Things to do in Zaragoza
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church
Brace yourself for the saintly and the solemn in this great baroque cavern of Catholicism. It was here on 2 January 40 that Santiago (St James the Apostle) is believed by the faithful to have seen the Virgin Mary descend atop a marble pilar (pillar). A chapel was built around the remaining pillar, followed by a series of ever-more-grandiose churches, culminating in the enormous basilica that you see today. Originally designed in 1681 by Felipe Sánchez y Herrera, it was greatly modified in the 18th century by the heavier hand of Ventura Rodríguez; the towers were not finished until the early 20th century. The exterior is another story altogether, its splendid main dome lor…
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Aljafería
La Aljafería is Spain's finest Islamic-era edifice outside Andalucía. It's not in the league of Granada's Alhambra or Córdoba's Mezquita, but it's nonetheless a glorious monument.
The Aljafería was built as a pleasure palace for Zaragoza's Islamic rulers, chiefly in the 11th century. After the city passed into Christian hands in 1118, Zaragoza's Christian rulers made alterations. In the 1490s the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs), Fernando and Isabel, tacked on their own palace, whereafter the Aljafería fell into decay. From the 1940s to 1990s restoration was carried out, and in 1987 Aragón's regional parliament, the Cortes de Aragón, was established here.
Inside …
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La Seo
Dominating the eastern end of Plaza del Pilar is the Catedral de San Salvador, more popularly known as La Seo.
La Seo may lack the fame of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, but its interior is easily its architectural superior. Built between the 12th and 17th centuries, it displays a fabulous spread of architectural styles from Romanesque to baroque. It stands on the site of Islamic Zaragoza's main mosque (which in turn stood upon the temple of the Roman forum). The northwest facade is a Mudéjar masterpiece, deploying classic dark brickwork and colourful ceramic decoration in eye-pleasing geometric patterns. All the chapels are framed by beautiful stonework and rin…
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Tapas Bars
The narrow streets and small plazas south of La Seo harbour some great tapas bars - ideal for lunch-time snacking or cooling off with a beer on a warm evening. On the cosy Plaza de Santa Marta, Cervecería Marpy and Casa Vitorinos II have bar-top treats in plenty, while Casa Domino offers hams and montados (toasted baguette slices topped with Cabrales cheese, among other tantalising spreads).
There's another string of tapas bars towards the southern end of Calle Heroísmo (most open until midnight). Still more snacking options cram Calle Moneva, off Calle de Zurita east of Paseo de la Independencia, where El Calamar Bravo churns out the fried squid sandwiches and La Mejill…
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Monasterio de Veruela
Backed by the often snowcapped Sierra del Moncayo, the fortified, Cistercian Monasterio de Veruela, founded in the 12th century, looks more like a Castilian castle than a monastery. The rather stern Gothic church is flanked by a charming cloister, which has a lower Gothic level surmounted by a Renaissance upper gallery. There’s a good wine museum within the complex. The monastery is 13km southeast of Tarazona and 1km from Vera de Moncayo. Two of Therpasa’s daily Zaragoza–Tarazona buses stop in Vera itself (one on Sunday); the others stop at the Vera turn-off on the N122, 4km from the monastery.
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Museo del Foro de Caesaraugusta
The trapezoid building on Plaza de la Seo is the entrance to an excellent reconstruction of part of Roman Caesaraugusta's forum, now well below ground level.
The remains of porticoes, shops, a great cloaca (sewer) system, and a limited collection of artefacts dating from between 14 BC and about AD 15 are on display. Sections of lead pipes used to channel water to the city demonstrate the Romans' genius for engineering. An interesting audiovisual show, presented on the hour in Spanish, breathes life into things, and audio guides (€2) are available.
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Bar Corto Maltés
Calle del Temple, southwest of Plaza del Pilar, is the spiritual home of Zaragoza’s roaring nightlife. This is where the city’s considerable student population heads out to drink and there are more bars lined up along this street than anywhere else in Aragón. It’s the sort of street that you can wander down as late as 11pm and wonder if the action has moved elsewhere – no, it hasn’t yet arrived and doesn’t really get going until well after midnight. On this street, Bar Corto Maltés is always full and one of the favourites.
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El Rincón de Aragón
The decor here is basic and the food stripped down to its essence, but the eating is top-notch and ideal for finding out why people get excited about Aragonese cooking. One house speciality is the ternasco asado con patatas a la pobre (roasted suckling lamb ribs with 'poor man's potatoes'). If you're feeling hungry, this and other local dishes usually appear on the four-course menú Aragonés (€19.90), which is a great order. The restaurant is in the covered lane between Calle de Santiago and Plaza del Pilar.
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Museo del Teatro de Caesaraugusta
Discovered during the excavation of a building site in 1972, the ruins of Zaragoza's Roman theatre are the focus of this interesting museum; the theatre once seated 6000 spectators. Great efforts have been made to help visitors reconstruct the edifice's former splendour, including evening projections of a virtual performance on the stage; get there early to ensure a place. The exhibit culminates in a boardwalk tour through the theatre itself. The theatre is visible from the surrounding streets.
