When you come to Tarragona looking for its Roman treasures —like the Amphitheater, the Circus, the Walls, or the Les Ferreres Aqueduct— you often suddenly discover another monumental building that grabs your attention: the CaixaBank Tarraco Arena. Its impressive brick and stone facade and enormous size spark the curiosity of any traveler walking through the city.

Many tourists think it's a monument open to the public, but actually, the Tarraco Arena isn't open for tourist visits. You can only enjoy the venue during concerts, conferences, or cultural shows. Even so, many visitors come to admire it from the outside, amazed by its monumental size and what it represents: a bridge between Tarragona's history and future.

From Bullring to Cultural Hub

The story of the Tarraco Arena starts in 1881, when architect Ramon Salas Ricomà, one of Tarragona's most prominent figures at the time, was commissioned to design a bullring. The building was erected on the outskirts of the city, on the old Orleans bastion, in an area that was then uninhabited but very well connected thanks to the crossroads leading to Reus and Valls.

The municipal permit arrived in 1883, and in September, coinciding with the Santa Tecla festivities, the bullring was inaugurated. With an initial capacity of 17,000 spectators, it was one of the first works of New Modernism in Tarragona.

After several phases, the Tarragona Provincial Council acquired the building in 1949. Today, after a major transformation, it's a modern and high-tech venue, capable of hosting large events and internationally renowned shows.

Why does it spark so much curiosity among tourists?

Its monumental architecture
With a diameter of 94 meters, built with white stone and red brick, the Tarraco Arena is impressive even if you only see it from the outside. Even though you can't go inside, lots of travelers add it to their city tour just to admire and snap some photos.

A lively space, not a static building
Today, the Tarraco Arena is a multipurpose venue that can hold up to 10,800 people. Its retractable dome and modern setup have made it a popular spot for international concerts, conferences, theater shows, and the famous Concurso de Castells, which brings together thousands of spectators every two years.

A symbol bridging past and future
The Tarraco Arena connects Tarragona's historical heritage with its current cultural scene. Just admiring it from the outside is a way to discover the city's dual identity: one that holds onto its memories and another that looks to the future.

CaixaBank Tarraco Arena

The CaixaBank Tarraco Arena isn't a museum or open for tours, but it's definitely an icon of Tarragona. Lots of tourists come to see its architecture and understand how this World Heritage city has managed to reinvent a historic building into a cultural hub for today.

Just looking at the Tarraco Arena, even from the outside, helps you connect with the heart of Tarragona: a city where the past and future chat in every corner.