Last updated September 2022
This will not give too much practical information about Zaragoza but I think it will help give you a good overall sense of the city and of how it is unique to other Spanish cities. I have been to many cities this year so the aspects that are different or unusual are starting to stand out for me. Of course, a lot of these things aren’t unique to Zaragoza, some can be said for other areas in Aragon and some can be found all over Spain, but they are parts that stood out for me and have become connected to the city in my mind.
Just to note, I was only in Zaragoza for 2 days and although I am very happy with what I did, this length of time will not suit everyone. Some will prefer to see more of the big attractions, such as the Pablo Gargallo Museum – a museum dedicated to his sculpture – that I wanted to see but didn’t have the time to. Zaragoza is the 5th biggest city in all of Spain so there really is no shortage of things to see and do. Still, I think 2 – 3 days will allow you to see almost everything.
So here you have it, in no particular order, aspects of the city that I really liked and appreciated:
- The large number of very interesting exhibitions and exhibition spaces
There were many impressive exhibition spaces, chiefly, La Lonja, CaixaForum and the Centro de Historias.
Centro de Historias is free to enter and has 3 floors of free exhibitions and an Origami Museum. You can read more about it all HERE.
La Lonja is in the square of Plaza del Pilar, many of the biggest attractions in Zaragoza are to be found here: Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) Caesar Augustus Forum and more.
CaixaForum is slightly outside of the historic centre but it is well-worth going to, it is an excellent exhibition space. It is very near Aljafería, an Islamic fortified palace that now houses the regional parliament of Aragon and is partly open to the public. I was very lucky when I visited Caixaforum as there was a Disney movie exhibition! I had so much fun looking around. There probably won’t be a Disney exhibition when you go but it looks like all the exhibitions are unusual and fun. The building itself is hard to miss because it is big and modern looking with a lot of glass. It stays open in the afternoon, unlike most attractions, and it is open on Monday so it is a good place to keep in mind if you are looking to fill some time.
Website:
https://caixaforum.es/es/web/zaragoza
- Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar
I have seen a lot of cathedrals but none like this one. The inside is beautiful but no more so than many other cathedrals; it is the outside that is truly stunning – and incredibly colourful. I am a big fan of using a lot of colour so that appealed to me a lot. Undoubtedly, when you look up Zaragoza in Google a photograph of the basilica will pop up, it is almost certainly the main attraction in the city. I will be writing more on the basilica soon.
- Mudéjar architecture
This architecture is a fusion of Christian and Islamic ideas. Zaragoza has some of the best examples of Mudéjar architecture in all of Spain. Some of the buildings in the city that show this Islamic influence include Aljafería, the Church of San Pablo and La Seo Cathedral. This style of architecture in Zaragoza (and in Aragon in general) are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So this alone is a pretty great reason to visit the city!
- Signs of the Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago is one of the most famous pilgrimages in the whole world. It is also very big with many possible routes so it is hardly surprising that there are signs of it in many cities and towns across Spain, especially in the North. Even though it is not that unusual, I still got excited whenever I saw traces of it – be it a sea-shell, a statue, a fountain, or an actual pilgrim! Logroño, the capital of La Rioja, is, for me, the city with the most signs and reminders of the Camino in all of Spain. I will be writing about this in detail one day soon.
- River Ebro
The River Ebro is the longest river in Spain, it goes through many Autonomous Regions, mostly in the North of Spain. You will see it, walk over it and perhaps even swim in it in many cities in Spain, such as in Logroño, Calahorra and Tudela. It is a beautiful river and in Zaragoza you can walk beside it or walk over it via some of Zaragoza’s famous bridges, especially, Puente de Santiago (Santiago Bridge) and Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge).
- Goya
I had never before been to a city where Goya is so important. After studying Goya (his full name is Francisco de Goya Lucientes) earlier in the year when I studied Spanish Art and Architecture in Salamanca, it was special to see so many reminders of him throughout the city. Perhaps you are wondering why he is so well-represented in Zaragoza of all places, well, wonder no more! He was born in a town in Aragon, very close to Zaragoza, called Fuendetodos. If you are very interested in Goya and his work then you could go here on a day-trip from Zaragoza and see the house where he was born and a collection of his works.
