Zaragoza

Palacio de la Aljafería

• Originally a mosque (confirmed)

A palace built by Abu Ja'far Ahmad al-Muqtadir bi-llah of the Banu Hud, kings of the Zaragoza taifa, in the 5th century AH/11th century CE, and named “Qasr al-Surur” (Palace of Joy). It is the most outstanding surviving architecture of the Taifa era, with its interlaced lobed arches and small octagonal mihrab. Today it houses the Aragon parliament.

Basílica del Pilar

A huge Baroque landmark with four towers and colorful domes on the bank of the Ebro, the symbol of Zaragoza and Spain’s most famous Marian shrine.

Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor (Calatayud)

· Calatayud

A collegiate church with a tall octagonal Mudéjar tower, listed in World Heritage as part of “Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon”, built on the site of the Great Mosque of Calatayud.

Easy to reach

Trains from Madrid and Zaragoza; the church is in the center. The tower is climbed by a narrow staircase. Full services.

Catedral del Salvador (La Seo)

• Originally a mosque (confirmed)

Built on the site of the Great Mosque of Islamic Zaragoza, it combines Romanesque, Gothic, Mudéjar and Baroque in one building; its Mudéjar wall is one of the masterpieces of the UNESCO-listed heritage, and it houses a tapestry museum with one of the world’s most important collections.

Castillo de Ayud (Calatayud)

· Calatayud

The origin of the city’s own name (Calatayud = Qal'at Ayyub), which tradition attributes to Ayyub ibn Habib al-Lakhmi, son of Musa ibn Nusayr’s sister. A complex of five forts and walls from the 9th century, among the oldest surviving Islamic fortifications in the Upper March.

Moderate effort

By train from Zaragoza/Madrid to Calatayud, then 20 minutes to the Morería quarter. The climb to the fortress takes 20–30 minutes on steep dirt tracks with no shade or services; not suitable for strollers or the elderly. Services in town.

Almonacid de la Sierra

· Almonacid de la Sierra

• Morisco heritage

An Aragonese town whose people were Moriscos. There, in 1884, workers demolishing an old house found a hidden chest under a false floor: manuscripts in Arabic and in “aljamiado” (Romance written in Arabic script), hidden by their owners before the expulsion. This “Almonacid treasure” became the basis of modern aljamiado studies.

Easy to reach · needs a car

By car (about 50 min from Zaragoza). A small flat town with no organized sights; a café or two. A short, symbolic visit.

Parque Grande José Antonio Labordeta

Zaragoza’s largest park, with tree-lined paths, Versailles-style water staircases, a free botanical garden and a small train.

Sos del Rey Católico – Palacio de Sada

· Sos del Rey Católico

A fortified stone town on a hill in the “Cinco Villas” of Aragon, where Ferdinand the Catholic was born in 1452 in the Sada palace; Granada fell at his and Isabella’s hands. Its paved lanes and walls are preserved almost as they were.

Moderate effort · needs a car

By car (an hour and a half from Pamplona); parking is at the foot of the town, and the paved lanes are very steep up to the palace and the church (10–15 minutes). Hard for strollers and the elderly. Restaurants and restrooms in town.

Daroca – Puerta Baja y murallas

· Daroca

Daroca (Daruqa) is one of the forts of the Andalusi Upper March, surrounded by a wall about 4 km long with more than 100 towers; the “Puerta Baja”, with its two crenellated towers and the coat of arms of Charles V, is the town’s icon and the starting point of the wall route.

Easy to reach

Buses from Zaragoza; the Puerta Baja is at the end of the flat main street. Full services.

Parque Natural del Moncayo

· Tarazona

Moncayo (2314 m), the highest peak of the Iberian range, its slopes covered with beech, oak and pine forests; it was a mountain that inspired poets such as Bécquer, who wrote “Letters from My Cell” there; in autumn it becomes a canvas of colors.

Moderate effort · needs a car

By car along a narrow winding road to the sanctuary parking (1620 m), where there is a restaurant. Trails to the summit are hard (3–4 hours); walking near the sanctuary is easy. Cold, wind and fog.

Anento – Aguallueve

· Anento

A small village rated among “the most beautiful villages in Spain”. Nearby is a limestone wall from which water falls like rain onto green moss amid dry steppe; above the village stand the ruins of an old fort.

Moderate effort · needs a car

By car to the village parking, then a 20-minute walk (40 there and back) on a dirt path with ups and downs. Don’t follow the navigation to the upper road. No services at the rock.

Laguna de Gallocanta

· Tornos

The largest natural saline lake in Western Europe, where tens of thousands of migrating cranes land in autumn and winter. Watching them fly at sunset is one of the greatest natural sights in Spain.

Easy to reach · needs a car

An hour and 30 minutes from Zaragoza; the visitor center is on the road, with observation points close to the parking.

