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Aragón

Probably Spain's most underrated region, Aragón offers riches wherever you travel, from the crusader-like castles and Romanesque churches of the north to the outstanding Mudéjar architecture of Teruel in the south. The regional capital, Zaragoza, is a major Spanish city of ebullient nightlife and absorbing culture (not least the work of local artistic genius Francisco de Goya), while dozens of picturesque medieval villages dot the serrated landscape, from pink-hued Albarracín to stone-clothed Sos del Rey Católico. But above all, what sets Aragón apart is the majesty of the central Pyrenees along its northern fringe. This is the highest and, for many, most beautiful section of the mighty mountain range – a rare delight for the eyes and a massive natural adventure playground with not only Spain's finest hiking and climbing but also much of its best skiing, canyoning, rafting and paragliding.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Aragón.

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Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar
This great baroque cavern of Catholicism stands on the site where, the faithful believe, the Virgin Mary appeared to Santiago (St James the Apostle) atop a pilar (pillar) of jasper on 2 January 40 CE, leaving the pillar behind as testimony of her visit. A chapel was built around the pillar, followed by a series of ever more grandiose churches, culminating in the enormous basilica. A lift will whisk you most of the way up the basilica's northwest tower, leaving you to climb 109 steps to a superb viewpoint over the domes, river and city. The basilica, originally designed in 1681 by local architect Felipe Sánchez y Herrera, was greatly modified in the 18th century by royal architect Ventura Rodríguez, who added the ultra-baroque Santa Capilla at the east end (housing the legendary pillar), and the flurry of 10 mini-domes around the main dome on the roof. The famous pillar is topped by a small 15th-century Gothic sculpture of the Virgin and child, and is concealed inside an elaborate silver casing, which is itself usually three-quarters hidden by a long mantle (except on the 2nd, 12th and 20th of each month). A tiny oval-shaped portion of the pillar is exposed in the passage behind, and a steady stream of people lines up to brush lips with its polished and cracked cheek, which even popes have air-kissed. More than the architecture, these sacred symbols, and the devotion they inspire, are what make this church special. Hung from the northeast column of the Santa Capilla are two wickedly slim bombs that were dropped on the basilica during the civil war. They failed to explode. A miracle, said the faithful; typical Czech munitions, said the more cynical. The basilica's finest artwork is the 16th-century alabaster retablo mayor (main altarpiece) by Damián Forment, facing west in the basilica's middle. There are also two Goyas: La Adoración del Nombre del Dios, on the ceiling of the coreto (small choir) at the church's far east end, is an early classical piece from 1772; vastly different is Regina Martirum painted above the north aisle in 1780 (in the third cupola from the east). With its blurry impressionistic figures, it was hugely controversial at the time.
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Monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
The road from Santa Cruz winds 7km up to the 10th-century Monasterio Viejo, tucked protectively under an overhanging lip of rock. A fire in 1675 led the monks to desert this original site and build the Monasterio Nuevo 1.5km further up the hill. Abandoned by the mid-19th century, these historic monasteries have since been rehabilitated and merit a visit by anyone interested in architecture, sculpture, history, scenery or wildlife. The Monasterio Viejo, one of the most important monasteries of old Aragón, contains the tombs of Aragón's first three kings – Ramiro I (1036–64), Sancho Ramírez (1064–94) and Pedro I (1094–1104) – and two churches (the lower one Mozarabic, the upper one Romanesque). But its greatest highlight is the Romanesque cloister, with marvellous carved capitals depicting stories from Genesis and the life of Christ. The Monasterio Nuevo is a larger, two-towered, brick complex, whose main church is now the Centro de Interpretación del Reino de Aragón, playing a 40-minute audiovisual about Aragonese history. Beside this, the Centro de Interpretación del Monasterio has been built over the archaeological remains of ruined parts of the monastery: it has Spanish-language panels on the monasteries' history and the kingdom of Aragón, plus a glass floor through which you look down on somewhat cheesy life-sized tableaux of monastic life. Tickets for both monasteries are sold at the Monasterio Nuevo, and in peak periods (Semana Santa, July, August and a few holiday weekends) this is where you'll have to park. A free bus shuttles down to the Monasterio Viejo and back. Ticket prices depend on how many of the interpretation centres you wish to visit.
