Visit Zaragoza

Every visit starts on this long esplanade running alongside the Ebro, which links the city's two cathedrals. Step into the free basilica for the Regina Martyrum dome painted by Goya, then take the tower lift, a few euros depending on the source, to read the city's layout. La Seo, at the far end, costs 10 € with its museums and deserves an hour for the Flemish tapestries. South of the square, the El Tubo alleys remain the evening meeting point: expect about 3 € for a beer and start early, as the bar counters fill quickly at weekends.

The Roman town founded under Augustus lies beneath today's centre, and four municipal museums reveal its layers: the forum, the river port, the public baths and the theatre. They link up on foot in half a day, and the theatre, visible from the street, gives a sense of the ancient city's scale. This route suits winter mornings well, when the cierzo, a cold north-westerly wind, makes the quays less pleasant. In July, when afternoons average 33 °C, keep these rooms for the hottest hours too.

Born in Fuendetodos, the painter left his mark on Zaragoza. The Goya museum on Calle Espoz y Mina reopened on 9 October 2026 after its extension, with a terrace facing the Pilar and the Solo Goya exhibition on show until 10 January. To go further, a day by car leads to his birthplace and the Engraving Museum, then to the old village of Belchite, destroyed in 1937 and open only on guided tours. Check the slots on the town's website, as they are often limited to Fridays and Saturdays.

In 2008, the international exposition devoted to water transformed the Ranillas meander: Zaha Hadid's Bridge Pavilion still spans the Ebro, next to the vast Water Park. The area takes two to three hours on foot or by bike from the centre, ideally in spring before the serious heat. This contemporary face surprises travellers who only know religious Zaragoza. If you enjoy this kind of reinvention, Bilbao offers the Basque counterpart, and the city of the Turia another example of a rethought riverbed.

There is no need to build a whole trip here: two to three days are enough, four with a day trip. From the Spanish capital the AVE takes about 1 h 15, and from the Catalan metropolis about 1 h 40. Leave your bags at Delicias station and give the city at least one night rather than a lunch stop, as El Tubo only really wakes up after 8 pm. Avoid July and August if you handle heat badly, and book very early for the week of 12 October: the Pilar festivities ran from the 10th to the 18th in 2026.