Zaragoza walking tour & city guide

The Pilar and the river

The Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pilar, with its four towers and colourful tiled domes, dominates the long Plaza del Pilar and the banks of the Ebro. Inside are frescoes by a young Goya, and one tower has a lift to a viewpoint over the city. The stone bridge, the Puente de Piedra, gives the classic view of the basilica reflected in the river.

At the other end of the square, La Seo cathedral blends Romanesque, Gothic, Mudéjar and baroque styles; its brick and tile wall is part of a UNESCO site of Mudéjar architecture in Aragon.

Roman, Moorish and modern Zaragoza

The city was founded by the Romans as Caesaraugusta, and the remains of its forum, river port, baths and theatre can be visited in small museums around the old town. The Aljafería, an 11th-century Islamic palace with delicate arches, later became a royal residence and is now the seat of the Aragonese parliament.

Riverside parks and the bold buildings of the 2008 Expo, such as the Bridge Pavilion by Zaha Hadid, show the modern face of the city.

Visiting tips

High-speed trains reach Zaragoza in about 1 hour 20 minutes from Madrid and 1 hour 30 minutes from Barcelona. The old center is walkable, and a tram runs north to south across the city. In October, the Fiestas del Pilar bring a week of concerts and a huge flower offering in the Plaza del Pilar.