Location

Top 5 essential visits in Tortosa

1.Ebro Delta Natural Park. One of the most important aquatic habitats in the Mediterranean region. A rich diversity of ecosystems with flora and wildlife comprise its natural landscape together with the rice fields.

2. Cathedral. Fourteenth-century Gothic building that hosts the permanent exhibition of Santa Maria of Tortosa, which offers visitors the chance to understand and discover the city’s history.

3. Green Way. A walk along the old train tracks, now a pedestrian area. It goes across different natural settings and local towns such as Roquetes, Xerta and Benifallet for a total of 60 miles.

4. La Suda Castle. The city’s main example of Andalusian Arabic architecture. It gets its name from a Saracen well, a suda, which went down 147 ft. to reach the level of the Ebro. It is home to the only outdoor Arabic cemetery in the whole of Catalonia.

5. Tortosa-Beseit Ports. Limestone massif located between Tarragona, Teruel and Castellón with a rich flora and wildlife as well as many beautiful waterfalls.

History

The first remains of Tortosa go all the way back to Iberian tribes. During Roman times, the city was known as Dertosa until it was occupied by the Arabs in 714 AD and in 1035 it became a Taifa Kingdom.

In the Middle Ages, the city became the area’s main economic and social centre and it was during the Renaissance when it experienced its era of maximum splendour, wealth and growth.

This great era resulted in the celebration of the “Renaissance Festival” every month of July, an event which recreates the lifestyle of those times. In 1708, the city was invaded by the Bourbon troops of Philip V and a century later it was occupied by the French, from 1811 until 1814.

In the Nineteenth century, Tortosa became one of the most important cities of Carlism. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) affected its economic growth and Tortosa was destroyed by the bombs from General Franco’s aviation, later enduring a long and difficult reconstruction.

Culture

Local festivals are Sant Antoni Abat Festival, which takes place in January; the Holy Week processions, the Renaissance Festival and the Virgin of La Cinta Festival, the main local festival in which shows, theatre and dancing flood the streets of Tortosa.

Gastronomy

The gastronomy of the Ebro Lands is rich and varied, famous for its vegetables and citrus fruits as well as the rice from the delta region, natural honey and olive oil. The wealth of flavours creates excellent fish dishes, in particular those with cod and seafood. There are also many meat specialities, such as ox, rabbit and baldana, which is a local black rice pudding.

Furthermore, the variety of cultures which have passed through the city have left a legacy of delicious traditional confectionary, including pastissets, Garrofetes del Papa and Coquetes de Sagi among others.

Bike routes

In our website sbhotels&bike.com we have more than 30 bike routes ordered by discipline and level. A great experience designed to train and discover every corner of the Terres de l’Ebre on wheels. You will find a map of the route, the route distance and slope, photos, and even download the track. Choose yours:

See MTB routes

See road routes

See routes for the family