Museu de Badalona
Badalona sits on the ruins of the Roman city of Baetulo, and this compact, excellent museum lets you walk over original mosaic floors and peer into a 2,000-year-old thermal bath complex. It is one of the best-preserved Roman sites on the entire Catalan coast, yet it draws only a fraction of the crowds that flock to Tarragona.
What you will actually see
The centrepiece is a first-century BC domus with in-situ geometric mosaics still vivid in terracotta and white. Glass walkways let you hover above the excavated street grid without disturbing a single tile.
The adjoining exhibition traces Baetulo's wine-export empire — amphorae stamped with local workshop marks were found as far away as Rome and Lyon, making Badalona one of antiquity's unsung wine capitals.
Practical visit tips
The museum occupies the ground floor of the Ajuntament building on Plaça de la Vila, so it is easy to combine with a stroll around the old-town square. Audio guides in English are available at the desk.
Tuesday to Saturday mornings are the quietest windows; weekend afternoons fill with local school groups. Budget 90 minutes to do the site justice without rushing.
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