Zaragoza Capital

Gran Via Hotel welcomes you to these pages are intended as a means to get closer to our customers.

In them you can find information about the City of Zaragoza and its surroundings, and know our services and facilities.

URBAN TOURISM:                                           MEET ARAGON

1.JACA:

Jaca (820 m. of altitude and   12.000 inhabitants), is the capital of region of the Jacetania. It is necessary to emphasize the following places to visit, Jaca`s Cathedral considered one of the most important monuments of the Romanesque Spanish art, inside the routes of Santiago´s way.

The Citadel of Jaca, constructed to defend the border of the French assaults. The schedule is from Tuesday until Sundays, closed Monday except festive and on eves of festively. Tomorrow from 11 to 14 hours and evenings of 16 to 19 hours.

The Diocesan Museum of Jaca, is located in the same cathedral and considered one of the most important centers as for wall paintings of the Romanesque one of Spain. Now, thanks to the integral reform that it has registered, it has turned into the museum of reference of the sacred art of this country. It has diverse schedules to visit depending on the station of the year in which we are.

ACCESSES:

To access to the above mentioned locality, it is communicated by the road N-330 by Saragossa and Huesca, and by Pamplona by the N-240.

As for regular lines, they depart every day from Saragossa and Huesca direct buses to Jaca (www.alosa.es).

2. AINSA:

It is in Sobrarbe's region, to the north of the province of Huesca.

Situated strategically in the confluence of the rivers Cinca and Altar, on a high place to 589 m. Of altitude, from where the whole environment controls itself. In a privileged place, between the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, the Natural reserve of the Cannons and Guara's Saw and the Natural reserve Posets-Maladeta, Ainsa is the most important point of road links of this sector

Next to Ainsa or at the same village, we can found the next places to visit:

Aínsa's castle - strength: Historical Artistic Monument from 1931, his spaces are in use for offices, exhibitions and cultural activities, and it forms a part of a fascinating locality. There is structured around  the major square of medieval influence, is opened all the year round but it is necessary to to consult his schedule. Nowadays it  has the Center of Interpretation of the Pirenaic animals.

Major Square: It seems to date back of the XIIth and XIIIth century, those of major summit of the villa, and it was a scene of numerous fairs and markets. The Major street and the street of the Santa Cruz they converge on it.

The Covered Cross: You Moderate of circular floor constructed in 1655 as commemorative monument of the battle of l'Aínsa's reconquest the Muslims.

In his interior has a representation in stone of the tree and Sobrarbe's cross, the first barrack of the shield of Aragon.

TRADITIONAL PARTIES: The Morisma

ACCESSES:

The most direct access to the capital of the region of the Sobrarbe is a route Barbastro for the road A-138. It is possible to realize in half a day, leaving another average for the next of the villa and his churches.         

3.TARAZONA:

Tarazona, is the capital of Tarazona's Region and the Moncayo, is in the average Valley of the river Queiles, to a distance of 86 km from Saragossa. Placed in the crossing of the autonomous communities of Castile León, La Rioja and Navarre, possesses a population of 11.000 inhabitants. Tarazona's patrimonial wealth is completed perfectly by an environment full of attractions: the Saw of the Moncayo, protected from 1978 under the figure of Nature reserve and the idyllic place of Veruela's Cistercian.

Old bullring: of form octogonal, constituted by houses of three heights with big windows and arches on pillars. From the year 2001, this bullring possesses the declaration of " Well of Cultural Interest " and is integrated to the Association of Historical Plazas of Spain.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Garden: declared National Monument, is a slow work that was begun in the S. The XIIth. Reflection of the Mudejar art, CALENDAR AND SCHEDULES OF VISIT: 20 JUNE- 30 SEPTEMBER:/1 OCTOBER- 31 DECEMBER / DAY WITHOUT TOURIST VISIT: on June 26, July 5, August 27 and 28, October 5, December 8 and 25.

TRADITIONAL PARTIES: The Cipotegato, all the 27th august are celebrated at 12.00 of the morning exactly, the exit takes place from the Town hall of a personage, dressed from the head to the feet with a suit of colors, which receives the name of "Cipotegato", to which one throws a rain of tomatoes to him. This one is the principal act of the traditional parties of Tarazona, of tourist regional interest, celebrated in honor to San Atilano.

ACCESSES:

-TRAINS:Tarazona, doesn`t have at present connection by train, the stations nearest to the City are in Tudela's of Navarre locality, to 22 kilometres and in Saragossa, to 89 kilometres of distance.

-CAR: from Saragossa, CN-232, turn aside CN-122, direction Soria. Ó A-68. (Exit by Borja or Tudela).

4.CALATAYUD:

Collegiate church of Santa Maria The Major one raised according to the tradition on the lot of the former major mosque of the city.

The Collegiate church was declared National Monument in the year 1884 and his Spanish Muslim living under Christian rule, Heritage of the Humanity in 2001.

The current city of Calatayud, it is provided with all the necessary services, with a very wide offer of Hotels and Restaurants, sports facilities, golf course, etc. It tells in addition, with a few surroundings, very suitable of great landscape interest for the practice of the hiking, that attention and enjoyment deserve.