Parque del Monasterio de Piedra

· Nuévalos

A green oasis in the dry plains of Aragon: more than 25 waterfalls, the most famous of them 50 m high, the “Cola de Caballo” (Horsetail), behind which you walk inside the “Cueva de Iris”, plus the clear “Espejo” lake, tunnels and bridges, and a raptor show. A loop of about 2–3 hours, suitable for all ages.

Moderate effort · needs a car

By car in practice (sometimes one bus a day from Zaragoza). Trail of about 4 km, 2.5–3 hours, with many steps and a slippery cave; hard for strollers and the elderly. Restaurants and restrooms at the entrance.

Acuario de Zaragoza

The largest freshwater aquarium in Europe, showing five great rivers: the Nile, the Mekong, the Amazon, the Murray-Darling and the Ebro, with crocodiles and giant arapaima fish.

Mezquita Al-Quds (Zaragoza)

A prayer room in Zaragoza’s old city, near the center.

Carnicería Halal Al-Aqsa

· Zaragoza (Delicias)

Halal butcher and shop with a wide range, fresh meat and good dates; friendly service.

Halal Carnicería Al Andalus

A clean halal butcher with fresh meat and good value for the price.

Hotel Palafox

• One of the city's best hotels

Zaragoza’s oldest five-star hotel, near the shopping center and within walking distance of the old town and the Palacio de la Aljafería.

Hotel Reina Petronila

• One of the city's best hotels

A modern five-star hotel next to the Palacio de Congresos, with a rich breakfast and comfortable rooms.

Hotel Sauce

• Boutique

A small boutique hotel in a quiet European style in the old quarter, a few steps from the Plaza del Pilar. It has apartments and rooms with an extra bed, and homemade sweets at breakfast.

Hostal Plaza Boutique

• Boutique

Boutique rooms overlooking the Plaza del Pilar, right between La Seo and the Basílica del Pilar. An unmatched location for walking.

Hotel Catalonia El Pilar

A four-star hotel in a modernist building in the old quarter, a few minutes’ walk from the Basílica. Clean and quiet, with service that is well regarded.

Hotel Alfonso Zaragoza

A four-star hotel near Plaza de España and the old quarter, with a small rooftop pool overlooking the city. Its suites are spacious and some have a terrace.

Mercado Central de Zaragoza

An iron market from 1903 in the modernist style, reopened after a full restoration, next to the Roman city wall and close to the Basílica del Pilar.

La Torre Outlet Zaragoza

An outlet village on the Logroño road west of Zaragoza, with dozens of brand stores offering discounts of up to 70%.

Café de Levante

A café and horchatería, one of Zaragoza’s oldest establishments, its roots going back to the late 19th century near the Puerta del Carmen. With its mirrors, marble tables and an atmosphere that barely changes, office workers and locals gather there every morning.

Gran Café Zaragoza

On Calle Alfonso I, the road to the Basílica del Pilar, the café occupies the historic Aladrén jewelry shop, which opened in 1885 and has kept its facade, iron canopy and original wooden decorations. Its large windows look out onto the stream of visitors heading to the Pilar.

Centro de Interpretación Agramonte (Moncayo)

· Tarazona

A visitor center and picnic area in the forests of Moncayo, the highest peak of the Iberian range, between beech, oak and springs. From it, there are short, enjoyable trails for families.

Easy to reach · needs a car

By car about an hour and a quarter from Zaragoza via Tarazona; picnic tables near the center. Good shade.

Barbecue

Not allowed: no fires or barbecues at all; picnic with ready food only.

La Junquera Espacio Multiocio (Zaragoza)

A leisure complex south of Zaragoza with a restaurant, a large garden and a barbecue area that must be booked; it provides the coals and the grill for a fee per person.

Easy to reach · needs a car

By car, 15 minutes from central Zaragoza via the ring road Z-40. Parking, restrooms, bar.

Barbecue

Barbecuing is allowed with booking and a fee per person (private facility).

Raso de la Cruz (Sierra de Algairén, Cosuenda)

· Cosuenda

A forested area on the Algairén mountain about 50 km from Zaragoza, with tables, barbecues, a shelter and a snack bar famous for its sandwiches; springs, walking trails and cycling routes.

Easy to reach · needs a car

By car, about 50 minutes from Zaragoza via the A-23 and Cariñena. Parking, snack bar.

Barbecue

Allowed at the fixed barbecues outside the high-risk days declared by the Aragon government in summer.

Balneario Sicilia (Jaraba)

· Jaraba

A spa in the remote Mesa valley in Aragon; its most famous feature is a thermal pool inside a natural cave. Reviews are split (3.7): the nature and the cave are wonderful, while the food and maintenance are weak.