Zaragoza Holidays

Zaragoza (Saragossa), the capital of Aragon, has all the attractions of a modern, populous city with excellent avenues, such as that of La Independencia, Sagasta, Gran Via... and squares, such as that of Paraiso, Los Sitios...

The Zaragoza's appeal lies in the fact that it has been left relatively untouched by tourism: most travelers know it only as a train station on the way from Barcelona to Madrid. Those who take the time to get off the train are rarely disappointed. The old town is full of authentic Spanish restaurants, and Aragon cooking is superb.
Attractions include the Aljaferia castle, the greatest Moorish edifice outside Andalucia, the Roman Forum and Theatre of ancient Caesaraugusta, and the Basilica del Pilar, one of the most famous sanctuaries of the Virgin Mary in the world.
Other important sights are the old Cathedral, La Seo, a magnificient 14th century church with its famous Museum of Trapestries. Especially interesting are the estately houses and magnificient palaces in the city.

The most important Zaragoza museums are the Museum of Fine Arts, with paintings of early aragonese artists and of El Greco, Ribera and Goya, and the Camon Aznar Museum, with paintings ranging from Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Velazquez and Goya to Renoir, Manet and Sorolla.

Popular festivals or fiestas in Aragon go beyond the commonplace. Although the Jota (traditional dance) becomes the mark that identifies a whole people and is a constant factor of any festive ossacion, Aragon folklore has known how to keep alive its deep roots in the in the ancestral world of the legendary and primitive. In fact, the actual religious feast days such us Saint John, the Carnival or the Corpus are edified intelligently over Pre-Christian and Pagan rites established by the rhythms of ancient life, ruled by the sun cycles, the seasons and the harvests.

So, among the marked political type fiestas, such as the Day of Aragon on the 23rd of April (Saint George), and the purely religious ones, such us the Easter Week processions, there are endless amount of festivities with deep folklore, such as the carnivals or the bullfightings. So, in any village or town of Aragon, and at any time of the year, we can see very popular festive events that everyone can take part in. We have highlighted some of the best ones that preserve the most singular peculiarities and living traditions, which make them into unrepeatable social phenomena in the world. But if you wish to discover the reality of the popular Aragon soul, you must let yourself be guided by your own experiences, travelling through Aragon village by village and without haste through the roads of folklore.