To approximately six kilometres, one finds Bilbilis's archaeological deposit, which possesses a few magnificent thermal baths and a Theatre in full reconstruction. The pieces obtained in the excavations have given the base to the Municipal Museum, placed in the former convent of Carmelite.

TRADITIONAL PARTIES: The Holy Week bilbilitana, which dates back of ends of the 15th century. Of it there stands out the procession, which is celebrated in the evening of the Good Friday and which was declared of tourist interest in Aragon. This procession besides diverse prominent figures of the Sacred History and other Biblical symbols, crosses the streets of the city to end in the square of Spain, where, there is celebrated an Eucharistic also dated in the 15th century.

ACCESSES: by road it is possible to do The access to Calatayud across two routes: the highway of Aragon, the N-II, (Madrid - Saragossa) ; and the road N-234 (Sagunto to Burgos).

5.ALBARRACIN:

Albarracín's principal captivation is to wander about the streets for all his corners. It is advisable that the tourist takes comfortable shoe since all the streets are paved, with slopes and stairs, and the raise to the walls is realized by a dirt track.

In the entry of the monumental city, in his low part, there are several zones of parking. The first one of them is the biggest and is closely together of the Regional Office of Tourist Information. Albarracín's principal monument is the city itself, with all his popular and aristocratic flavor, reflection of his history and of the good one to play the role of his people.

The next places are very interesting to visit in Albarracin:

The Major Plaza: The building of the Town hall closes one of the wings of the Major Plaza. It is actually a crossroads of way and central route of the city. It is a rectangular space that presents two visual areas: the western one, of irregular perimeter, with popular buildings. The oriental side of the square is occupied by the Town halls which disposition in Or it allows to compose the rectangle of the above mentioned space. From the Plaza one accedes to five streets: that of the Cathedral, that of the Portal of Molina, of Santiago, of the Jet and Azagra's street.

The Castle:  The former enclosure of the castle is situated in the high of a rock. The castle presents an irregular floor that one adapts to the surface of the area.

His access realizes across a small slope. One finds 1.198 ms of altitude. The schedule is different depending of the month in which we visit it, from October to May and from June to September.

ACCESES:

-BUS: There is a service of buses with the only line that communicates Teruel with Albarracín's Saw and that circulates from Monday to Saturday (not every Sunday not festive). It goes out from the Bus station of Teruel with direction for Albarracín at 15:30. Towards Teruel he happens for Albarracín at 8:30.

-CAR: from Saragossa, the N-330 takes direction Cariñena. Later he will happen for Calamocha, Monreal of the Field and Villarquemado. To level of the latter population it is taken YOU-V9011 up to coming to the crossing with the A-1512 that will lead Gea de Albarracín and Albarracín.

6. HUESCA:

It relies on 51.000 inhabitants that services are employed principally at sector. Huesca appears as a small city with all the services and equipments to try  beautiful and different stay.

What to do in Huesca:

-A photo to be done in the Bow ties of the Park: The bow ties are the symbol of the city. It was a monument that the from Huesca sculptor Ramon Acín did to the papiroflexia since he liked much this type of art. You will find them in the lateral walk.

 -Visit the CDAN: The Center of Art and Nature is a center of contemporary art designed by Rafael Moneo. He is to 1 km going out of Huesca, direction Pamplona by Ayerbe.

-See San Lorenzo(Boss of Huesca): He is inside the basilica of The St Lawrence, in the street of the same name. He died roasted in a grill, it is because of it that the basilica has form of grill.

-To visit the most ancient shop of Spain: the name Receives of Ultramarine The Confidence, is the most ancient shop of Spain. It dates back of 1871 and in there can be contemplated the paintings of León Abadias y Santolaria's ceiling.

What to visit in Huesca:

The Cathedral of Huesca: it dates back of ends of the 13th century and finished at the beginning of the 16th century.

The Casino: Placed in the Plaza of Navarre. It is a building projected in 1901 by the architect Ildefonso Bonells. He remained inaugurated in 1904.

The Church of San Pedro Old: pantheon of the Kings of Aragon Alfonso I the Fighter and his successor Ramiro II the Monk.

Loarre's Castle: the best preserved one of the world and scene of filmings of cinematographic overproductions like " The Kingdom of the Skies " of the prestigious British director Ridley Scott.

ACCESES:

- PLANE: To only 5 minutes, the city possesses his own  airport " Huesca - Pyrenees " and at little more than half an hour one finds the airport of Saragossa.

- TRAIN: Huesca is connected by Madrid by the trains AVE(high speed train) of RENFE's high speed.

- BUS: The connections in bus for highway are very frequent with Saragossa and daily by road with Barcelona and Pamplona and in the summers months with France.

- CAR: The distance between Huesca and Saragossa is 70 Km.

7.TERUEL:

The city of Teruel occupies totally a raised and delimited by relatively steep hillsides, to which it is promoted by means of roads and bridges, without being absent to the famous Aqueduct of the Arches of the 16th century. Bordered by the river Turia, on November 28, 1986 the Mudejar architecture of the city of Teruel was inscribed by the UNESCO in the list of the World heritage.

