The Provincial Forum of Tàrraco stood on the highest ground of the Roman city, on a series of terraces that rose above the lower town and the harbour, and it was the place where the province itself, not just the city, was on display. Delegates from towns across Hispania Citerior met here to organise the cult of the emperor and to send their petitions to Rome. A large temple of Augustus stood in the upper part, and what remains of the forum is incorporated into the medieval centre, with a tower, the Torre del Pretori, and sections of wall visible among the later houses. The site is part of the UNESCO ensemble of 2000.
Tarragona's cathedral stands on the same hill, on what was probably the site of the main temple, and the combination of Roman stone, Romanesque apse and Gothic cloister gives the upper town its character. The cathedral cloister has a small garden and a doorway carved with a procession of animals, a mock funeral of a hunter attended by cats and rabbits. The streets around are narrow, and the walls of the old town carry traces of enormous Roman blocks, laid without mortar, which have survived two thousand years.
For a rider, the old upper town is best left to walkers, though the roads around it have fine views of the sea. Take the road along the walls, the Passeig Arqueològic, which circles part of the Roman and medieval fortifications, and the sea balcony at the end of the Rambla Nova. From there, a day in the Camp de Tarragona is easy. The hills behind the city, with the monastery of Poblet and the slate slopes of the Priorat, give much better riding than the coast.
Fuel and food are plentiful in a city of this size. In the upper town the restaurants tend to be pricier, so walk down to the Serrallo or the market for a more local meal. In summer, the sun on the stone can be intense, and the best light for photographs is in the late afternoon, when the walls turn honey-coloured. Parking a bike near the walls is possible in marked bays, but luggage should not be left on it.