Zaragoza was another one of the places we visited on our road trip in eastern Spain, and we’re glad we added it to our itinerary.
Located in northeastern Spain’s Aragon region, Zaragoza was originally an Iberian settlement before becoming established as a Roman colony named Caesaraugusta in 25 BCE. It is the only city to have the full name of Caesar Augustas.
After the Romans, it became known as Saraqusta under the Moors who built the Aljafería Palace.
The city was conquered again in 1118 becoming the Capital of the Kingdom of Aragon.
We really enjoyed visiting this charming town. Much of the old city is centered in a small area making it easy to navigate on foot. We literally parked our car and left it for the two days we were there. I’m sure that it would be just as simple to visit by train and you really don’t need a car.
With only one full day to explore, we wanted to make the most of our visit and started our sightseeing upon arrival in the afternoon. After dropping off our luggage and checking in we made our way to the first of four historic Roman artifact museums which are all open until 8pm.
Museo del Teatro de Caesaraugusta
The first of the four museums on the same combo ticket we did was the Teatro Museum. Heading down the stairs you get a view of the remnants of what was once an impressive Roman amphitheater.
Other museums on the same ticket include the Roman Baths, the ancient Roman Port, and the Roman Forum of Caesaraugusta. The later is located under the current Plaza de la Seo and the building looks even more stunning at night when it takes on a golden hue.
In addition to being able to view the excavated vestiges there is a well-designed and modern set of display cases and exhibits full of interesting facts and reproductions of the technologies used in Roman times.
For example, we learned that the Roman’s would fill large vases to various predetermined levels with water so that these would be tuned to different harmonic frequencies. The vases would then resonate with the actors’ voices to amplify the sound. An early PA system from Roman times! Pretty ingenious and quite amazing.
There were also examples of Roman concrete from the 1st century made from river stones and sand with exhibits comparing these ancient techniques with what is used today. Clearly showing just how similar these ancient techniques are to modern day methods (and perhaps highlighting how advanced the Romans were for the times!).
At the Forum Museum we learned that the Romans would hammer out and roll malleable lead into large tubular shapes to transport water, essentially water pipes. I guess they didn’t know about the ill effects of lead at the time, but it was only relatively recently that lead stopped being used for plumbing.
These four museums in Zaragoza show a lot of preserved Roman history.
The combo ticket for four sites costs only €7 and is good for multiple days. Amazingly enough these sites were only discovered and excavated between 1991-1998.
Next day we set off to see the most popular attractions in Zaragoza, starting with the Aljafería Palace.
Aljafería Palace
The UNESCO-listed 11th century palace is now used as the seat of the Aragonese Parliament. The palace itself is huge and very beautiful.
A little off the beaten path from the Old Town we opted to preserve our feet and took a taxi (which only cost €6) from our hotel in the historic center.
One of the highlights for us in the palace was the decorative Arab-inspired lattice work in the columns. There were some painted samples showing what the lattice work looked like in its prime. It must have been even more beautiful when it was all colorfully painted. Today, faded and grey the unpainted remnants are still impressive.
The Aljafería Palace itself has undergone an extensive renovation from the time it had been used and converted into a military barracks.
On the upper levels there is a museum. We spent about an hour touring the site and were glad we came. We were also happy we came first thing in the morning as when we were leaving we saw long lines forming at the entrance with groups of tourists. Even in November!
We then made our way back along the waterfront into the historic center of Zaragoza. It should be noted that the hotel receptionist told us to avoid the section of town directly between the center of the Old Town and the castle. Especially at night. We were told to walk along the waterfront to avoid trouble, and we are thus passing this warning along to others that may be planning a visit in the area.
Exploring Zaragoza’s Old Town
Zaragoza Cathedral Basilica
The monumental Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is indeed impressive to see both inside and outside. We visited on a Saturday, and it was packed full of people with a service going on in the main chapel. It was hard to tell where we were allowed to go and we were literally navigating streams of people, like crossing a fast-flowing river.
Add to that it was the day the Christmas market was opening and the festival that included the lighting of all the Christmas lights in the city was to begin. It seemed like the everyone and their uncle were out in the Old Town to enjoy the festivities!
The Cathedral itself is grandiose and free to visit. It’s hard not to be taken aback by the huge elaborate and detailed sculptures and decorations that adorn the walls and ceiling of this remarkable place of worship.
Because of the crowds we opted to just visit the nave and head to the other cathedral and returned later to finish our exploration of this marvel. But once we got there, we realized that the church was closed for celebrations. A baptism was going on in one chapel, and a wedding in the main church!
So, we purchased our tickets to see the tower and treasury museums later in the day.
Torre de San Francisco de Borja
Also known as the Pilar Tower, the bell tower is part of the Zaragoza Cathedral and a very popular attraction, so do plan ahead!
We were lucky to get our ticket for the 5pm tower lift (yes, there is a lift which takes you up to the first level followed by some stairs to the top, but the lift was a pleasant surprise!). Also, 5pm seemed like the optimal time to come (at the end of November) as we were on top for the start of the sunset.
