Zaragoza is a wonderful Spanish city; lively, full of the most amazing tapas bars, and a great stop off for families heading further down in to Spain.
We spent 48 hours in Zaragoza on our road trip from Northern France down to Murcia in Spain. We travelled through the Pyrenees, so Zaragoza was a perfect stop, taking 5 hours from our previous night in Bordeaux.
Zaragoza’s History
- Spain’s fifth largest city, it is definitely underrated as a destination. It has so much on offer in terms of both its past, and its place in modern-day Spain, with a rich blend of the historic and modern everywhere you look.
- With 2000 years of history to enjoy it is a great city to go and explore on foot – with Roman ruins, stunning cathedrals, a castle and, most notably, the Basilica del Pilar. The Basilica receives thousands of pilgrims every year, and really is impressive.
Reasons we loved Zaragoza:
- It was a great city to explore on foot, with large pedestrianised areas. This was great with the children and proved a nice break from all the driving!
- The large squares with cafes and space to soak up the sunshine, the views and a cold drink! We loved the large Plaza del Pilar, next to the Basilica, which was lined with cafes and perfect for the boys to run off some of their energy.
- We were very lucky to visit when an art installation named ‘Leadership’ by Cuban artist Roberto Fabelo was present in this large plaza. It featured 21 large rhinoceros’ sculptures, of which one of them in red, is looking in one direction while the rest of the herd in different colours looks in the opposite direction. It was really quite mesmerising and the children loved it. Whilst this may not be there when you visit, the city is known for its strong connections to artist Goya, and there are often other art installations or sculptures on display in this area.
- The tapas scene! Zaragoza is known for its tapas bars; the place comes to life in the evenings, and down narrow streets you will find amazing tapas bars everywhere! So much choice and a great opportunity to soak up some authentic Spanish food. You can also sample the lovely Aragonese red wines.
- Shopping! Zaragoza is brilliant for shopping, with large markets, shopping malls and independent shops. The large pedestrianised avenues running up from the Plaza del Pillar (such as Calle de Alfonso I) are great for checking out the shops with children.
- The Basilica del Pillar. The city is well known for this beautiful piece of architecture and it is easy to see why. It receives thousands of pilgrims every year, and definitely is not to be missed. One of the first churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the basilica was formerly a Gothic-Mudéjar building but was rebuilt in the Baroque style and extended in the 17th century to become a larger grander building that could accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims.
- Another famous monument we loved is the Aljafería Palace, a striking Moorish palace from the 11th century. In 1485 it held the Court of the Inquisition, and it has a fascinating past. It is one the 10 monuments in Aragon that have been declared a Mudéjar World Heritage site by UNESCO.
Top tips for visiting Zaragoza with a family:
- Zaragoza is not the easiest place to drive around, with some narrow streets, lots of pedestrianised areas and one way systems. We found the best option was to head straight to our hotel (which had parking spaces nearby) dump the car and enjoy the city on foot. The parking of the car was not easy either!! The car park was so insanely narrow but we managed it in the end and then left worrying about getting back out again to the next day… It wouldn’t be a family road trip without some stress over narrow streets and car parking right?!
- Our hotel was fab – really close to all of the main sites, easy to walk to restaurants, cafes and tapas bars, and had a great family sized room. Just be wary of the narrow car park! You can find the hotel here. There are loads to choose from in Zaragoza though.
- We found lots of lovely cafes lining the Plaza del Pilar, and this was a great spot for breakfast in the morning sunshine. Good coffee, fresh juice, and perfect pastries and churros for the boys. I would definitely recommend heading here if you don’t have breakfast at your hotel.
- Some good travel books on Spain include The Rough Guide to Spain and Lonely Planet’s ‘Spain’.
- We also love Lonely Planet’s ‘First Words’ and ‘Phrases’ collection.
Any questions about Zaragoza, just pop us a message. We love to talk travel!
Emma and the Wild Ones x
