Madrid to Zaragoza - AVE question and Huesca or Sigüenza recommendations

You might consider taking an Iryo or Ouigo Espana high-speed train from Madrid Atocha to Zaragoza. These are two private companies that now operate trains on that route. Iryo will sell its train tickets up to one year in advance of the train’s departure date at www.Iryo.eu/en
Renfe now offers “ELIGE” tickets which is a supplement you can buy for €5-€10 that then allows refunds up to 70% of the standard (2nd class) ticket price AND ALSO allows changes to the specific train you can take on the day of travel. This is the way to go in case your flight has a delayed arrival time. See www.Seat61.com for details on the ELIGE tickets. For first class train tickets the supplement is called “ELIGE CONFORT.” They can be bought at www.Renfe.com
You can travel from Zaragoza to Huesca by train in one hour; to Siguenza in as little as two hours. There also are Alsa buses. (www.alsa.com).

I never purchase my train tickets in advance for my arrival day. I guess, most of the time, things would go as planned.

When we visited Andalusia we purchased our AVE tickets upon arrival to MAD. Yes, they cost more and they are more expensive tickets to begin with. For us, our plane arrived at least 30 minutes early and we breezed thru the airport. We ended up getting to Sevilla 2 hours earlier than estimated. If I had purchased the tickets in advance we would have been waiting at Atocha for quite some time, and we did appreciate those extra hours in Sevilla.

Incidentally, I love that particular arrival strategy. It allows time for a nap on the train so that we arrive relatively refreshed and ready for the city.

It sounds like a fun trip. I haven't been to that area of Spain. I've loved every trip we've made to Spain!

Thanks Kenko for the info on alternate high speed trains. I was not aware of those companies.

Sure thing.

Jules,
Like you I rarely purchase train tickets in advance and I am inclined to just wait and buy when I get there and have never had an issue, but I have never ridden the AVE before and am not sure if they do sell out. Most of the time I ride regional trains or use the bus in Spain.

Pat

In Sigüenza we stayed at the Parador. It is in the old castle. The plaza mayor is a five minutes walk downhill from it. The train station is a five minutes car/taxi ride away.

When we were there it was on days when many restaurants were closed so there were not a lot to choose from. There had been a festival the day prior to our arrival so some shops were closed and even the cathedral was closed. Even the grocery store was closed our first day there.

I haven’t been to Huesca and the closest place to it I didn’t get to in 2022 is Loarre Castle. It’s about 40 minutes from Huesca. Used as an observation post during the Spanish Civil War, Ermita de Santa Quiteria is a 30 minutes drive away. For outdoors enthusiasts, about 45 minutes away is Salto de Bierge with natural pools and waterfalls. You’d need a car to get to the last two places. There may be a tour you could take to Loarre Castle from Huesca.

Edited: brad mentioned Soria. We stayed at the Parador there. A couple sites we enjoyed were Monasterio de San Juan de Duero and Ermita de San Saturio. Without a car the Parador wouldn’t be a good location to stay since it is outside the main city and up a steep hill.

Another option: Last October I took a bus direct from MAD to Zaragoza. It was perfectly fine....bypassed the chaos at Atocha. Soria is another good one, don't know how it would work without a car though. Brad

Pat, Train tickets on high-speed trains do sell out in Spain. This is especially the case during heavy travel times such as Holy Week, Christmas, national holidays and during festivals.
And Spain’s number of international visitors is expected to explode in 2025 and surpass even Italy.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and ideas. Since our travels are during Holy Week I will go ahead and purchase those high speed train tickets in advance.

Huesca is okay, but I don't find it very attractive. It is better as a base and not as a place to stay for there days.

You might think about spending one of those days in Jaca. I think it is much more charming. Spring should be very besutiful there if it is not raining.