You get some incredible views from the observation deck and really get to appreciate the grandeur of the cathedral and its various towers, spires and domes.
Pilarista Museum (inside cathedral)
The treasury museum is a small room in the back of the cathedral accessible with a ticket. It houses many of the religious treasures, including jewelry and intricate boxes.
While no photos are allowed, the curator allowed us to use our phones to magnify some of the smaller pieces and we were amazed at the detail. Some of the paintings had to have been made with a single hair as they were so fine. There was also an interesting exhibit of jewelry with animal inlays and motifs.
Cathedral of the Savior of Zaragoza
Equality impressive as the Zaragoza Cathedral is the second cathedral in Zaragoza’s Old Town. It’s also known as La Seo Cathedral of El Salvador. But many simply called it Seo.
Built on an ancient Roman temple, we walked through admiring all the chapels adorning the sides of the cathedral. Each one a work of art and unique in its own way. The audio guide gives the history of the saints and scenes depicted in the chapels in depth.
The height and the detail of the engravings is so impressive whether or not you have the patience to listen to the whole audio guide narrative. We had bought a timed ticket to the Pillar Tower lift, so we had to rush through some of it despite it being interesting and well presented.
Be sure to visit the Tapestry Museum which only costs €1 more. It is accessible through the gift shop. The size of the tapestries is amazing, and we can’t imagine how much time must have gone into making some of these huge wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling tapestries.
We were both thoroughly impressed with the chapels in this wonderful cathedral. Words and even pictures can’t really do it justice and we’re really glad we made it out to Zaragoza to experience it.
We ran out of time and didn’t get to visit the Museum of Lanterns and Crystal Rosaries which was also on our list and (and on our combo ticket). Perhaps something good to add to a Zaragosa itinerary.
Alma Mater Museum
Right next door to the cathedral is the old Bishop’s Palace which now houses the Alma Mater Museum. It is said to be located in the same place where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. James the Apostle and told him to build a church in this exact spot. Remains of the former Church of Saint James are still visible.
The collection includes sacred religious artifacts from the Diocese of Zaragoza such as paintings, carvings, and statues.
Like many of the museums, the building itself is also a work of art. Don’t neglect to look up at the ceilings and down at the floors as well as the archways in the exhibition halls.
Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge)
Next, we wanted to go across the 15th century historic pedestrian stone bridge to get some good pictures of the Cathedral of Zaragoza as it was getting dark and the illuminated cathedral from across the water would surely look great.
A river of people, baby carriages and dogs was coming the opposite way to visit the opening of the Christmas market. We managed to fight our way upstream feeling like salmon going to spawn! But it was worth it!
We got some great views before reversing direction and joining the crowd as it moved into the market arriving just in time to loud cheers as the Christmas lights came on.
Zaragoza’s Christmas Market
The Christmas market was a lot of fun though and while we originally expected November to be quiet it was packed like sardines. We navigated the crowd looking at the decorated booths selling (what else!) Iberian ham and cheeses as well as some Christmas decorations and treats.
We bought some freshly made donuts at one open-air kiosk. The customer ahead of us, a local, ordered 4 donuts and they were put on the scale. I overheard €2.60 so I took out a €5 note. When it was our turn, I also asked for 4 donuts in broken Spanish, and they were also put on the scale but ours must have been twice as big as they were €5. Hmm… Regardless of any suspected tourist pricing, they were freshly made donuts, and it was fun to eat them hot on the cold night at the Christmas market. Well worth the €5 to us!
The crowd was so dense that it made us a little uncomfortable, but we made our way a couple of streets over where things thinned out a bit and we found ourselves some nice souvenir shirts, sweaters and even a Christmas ornament.
Where we stayed
We selected the Hotel NH Collection Gran Hotel de Zaragoza located in the Old Town and close to the attractions. It proved to be comfortable, clean and well appointed.
Breakfast was a bit of a circus with too many guests and too few waitstaff, but in fairness there seemed to be a wedding going on and we were ok to simply grab a coffee and run. If booking again we might opt not to include the breakfast as there were a lot of choices in the area.
The hotel also didn’t have a parking, but we found a good public indoor spot a couple of blocks over with the help of Caesar the concierge!
Where to eat
We counted on reviews and Google Maps for finding dinner spots and while it was really busy, we got lucky getting into restaurants just as they opened at 8:30pm with no reservations. If you can, do make reservations, especially if you are there during a festive weekend!
We had some delicious pasta at Restaurante La Tagliatella the first night and the last night (with thick crowds) were lucky to get the last table at another spot called La Cafetería. We saw couples being turned away later so I guess we really were lucky, and it really was the last table!
We also found some nice Christmas shirts nearby so very lucky indeed!
Conclusion
We both enjoyed visiting the Old Town of Zaragoza and would definitely recommend it. We thought two nights with one full day was sufficient to do all the attractions at a pace we were comfortable with.
Aside from the historic center, the city seemed to be quite industrial. And as our hotel receptionist advised there were areas to be avoided. Even when the Old Town had a strong police presence and was full of tourists and locals alike.
It was a charming town with lots of history, some really interesting highlights and definitely worth a visit.