South first, then north. Tarragona is 30 minutes from Barcelona on the AVE: Roman Tarraco, the amphitheatre on the cliff, the Rambla Nova down to the Mediterranean. Then north to Figueres - the last Catalan town before the French border and the birthplace of Salvador Dali, who designed his own museum here. Two very different cities; both within easy reach of Barcelona by high-speed rail.
Getting There
AVE from Barcelona Sants to Tarragona: 30 minutes, approximately €10-20 in advance. Tarragona station is a 10-minute flat walk from the main streets.
Nights One and Two: Tarragona
Tarragona was Tarraco, the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Citerior from the 3rd century BC, and has more UNESCO-listed Roman remains than anywhere else in Spain outside Madrid's surrounding area.
The Amphitheatre sits on the cliff edge overlooking the Mediterranean. The physical layout is almost completely flat at field level; the seating banks are stone steps. In March, with the site largely unoccupied, you can walk the arena floor at recovery pace. Entry approximately €4.
The Rambla Nova runs from the old town down to the Balco del Mediterrani (Balcony of the Mediterranean), a viewpoint terrace at the cliff edge with a 180-degree view across the bay. The walk from the amphitheatre to the balcony along the cliff path is 500 metres of flat promenade.
The Cathedral de Tarragona - begun in 1171 on the site of the Roman temple of Augustus and the subsequent Moorish mosque - is one of the best examples of Catalan Romanesque-Gothic transitional architecture. The cloister surrounds a garden with an orange tree at its centre. Entry around €5.
March in Tarragona: 12-16°C, more settled weather than the interior. The old town's narrow streets provide shelter from rain.
Where to stay: Hotel Lauria on the Rambla Nova is central and within five minutes of everything. Hotel Placa de la Font in the old town is quieter.
Where to eat: The Mercat Central sells the produce of the Costa Daurada - anchovy from l'Escala, romesco sauce, calcots (giant spring onions in season in March, eaten with romesco in a ceremony involving bibs). El Llagut on Carrer de Natzaret: serious Tarragona seafood cooking.
Nights Three and Four: Figueres
AVE or Renfe high-speed from Tarragona to Figueres-Vilafant runs through Barcelona (no change required on some services), approximately 1 hour 15 minutes total.
Figueres is the last major town before the French border, the capital of the Alt Emporda, and the birthplace of Salvador Dali.
The Teatre-Museu Dali - the largest surrealist object in the world, as Dali described it - was built in and around the ruins of the 19th-century Municipal Theatre. Dali designed the museum himself, beginning in 1961 and opening it in 1974. The exterior (red castle-like structure, giant eggs, geodesic domes, moat and drawbridge) announces what the interior delivers. Every ceiling, floor, and wall is either a Dali piece or arranged by Dali to create a specific visual effect. The museum is largely flat, with lifts between levels. Allow 2-3 hours. Entry approximately €15; advance booking strongly recommended at salvador-dali.org.
The Tramuntana wind blows from the north down through the Pyrenean gap into the Emporda plain. In March it can be cold and very strong; it can also die completely. Check the forecast.
Where to stay: Hotel Rambla on the Rambla in Figueres is central and comfortable. Mas Falgarona, a rural Catalan farmhouse 3 kilometres from the centre, is the atmospheric option if a hire car is available.
Where to eat: El Motel restaurant (Motel Emporda, formally named and highly regarded) is where Dali ate when in Figueres. The kitchen has maintained a reputation for serious Catalan-Empordanese cooking for 50 years.
Getting Home
Direct high-speed trains from Figueres-Vilafant to Barcelona Sants: 55 minutes. From Barcelona Sants, Metro L9 or Aerobús to Barcelona El Prat Airport in 30-40 minutes.