Zaragoza

Zaragoza, also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the region of Aragon and the former Crown of Aragon, Spain. It is the fifth largest city in Spain with 700,000 inhabitants. The city lies at an altitude of 199 metres above the sea level, and constitutes a crossroads between Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Toulouse (France).

Zaragoza hosted Expo 2008 in the summer of 2008, a World’s Fair on water and sustainable development. It will host another fair in 2014, the upcoming “Flowers Expo”, and it is a candidate to be European Capital of Culture in 2016.

The city is famous for its folklore, a renowned local gastronomy, its trilogy of landmarks (the Basílica del Pilar, La Seo Cathedral and The Aljafería Palace) Together with La Seo and the Aljaferia, several other buildings form part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Fiestas del Pilar are among the most celebrated festivals in Spain.

For further information about Zaragoza and Aragón you can visit the following sites:

HOW TO REACH ZARAGOZA

Zaragoza has a privileged central location in the north-east part of Spain, well communicated by train, plane and road with the rest of Spain and main European cities.

By plane

Zaragoza airport is located south-west of the city, 10 km from the city centre. Zaragoza Airport website. You can reach the city centre by taxi or by bus. A taxi from the airport will cost approximately 25 euros. A bus service is also available departing every 30 minutes Mo-Sa and every one hour on Sundays and holidays. Single ticket costs 1.50 euros.

There are direct flights from all major European cities, and from all over the world via Madrid.

By Train

Zaragoza is served by the high speed train AVE connecting to different destinations: Antequera, Barcelona (1 hour 30 minutes), Calatayud, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Guadalajara, Huesca, Lleida, Madrid (1 hour 15 minutes), Málaga, Puente Genil, Puertollano, Sevilla, and Tarragona.

Other neighbouring cities like Bilbao, Logroño, Pamplona, San Sebastián, Teruel or Valencia are connected by a few daily conventional trains.

For more information on train schedules and prices, visit the Renfe website

All train and buses arrive to Delicias train/railway station (website in Spanish)

By road

Zaragoza is very well connected by free speedways with Madrid, Huesca, Teruel and Valencia, and by toll motorways with Barcelona,  Bilbao, San Sebastián and Pamplona.

Free parking in the city centre is very scarce. Most streets have metered parking limited to 1 or 2 hours. Underground paying parkings are scattered in the entire city and usually have free places.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Climate: Zaragoza has a continental mediterranean climate, very dry, with cold winters and hot summers. Detailed weather forecasts can be found at Aemet website.

Time zone: GMT+1 (Summer GMT+2)

Language: Few Spaniards speak another European language. However, you will normally find somebody who can speak English or French in airports, large hotels, etc.

Shopping hours: Shops are open from 10 to 14 and from 17 to 20, Mondays through Saturdays. Department stores and malls usually open from 10 to 22 and do not close for lunch. Shops open eight Sundays a year.

Banks: They open from Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 14.00. Some banks (cajas de ahorro-building societies) open Thursday afternoon (not during summer). Other banks open Saturday morning.