Zaragoza travel guide

Background

Zaragoza sits on the Río Ebro, lifeblood of central Aragón, which undoubtedly made it an attractive option for the Romans, who took over the Iberian settlement of Salduie and founded their own town in 14 BC, naming it Caesaraugusta. It became a focus of Roman culture, and then an important Visigothic city. Taken in AD 714 by the Moors, it resisted Charlemagne’s attempts to conquer it and enjoyed a period of cultural and architectural pre-eminence, known throughout Moorish lands as Al Baida, or the ‘White City’. It was reconquered in 1118, and enjoyed a period of religious tolerance but later became a centre of the Inquisition: one of their number was famously murdered in the cathedral.

Tension between Aragón and Castilla led to rioting in the late 16th century, and the town was annexed by the Castilian armies; effectively ending of Aragonese autonomy. The city’s heroic defence against Napoleon’s besieging armies in 1808 to 1809 is still a powerful symbol of Spanish independence.

Zaragoza played a full part in the tensions leading up to the Civil War too; the archbishop was murdered in 1923 by the famous anarchists Durruti and Ascaso, while a great general strike in 1933 to 1934 astounded observers, as workers went unpaid for 57 days. Despite these tendencies, the military rising in 1936 took the town by surprise and the Republican forces were never able to regain it, despite a lengthy campaign.

There are a number of noble buildings of interest in Zaragoza; many of them are described in the pamphlet 100 motivos para visitar Zaragoza, available at the Turismo.

Best time to visit

In high summer the pilgrim crowds in the basilica can be off-putting, but they’re usually on day trips, so the rest of town is by no means cluttered, although it does get fearsomely hot in August. The week around 12 October is the Fiesta de La Virgen del Pilar.

Getting there and around

There’s an extensive network of local bus routes; a timetable is available from the Ayuntamiento. Zaragoza’s new train station, Las Delicias, is on the AVE fast-train network. It lies a couple of kilometres west of the centre and incorporates the bus terminal. Most of the city sits on the south bank of the Río Ebro; the old town being close to the river, and the newer sections spreading east, south and west from there. The majority of the sights are in the fairly compact old town.

Air

The city’s airport (ZAZ) is served by Iberia from Madrid; by Ryanair from London Stansted, Brussels Charleroi, Rome Ciampino and Milan Bergamo; there are also flights to Frankfurt, Paris, and other Spanish cities. Airport buses leave from the corner of Gran Vía and Paseo Pamplona to connect with flights (20-30 mins, €1.50). Costs about €25 in a taxi.

Airport enquiries

T976 712 300.

Bus

There are many bus companies serving a huge variety of destinations. All buses now leave from the new bus station, in the same complex as the Las Delicias train station. Bus No 51 runs from the centre (passing Puerta del Carmen) to this station.

The major long-distance destinations are: Madrid hourly (3¾ hrs, €14.36), Barcelona more or less hourly (4 hrs, €13.61), Valladolid 3 daily (7 hrs, €27.03), Bilbao 4-5 daily (4 hrs, €19.72), San Sebastián (€20.97), via Tudela and Pamplona (€13.17), Huesca more than hourly (55 mins, €6.25) and on to Jaca 5 daily (2 hrs 10 mins, €13.05). Teruel and Tarazona are also serviced regularly.

Train

There are roughly hourly AVE fast trains from the Las Delicias station to Madrid (1½ hrs, €52.90) and to Barcelona (1 hr 40 mins, €61.20) as well as a few slower, cheaper options on the same routes. Other trains run to Bilbao, Pamplona, Burgos, Huesca, Jaca, Calatayud, Teruel, Valencia and more. Bus No 51 runs between the centre (Puerta del Carmen is 1 stop) and Las Delicias station.

Internet

Conecta-T, Plaza Lanuza s/n, cheap internet and phone calls, Ciber, C San Lorenzo 26, internet.

Laundry

A lavandería is on C Pedro María Ric s/n.

Medical services

C Isabel La Católica s/n. T112 in an emergency.

Police

C Doctor Palomar 8, T976 396 207. T092 or T112 in an emergency.

Taxi

T976 383 838.