El Serrallo Tarragona – Fishing Quarter & Historic Port Guide

About El Serrallo Neighbourhood & Tarragona Port

El Serrallo is Tarragona’s historic fishing neighbourhood, located along the Costa Wharf at the heart of the city’s maritime port. The community took shape in the mid‑19th century, when construction of the Mediterranean railway corridor between Tarragona, Reus, Montblanc and Lleida displaced dock workers and fishermen from the shoreline. They resettled on a patch of reclaimed land that would become the El Serrallo we know today.

The first dwellings were simple wooden huts on wheels, used so families could move them away from storms and tides. In 1803 a board was formed to plan the layout of the maritime district, and by 1806 engineer Antoni López Sopella had documented the neighbourhood’s design. The final construction phase was authorised in 1868, coinciding with land reclamation and the expansion of the modern port. This period gave El Serrallo its characteristic narrow streets and rows of fishermen’s houses.

The church of Sant Pere, patron saint of fishermen, was built in 1880 and became the social and spiritual centre of the community. Even after the neighbourhood was established, fishing boats continued to be pulled up onto the beach beside the church until a protective wharf was constructed in 1942. The market building and school followed in 1946, supporting a growing maritime population.

Between 1965 and 1970, many families relocated when the Social Institute of the Navy built new housing for fishermen outside El Serrallo. The neighbourhood faced decline until the mid‑1980s, when a grassroots movement called Salve El Serrallo successfully campaigned for restoration funding from the Port Authority and Tarragona City Council. This revival preserved the district’s identity, traditions and architecture.

Today, El Serrallo is one of Tarragona’s most emblematic neighbourhoods, known for its seafood restaurants, active fishing fleet and strong maritime culture. Visitors can stroll past historic port cranes, old locomotives, colourful street murals and the moored fishing boats that supply the local kitchens each morning. The area remains a living reminder of Tarragona’s deep connection to the sea.

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El Serrallo Neighbourhood & Tarragona Port Summary of Prices

Map for El Serrallo Neighbourhood & Tarragona Port