Barcelona to Tarragona and Sitges: Private day trip

Ancient Tarraco was Rome's first Iberian capital — its amphitheatre on the sea cliffs, circus beneath the medieval streets and forum preserved within a city of Gothic cathedral and fishing-harbour charm.

What to see

• The Roman Amphitheater sits directly on the sea cliffs above the Mediterranean
• The Circ Romà ran directly beneath what is now the medieval city — underground vaulted galleries stretching 325 meters are accessible
• The Passeig Arqueològic follows the ancient city walls, where Roman ramparts sit below medieval and 18th-century fortifications in visible geological layers of successive occupation

What to eat

• Romesco sauce — invented in Tarragona's fishing villages and one of Catalonia's essential condiments

Sitges is the most glamorous resort town on the Costa Daurada — whitewashed modernista villas, a clifftop church above the sea and a beach culture entirely its own.

What to see

• A whitewashed resort town of extraordinary architectural character — modernista villas, baroque churches and the clifftop church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla above the sea
• The Museu Cau Ferrat — the former studio-house of modernista artist Santiago Rusiñol, built into the cliffside above the sea
• The old town behind the church rewards a slow wander through streets of painted facades, independent boutiques and terrace bars