National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona
MuseumCatalonia’s oldest archaeological museum currently isn’t where you’d expect to find it. Its historic home has been closed for renovation since 2018, and its finest Roman treasures are on temporary display inside a converted 20th-century port warehouse instead.
Catalonia’s oldest, temporarily somewhere else
Founded in 1848 from artefact collections already gathered in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona (MNAT) is the oldest institution of its kind in Catalonia — predating the modern discipline of archaeology in the region by decades. Since 2018, its purpose-built home on Plaça del Rei has been undergoing a full renovation and remodelling, and a carefully chosen selection of its best pieces has been relocated in the meantime to Tinglado 4, a former dockside warehouse in Tarragona’s working port, under the name “Tarraco/MNAT.” It’s a genuinely unusual way to encounter world-class Roman artefacts — not in a marble-floored gallery, but inside an industrial-era shed a short walk from fishing boats.
More than one building — the whole Roman landscape
What makes MNAT unusual internationally is the sheer scope of what it actually manages. Beyond its central collection, the museum is directly responsible for the Roman Theatre of Tarraco, the Early Christian Necropolis, the Roman Villa of Els Munts at Altafulla, and two sites already scattered across this coast: the Roman Villa of Centcelles, with its hidden Christian dome mosaic, and the Arch of Berà, misnamed after the wrong historical figure for centuries. Rather than a single building holding artefacts removed from their context, MNAT functions as the custodian of an entire Roman landscape, with the objects and the ground they came from managed as one connected story.
The Ivory Doll
A delicate 3rd–4th century ivory figure found inside a young girl’s tomb in Tarraco’s Early Christian Necropolis, among the collection’s most iconic single objects.
The Medusa
Widely regarded as the finest mosaic ever found at Tarraco, discovered in the ruins of a Roman house within the city.
150 years of digging
Most of the collection was recovered not from planned excavations alone, but from the accidental discoveries that came with Tarragona’s own urban growth and the expansion of its modern port.
Faces of the empire
Sculpted portraits of imperial figures including Marcus Aurelius sit alongside everyday Roman objects — coins, tools, amphorae and funerary items.
Frequently asked questions
Is the museum’s main building currently open?
No — the Plaça del Rei headquarters has been closed for renovation since 2018. A selection of the collection is on display at Tinglado 4 in the Port of Tarragona in the meantime.
What is Tinglado 4?
A former warehouse in Tarragona’s working port, now hosting the “Tarraco/MNAT” exhibition of the museum’s finest pieces while its permanent home is renovated.
What other sites does MNAT manage?
The Roman Theatre of Tarraco, the Early Christian Necropolis, the Roman Villa of Els Munts, the Roman Villa of Centcelles, and the Arch of Berà, among others — the whole Roman Tarraco landscape rather than one single building.
Why is it considered Catalonia’s oldest archaeological museum?
It was founded in 1848 from artefact collections already assembled in earlier centuries, making it the region’s earliest institution dedicated specifically to archaeology.
Explore more of the Costa Dorada
The National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona is one of many destinations on the CostaMap interactive map — browse beaches, villages, castles and viewpoints across the whole coast.
This place is part of our Costa Dorada Guide: Beaches, Roman Tarragona and PortAventura — see every town, beach and cove we have mapped on that coast.
How this page is maintained. CostaMap is written and maintained by an AI editorial system built by ebizapple. Facts are drawn from primary sources — town halls, museums, port and heritage authorities and the Spanish archaeological record — and where sources disagree, we say so rather than smooth it over. Photographs marked as ours are taken on location. This page was last reviewed on 10 August 2026. Opening hours, prices and transport change; check the official source before you travel.