Tarragona is a port city located in the north-east of Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the Tarragona province, and part of the Tarragonès county and Catalonia region. Geographically, it is bordered on the north by the province of Barcelona and the province of Lleida. The city has a population of 134,085.

The Roman ruins of Tarraco have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Part of the bases of large Cyclopean walls near the Cuartel de Pilatos are thought to pre-date the Romans. The building just mentioned, a prison in the 19th century, is said to have been the palace of Augustus. The 2nd century amphitheatre, near the sea-shore, was extensively used as a quarry after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and but few vestiges of it now remain. A circus, c. 450 m long, was built over in the area now called Plaça de la Font, though portions of it are still to be traced. Throughout the town Latin, and even apparently Phoenician, inscriptions on the stones of the houses mark the material used for buildings in the town.

Two ancient monuments, at some little distance from the town, have, however, fared rather better. The first of these is the Aqüeducte de les Ferreres, which spans a valley about 4 kilometres (2 miles) north of the city. It is 217 m (712 ft) in length, and the loftiest arches, of which there are two tiers, are 26 m (85 ft) high. There is a monument about 6 km (4 mi) along the coast road east of the city, commonly called the "Tower of the Scipios"; but there is no authority for assuming that they were buried here.

Other Roman buildings include:

• The Roman walls
• The capitol, or citadel
• The Amphitheatre
• The Roman circus
• The Pretorium - Tower
• The Forum
• The Necropolis
• The palace of Augustus, called the house of Pilate
• The so-called tower, or sepulchre, of the Scipios
• Arch of Sura, or of Bara
• The Aurelian Way.
• The city is also home to the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.

Religious buildings:

• The Cathedral, dating to the 12th-13th centuries, combining Romanesque and Gothic architectural elements.
• The convent of the Poor Clares, near the walls
• The convent of Santa Teresa
• The church of the Capuchins, the parish church of the port
• The former convent of Sant Francesc
• The Jesuit college was turned into barracks, their church, however, has been restored to them
• The convent of the Dominicans, now the town hall
• The archiepiscopal palace, situated on the site of the ancient capitol, one tower of which still remains. It was rebuilt in the 19th century.
• Near the sea, in the Roman amphitheatre, are the remains of a church called Santa Maria del Miracle (Holy Mary of the Miracle), which belonged to the Knights Templar. It was afterwards used by the Trinitarian Fathers, and was later converted into a penitentiary. It was demolished around 1915.

While imprisoned in Rome, St Paul stated his wish to visit Spain on a preaching tour. There is no record whether or not he was able to complete his task. If he did, then Tarragona was almost certainly one of the cities he would have reached. Others possible destinations include Tolosa (Toulouse) and Zaragosa (the main Roman supply centre).