My wife and I will stop in Zaragoza between Barcelona and Madrid. We will arrive mid morning and depart around mid-day the next day. Zaragoza is not a "destination" in most of the travel books I have reviewed. There is no mention of the place in RS Spain 2018. We plan to visit the Aljaferia, the Basilica, La Seo, and the Inglesia de la Magdalena. Any suggestions on places to dine or streets to walk along, or plazas to visit would be appreciated.
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
3071 posts
Use Google Translator :)
https://unbuendiaenzaragoza.com/10-planes-imprescindibles-zaragoza/ ... general view
http://cervecear.com/blog/2012/10/pasear-y-tapear-por-zaragoza/ ... for food
https://www.minube.com/que_ver/espana/zaragoza/zaragoza ... activities (and plazas)
Posted by
Washington DC
28090 posts
If you Google Things To Do Zaragoza, you'll get a link to TripAdvisor, where you can scan the list to see if there are other things that sound immediately attractive. The quality of posts on TA is often quite poor, but at least the list tends to cover just about everything of interest (plus a lot of junk, inaccurately identified places, etc.).
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
I often enjoy reading travel tips from the Guardian newspaper. This article is briefer than most: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/may/24/holiday-guide-to-zaragoza-spain
The Tourist Information Office provides a good amount of detail: http://www.zaragoza.es/ciudad/turismo/en/organiza-viaje/planifica-visita/planifica-visita.htm
Posted by
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
Jon, I spent a couple nights in Zaragoza just two weeks ago, and enjoyed it quite a bit. There is a really huge main square, with the Cathedral at one end, the Basilica along one side, a Tourist Information office on the other side, and the Market (now under renovation, with a temp market building nearby) at the other end. There are also several diverse museums in town, but my full day in town was a Monday and they were all closed. There is a bridge over the river near the Cathedral, and it is from that bridge, or the other side of the river by that bridge, where you can get the best view of the large, multi-domed Basilica, during daytime or at night.
I enjoyed visiting the large Aljaferia, and made it a point to be there right when it opened, at 10 am as I remember, since there was a free English language tour through the whole building at that time. The guide was very good and interactive, and the tour started with just me, but another couple joined us after the first few minutes. On the way back from the Aljaferia, I stopped at a very nearby little antique store, where I bought an unusual older Teruel ceramic plate, much more interesting and well-priced than what I saw in Teruel.
I had 2 dinners in town, both near the main square. One was an “all you can eat” tapas buffet, right on the square, which I would not really recommend, great quantity and variety, not so much quality IMHO. The other was at the nearby Tagliatelle, a nice Italian cuisine chain, where the food was very good, although the service seemed kind of rushed, for no particular reason. There is also a “tapas street” within a few blocks of the others. More research will no doubt turn up better choices.
I had really wanted to visit Belchite, which is some kilometers outside of town, and which had been highly recommended to me. This is a town that was totally massacred and destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, so badly that the town was just left as is as a memorial to the horrors of war, and a new town was rebuilt nearby. I have heard that a visit is a very moving experience. However, I had no car at that time, and could not work out public transportation there and back given my limited time in Zaragoza.
Posted by
OP
Cincinnati, OH, USA
768 posts
Thanks to all who posted; I thought I'd probably find some informed responses on this forum. I did. It is a a bit surprising there is such minimal discussion about Zaragoza. Prior to our visit to Spain, I read a "traveler's history" of Spain, and Zaragoza is mentioned a number of times. Since it is on the high speed train line to/from Barcelona and Madrid, it seemed to be a good place to spend a day. Thanks again.
Posted by
Denver, CO USA
492 posts
We have scheduled 3 days in Zaragoza this September. For us, it is the stop between Pamplona and Sitges.
On our list are:
Educational Museum of Origami in Zaragoza - http://www.emoz.es/language/en/
MUSEO DEL FUEGO Y DE LOS BOMBEROS - http://www.zaragoza.es/ciudad/bomberos/museofuego/presentacion.htm
Basílica de Neustra Señora del Pilar - http://www.zaragoza.es/ciudad/turismo/en/que-visitar/detalle_Monumento?id=32
MUSEO DEL FORO DE CAESARAUGUSTA - http://www.zaragoza.es/ciudad/museos/es/foro
MUSEO PABLO GARGALLO - http://www.zaragoza.es/ciudad/museos/es/gargallo
For dining, I reply on TripAdvisor and Yelp. Not to find the greatest, but to avoid the 1-star places for sure.