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Aljafería
The Aljafería is Spain's finest Islamic-era edifice outside Andalucía. Built as a fortified palace for Zaragoza's Islamic rulers in the 11th century, it passed into Christian hands in 1118. In the 1490s the Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs), Fernando and Isabel, tacked on their own palace. Aragón's regional parliament has sat here since 1987. Inside the main gate, cross an introductory courtyard into the Patio de Santa Isabel, which was the Islamic palace's central courtyard. Here you encounter the delicate interwoven arches typical of the geometric mastery of Islamic architecture. Behind the stunning northern portico is the Salón de Oro, the palace's throne room; opening off the portico is a small, octagonal oratorio (prayer room) whose finely chiselled floral motifs, inscriptions from the Quran and the pleasingly simple cupola are fine examples of Islamic art. Moving upstairs, you pass through rooms of the Palacio Cristiano Medieval, created by Aragonese monarchs in the 14th century, followed by the Palacio de los Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs' Palace) which, as though in riposte to the Islamic finery beneath it, contains some exquisite Mudéjar coffered ceilings, especially in the lavish Salón del Trono (Throne Room). Spanish-language tours take place several times a day, and there are two daily tours each in English and French in July and August. The palace is closed to visitors some Friday mornings and Thursdays when parliamentary sessions are on.
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Museo del Teatro de Caesaraugusta
The finest in Zaragoza's quartet of Roman museums was discovered during excavation of a building site in 1972. Great efforts, including an entertaining 15-minute audiovisual, have been made to help visitors visualise the splendour of this theatre that accommodated 6000 spectators on more than 30 rows of seating. The theatre is visible from the surrounding streets and is protected by a huge polycarbonate roof, 25m above ground, that is set at the height of the top of the original building. The adjoining museum goes into interesting detail about Roman drama, the history of this theatre and the actors and audiences who frequented it, and what happened on its site in post-Roman times.
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Museo Goya
Apart from Madrid’s Museo del Prado, this exceedingly well-laid-out museum contains arguably the best exposé of the work of one of Spain’s greatest artists. Each of the three floors has a different focus, the 2nd floor being the one that exhibits Goya's own work. Four complete sets of his prints are on show, including the groundbreaking Desastres de la Guerra (Disasters of War), a bitter attack on the cruelty of war. Also here are Goya's first self-portrait (1775) and his well-known portraits of King Carlos IV and Queen María Luisa.
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La Seo
Dominating the eastern end of Plaza del Pilar, La Seo is Zaragoza's finest work of Christian architecture, built between the 12th and 17th centuries and displaying a fabulous spread of styles from Romanesque to baroque. It stands on the site of Islamic Zaragoza's main mosque (which itself stood on the Roman forum's temple site). La Seo's northeast external wall is a Mudéjar masterpiece, deploying classic brickwork and colourful ceramics in complex geometric patterns. Inside, beautiful fan vaulting adorns the ceiling while the numerous elaborate chapels, framed by encrusted stonework, ring the changes from the eerily solemn Capilla de San Marcos to the golden baroque baldachin of the Capilla del Santo Cristo. The exquisite 15th-century alabaster high altarpiece is well worth scrutiny too. The attached Museo de Tapices houses a collection of Flemish and French tapestries considered the best of its kind in the world.
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Catedral del Salvador
After two decades of painstaking restoration, Albarracín's 16th-century cathedral has been returned to its splendour of the 18th century, by which time baroque modifications had altered its original Gothic and Renaissance lines. You can visit on village tours with the Fundación Santa María de Albarracín – worthwhile even if your understanding of Spanish is minimal. The cathedral's highlights include some unique frescos and a fine 16th-century altarpiece in unpainted local pine, devoted to the life of St Peter. The tours explain Albarracín's history and take you around some of the village streets too.
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Muralla
Albarracín's highest point, the Torre del Andador (Andador Tower) was built in the 10th century as a defensive outpost for the Muslim town huddled around the castle. The walls that climb so picturesquely up to the tower were added a century later as the town expanded. The reward for your climb up to it is a superb panorama over the town and the unique topography that made its location so strategic.
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Plaza Mayor
Old Aínsa's broad, cobbled main plaza, lined by handsome stone arcades and houses, is one of Spain's loveliest. It was created as a market place and fairground back in the 12th and 13th centuries and the architecture has changed little since then – even if the buzz today comes not from market stalls but from the tables and sunshades of numerous restaurants.