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Casa Lac
The grand old lady of the Zaragoza dining scene, Casa Lac pays homage to the 19th century (it opened in 1825) with its seigneurial decor and impeccable service. The food revolves around Aragonese staples, although the lamb carpaccio with foie gras shows it's not averse to a little experimentation. Dine upstairs with the who's who of Zaragoza society, or downstairs in the more informal tapas bar, where it also serves raciones (large tapas serving, €8 to €15).
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Quo Vadis
You don’t need to be as sleek and cool as the bar staff or as shiny as the Modernista decor at this smart but easy-going bar to feel welcome here. There’s a great friendly mood to go with the background music that ranges from 1970s and ’80s to indie, but never too far from rock. It opens during the day for breakfast and snacks. To get here, walk southwest along Paseo de la Independencia, then turn right onto Calle de Cádiz and follow it to the end.
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La Reserva
Vying for attention with numerous international restaurants along Calle de Cádiz, La Reserva is always full and deservedly so. It serves tapas (from €3), raciones (€6.50 to €10), rice dishes (€15 to €20, minimum two people) and warm salads (from €14.50). It's all very creative and contemporary, and the atmosphere informal. To get here, head south from Plaza de España for about 200m and turn right into Calle de Cádiz.
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Casa Pascualillo
When Metropoli, the respected weekend magazine of El Mundo newspaper, set out to find the best 50 tapas bars in Spain, it's no surprise that Casa Pascualillo made the final cut. The bar groans under the weight of every tapas variety imaginable, with seafood and meat in abundance; the house speciality is El Pascualillo, a 'small' bocadillo (filled roll) of jamón, mushrooms and onion.
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La Lonja
Now an exhibition hall, this finely proportioned Renaissance-style building, the second building east of the basilica, was constructed in the 16th century as a trading exchange. The coloured medallions on its exterior depict kings of Aragón, but the soaring columns rising to an extraordinary ceiling are the standout features. La Lonja is the site for a full calendar of temporary exhibitions.
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Centro de Historia de Zaragoza
The old convent of San Agustín (only the neoclassical facade remains) is the site of this museum. Each of the eight exhibit rooms focuses on a different aspect of the city's heritage, from trade and transport to popular celebrations. Of particular interest is a series of models depicting Zaragoza's physical transformation through four key phases of its development.
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Taberna Doña Casta
If you like your tapas without too many frills, this enduringly popular and informal taberna (tavern) could become your culinary home in Zaragoza. The bottle of wine and six tapas for €23 is a terrific way to meet all your gastronomic needs at a reasonable price. Its specialities are croquetas (croquettes) and egg-based dishes.
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La Miguería
Who would have thought you could do so much with migas (breadcrumbs)… La Miguería serves this filling Aragonese quick-fix food in more than a dozen varieties, including drenched in olive oil, and topped with sardines and foie gras. It opens at 7.30pm, which may help those struggling to cope with late Spanish dinner times.
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Casa Natal de Goya
Some 23km east of Cariñena along the A220 lies the small village of Fuendetodos, where Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (Goya) began his days in 1746. The Casa Natal de Goya stayed in his family until the early 20th century, when renowned artist Ignacio Zuloaga bought it.
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Bars
Calle de Espoz y Mina and Calle Mayor, a stone's throw from Plaza del Pilar, have plenty of varied bars from which to choose. There's a satisfying buzz round the Plaza del Carmen area in the newer part of town where a string of café-bars and restaurants keeps things lively day and night.
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Museo de Zaragoza
Devoted to archaeology and fine arts, the city museum displays artefacts from prehistoric to Islamic times with some exceptional mosaics from Roman Cesaraugusta. The upper floor contains 15 paintings by Goya and more than two dozen of his etchings. It's 400m south of the Teatro Romano.
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Blasón del Tubo
Run by the same owners as Casa Pascualillo, Blasón del Tubo takes a more contemporary approach to tapas and there's a fine upstairs restaurant. There's a small selection of innovative tapas lined up along the bar, as well as a lengthy list of à la carte choices in the restaurant.
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Gran Café de Zaragoza
This Zaragoza institution evokes the grand old cafes of Spain’s past with a gold-plated facade and an old-style civility in the service. That said, it’s a place to be seen by young and old alike and the elegant salon is a good place for morning coffee or breakfast.
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Churrería la Fama
La Fama, tucked away off Calle de Alfonso I, is a good spot for fresh churros (long, deep-fried doughnuts) and chocolate to go with morning coffee; if you've been out all night, being here when it opens is a great way to begin (or end) your day.
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Churrasco
It's meat eaters' heaven at this long-established place with jamón Ibérico a speciality, although there's decent fish and seafood as well. A good bet is the day's centros (shared platters of ham, squid and other treats).
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Museo Camón Aznar
This eclectic collection of Spanish art through the ages features a room of Goya etchings (on the top floor) and half a dozen paintings attributed to El Greco. It spreads over the three storeys of the Palacio de los Pardo, a Renaissance mansion.
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