If you don’t have time to take a day-trip here then don’t worry, there are plenty of Goya-related things to see in Zaragoza! There is a whole museum dedicated to him (Museo Goya Colección Ibercaja) which is very informative and has an impressive collection of his works. There is also staute of him in Plaza del Pilar, very near La Seo Cathedral. The dome of Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar is painted by him and there are frescoes painted by him in the Choir. And if this wasn’t enough, there is a bust of his head in the Museum of Zaragoza, in addition to a number of his etchings.
- Ambar
Moving from culture to drink! I had never noticed Ambar being advertised much, or at all, in other Spanish cities so it was a surprise that to find that almost every bar and restaurant was advertising it. This may not be very interesting to anyone else but to me it was and it is a very good beer!
- An Origami Museum
I had never been to or heard of an Origami Museum before going here so this really stood out from my trip. It was very interesting and fun to look around. You can read more about it in my previous post HERE.
- Alonso I
King Alonso I is clearly very important to the city, there are signs of him everywhere. He was known as “El Batallador”, the warrior. One of the nicest streets in the city is named after him, Calle Alonso I, this is a good place for shopping, as I will mention in more detail below. And there is a HUGE statue of him in Parque José Antonio Labordeta, see photo above.
- Parque José Antonio Labordeta
This is a beautiful, huge park in the city. It is a lovely place to spend the afternoon as there many different areas to explore, various cafés to stop in and plenty of benches to take a well-earned rest on. It is a little outside the historic centre, very close to the university.
- Aljafería
This does stand out for me as it is very imposing and different to all the other attractions in the city. I didn’t have time to enter it but it is worth seeing even just from the outside. It is an Islamic fortified palace. Today, it houses the regional parliament of Aragon and is partly open to the public.
- Lions!
From the giant lions on Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge) to the lion on the Town Hall of Zaragoza, there are many lions in the city. It is fun to spot them around! I would argue that lions are the symbol of Zaragoza but there are no facts to support this. The more I travel, the more I notice that many cities have their own special animal symbol (or at least, I believe they seem do). For example, Riga, the capital of Latvia, has both the cat and the rooster as its symbol; Berlin, Germany’s capital has the bear; and Manchester in England has the bee. So now I’m finding it strange if a city, especially a capital, doesn’t have a special animal!
- Its Roman past
It’s not unusual for Spanish cities/towns to have a strong Roman past. After studying ancient Greece and Rome for many years, I always find it interesting and a bit funny to see so many references to it, especially to see and walk on a street named Caesar Augustus! There are a number of attractions and museums related to the city’s Roman past, such as Caesar Augusta Forum Museum in Plaza del Pilar. So even if you never make it to Italy, you will be able to say that you have seen Roman ruins and learnt about the structure of a Roman city!
- They have a lot of good shops
In general, I prefer visiting parks and museums over shops but it is always nice to know that there are some good shops around.
Calle Alonso I is very good for shopping and has some cafés too. The famous Gran Café is located here. There is an Ale-Hop (a fun shop that can be found all over Spain with a lot of inexpensive objects that are perfect for presents) and a lot of other well-known stores too. It is lined with street lights so it very pretty during the day and night. When you turn onto it from Calle del Conde there is a beautiful view as the dome of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Pilar is directly in front of you. As well as being pretty and a good place to stop for a coffee or to indulge in some retail therapy, it is very close to the main tourist attractions.
Plaza de España and the big streets around there also have great shops, especially on Paseo de la Independencia.
So there you have it, the aspects and attractions of Zaragoza that really stood out for me. Next week I will be writing on the city’s Top 10 Things to See and Do which will discuss a lot of these attractions, and more, in greater detail.
Until then! ¡Hasta entonces!
