Euromed, AVE Intercity, and Avant. The train to Valencia is another busy service, with 14 trains a day and a journey time of 2h00mins. Outside the station, there are taxi services and local buses into the city. However, many of its sights are within easy walking distance. The Roman amphitheatre, for example, is only an 8-minute walk along the seafront. The two Tarragona train stations are also linked by bus, with Camp de Tarragona a 20-minute journey away for travellers transferring to the high-speed services running from there. 

Camp de Tarragona train station

Camp de Tarragona train station opened in 2006. It is a modern, angular building featuring concrete and glass in a functional but contemporary style. It has eight tracks, four of which are through-tracks, and the other four are platform-tracks. The usual station services, such as a travel centre, parking and retail outlets, can all be found here. The station sits on the high-speed line between Barcelona and Madrid, with 15 trains a day to Madrid on the Renfe-run AVE high-speed service, with the fastest journey time being 2h04mins. There are 23 trains a day to Barcelona, with a short journey time of 34 minutes. There is also a link to Paris, via Barcelona, offered by the Renfe AVE service and the French SNCF-run TGV service. The station itself is not in any town centre, but there are good bus services to Reus and Salou, as well as to the city, conveniently linking the two Tarragona train stations.