Tarragona cruise port: where your driver meets you and why it's not at the ship
At Tarragona cruise port, the driver won't be waiting for you at the gangway, however much you'd like that after a week on board living your own "Titanic", only with a happy ending. Private cars simply aren't allowed into the port, so your driver waits at the official meeting point, Tarragona Cruise Port Meeting Point, at Moll de Costa 7 by the port entrance. Passengers get there from the cruise terminal on the port bus, which runs during embarkation and disembarkation hours.
Where the ship docks and why a car can't get there
Cruise ships in Tarragona berth at Moll de Balears. The quay was built specifically for cruises and opened in 2021, and a cruise terminal started operating there in spring 2024. The only way to the quay is through the outer port, and from the terminal to the port exit it's about 4 kilometres. The terminal operator advises against walking, and we agree: four kilometres through a port area with a suitcase probably wasn't part of your cruise plans.
Tarragona's tourist office puts it plainly: you can't drive into the port in a private car. Only passengers are allowed into the terminal itself, and they go through a security check at the entrance, much like at an airport. That's why the driver you booked in advance waits for you at Moll de Costa.
The meeting point at Moll de Costa
The official meeting point is called Tarragona Cruise Port Meeting Point, and there are two car parks next to it. The bus to the terminal leaves from here too: it departs from the open-air car park at Moll de Costa 7, and the ride takes about 10 minutes. It only runs during the embarkation and disembarkation hours set by the cruise line.
The terminal operator's website lists this bus for MSC passengers. Sailing with a different line? Don't count on telepathy: ask your cruise line in advance how passengers get from the terminal to Moll de Costa and back.
How you meet your driver
The driver waits for you at the meeting point at Moll de Costa 7. After you disembark, you take the port bus there, and the driver messages you in the app chat to say exactly where the car is. Want to be met with a name board, like a movie star at the airport? Add the name-board meeting when you book: this option costs €10.
The first 60 minutes of waiting at the port are free, counted from the ship's actual arrival. If disembarkation drags on, which happens when several thousand people leave the ship at once, message the driver in the chat.
Where to go next
If you're flying home from Barcelona after the cruise, a transfer from Tarragona port to Barcelona airport will get you there in ~1 hr 1 min, and the price is from €118 per car. Reus airport is closer: about 25 minutes from the cruise terminal.
If your holiday continues on the coast, there are routes from the port to Salou and to PortAventura. After a week of rolling seas, the PortAventura roller coasters are unlikely to scare you.
If you'd like to see the city first
Tarragona starts right behind the port. From the port exit, the Balcó del Mediterrani viewpoint is about a 15-minute walk, the Roman amphitheatre and the old town 17 minutes, and the cathedral 23 minutes. The 2nd-century amphitheatre sits right by the sea. Passengers get into town on the port bus: it stops on Avinguda Catalunya by Camp de Mart and picks up from the same stop. Bear in mind that this bus may charge a fare. For what to see in a day, read our article on Roman Tarragona.
How many cruise ships call at Tarragona
According to the port's forecast, 86 cruise ships will call at Tarragona in 2026, between 13 February and 12 November. From May to October, MSC Orchestra arrives almost every Friday, and for some of its passengers the cruise starts and ends in Tarragona. Ships from Viking, Norwegian, Oceania, Cunard, TUI and AIDA call here too. The port hasn't published a forecast for 2027 yet.
We explain how Barcelona's cruise port works and how it differs in our article on the Barcelona cruise port.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't the driver pick me up at the ship in Tarragona?
Private cars aren't allowed onto the quay: those are the port rules. The driver waits at the official meeting point at Moll de Costa 7, and the port bus runs there from the terminal.
How do I get from the Tarragona cruise terminal to Moll de Costa?
By port bus: the ride takes about 10 minutes, and the bus runs during embarkation and disembarkation hours. On foot it's about 4 kilometres to the port exit, so we don't recommend walking.
Can I walk from Tarragona port to the city centre?
From the port exit, Balcó del Mediterrani is about a 15-minute walk and the amphitheatre 17 minutes. But from the terminal itself, you first need to take the bus to the port exit.
Which airport is closest to Tarragona cruise port?
Reus airport is about 25 minutes from the terminal. Barcelona airport is about an hour's drive.
You book in the Let's GO app or on the website: enter the pick-up address and the destination, the price appears straight away, before you confirm.
Photo: Jorge Franganillo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0