Two artistic traditions come together in the singularity of the Spanish Muslim living under Christian rule of Teruel, one is the Islamic Aragonese tradition and other one, the influence that will come from the world almohade and of other Mudejar areas of the rest of the peninsular territory, good sample of it they are the following enclaves to visiting:

Tower of the Salvador: dated in the second or third decade of the 14th century, it possesses abundant decorative ceramic elements in whitly and green.

San's Pedro church: constructed along the 14th century, his plant is of an alone ship with lateral chapels, having received a deep interior reform in 1901.

Bull´s Square: it is the neuralgic center of the city from his origins. His emblematic point is the source monument of the Toric one that dates back of 1858 and shelters also modernist very out-standing buildings. In the low ones of the mentioned square, we think one of the elements that they formed a part of the water supply of the city, the Medieval Cistern of the 14th century.

 The Escalinata: construction of beginning of century that joins the station of the train with the Historical Center. It has an allusive relief to the moment summit of the history of the Lovers.

ACCESES:

The Mudejar Highway joins Teruel with Saragossa and Valencia, and the railway Cantabrian - Mediterranean Corridor of high speed.

8.DAROCA:

Daroca places in the south-east of the province of Saragossa, very near the province of Teruel. The city is situated in the bank of the river Jiloca. Daroca is formed as governing center of the average zone of the Jiloca. Sector placed between 700 and 800 meters of altitude and that constitutes a zone of garden; on both sides of the valley high spread where the grapevine and the cereal is cultivated.

The city is far 83 kilometres of Saragossa, 98 kilometres of Teruel and 38 kilometres of Calatayud. Daroca, in spite of his size, offers a wide tourist offer in what to monuments and churches it refers, these are some of them:

Museum of the Pastry shop: suitable to discover the exquisite ones laminate darocenses.

Regional museum: whose headquarters are the Hospital of Santo Domingo, of the 16th century.

Museum of the Corporal ones: in the same collegiate church of Santa Maria.

Collegiate church of Santa Maria: in whose interior, of great ornamental of the major altar, dedicated to the Asuncion, as well as the marvellous organ of the 14th century. The church wakes interest up, in addition, to be the guardian of the relic of the Sacred Corporal ones.

ACCESSES:

CAR: Most of the distance is realized across the Mudejar highway A-23.

BUS: Several companies operate in Daroca and his region. Ágreda realizes diverse daily  distances  between Saragossa and Daroca; Tezasa realizes daily tours with Teruel.

TRAIN: Daroca does not possess nowadays railway station. The most nearby is that of Calatayud,     where they have alighting-place the AVES of the line Madrid - Saragossa - Barcelona.

9. ZARAGOZA:

The rich historical and monumental heritage of the streets of Saragossa for geographical nearby areas, the principal jewels of the civil and religious architecture, and the principal museums that the visitor can contemplate in his step along Saragossa. This one is the top 10 places more visited in Saragossa.

-The Pilar: baroque Temple and one of the more important centers of peregrination of the catholic orb. It is also an artistic center of the first order that assembles works of great value of different ages.

-The Seo: Constructed on the major mosque of the former Moslem city. Eclectic set of styles, which it combines from the Romanesque one up to the Neoclassicist

-Route Caesaragusta: It is one of the major theatres of the Roman Roman Spain. It had an capacity concerning 6.000 spectators. Caesaraugusta's theatre is constructed in a level lot, being still the model of Marcelo's theatre, in Rome. It includes the following ones: Museum of the Forum, Museum of the Fluvial Port, Museum of the Public Thermal baths and Museum of Caesaragusta's Theatre.

-Mudejar Heritage of the Humanity: In this tour we will re-live the medieval past of Saragossa, crossing such evocative places as: the Cathedral of San Salvador, the Aljafería, Fortea's Tower, the Tower of the Zuda, the Convent of the Holy Sepulchre, the Arch and House of the Dean, the Church of the Sponge-cake, San Paul, San Miguel and San Gil.

-The Aljaferia: It is one of the most important monuments of the architecture Hispanic - Muslim of the 11th century. So the building has suffered successive reforms, we can walk between his beautiful Golden Lounge and the Oratory. Part of his dependences they are at present a headquarters of the Parliament of Aragon.

-Goya: Portraits and engravings will bring us over to the personality of the most universal Aragonese artist. If we visit the Basilica of Pilar, the Museum of Saragossa, the Museum Camon Aznar and The Carthusian one of Classroom Dei.

-Paul Gargallo`s Museum: Monographic museum dedicated to the work of the Aragonese sculptor Paul Gargallo.

-Court of Infanta: One of the better preserved Aragonese Renaissance courts.

-The Exchange: Used during the last decades as room of municipal exhibitions, it is necessary to his name to the function for the one that was created, constructed by the Council as exchange.

-Zaragoza Expo: As a result of the International Exhibition 2008 water and sustainable development there took place the construction of new and modern buildings as: the Tower of the Water, the Pavilion Bridge, the Fluvial Aquarius of Saragossa, the Park of the Water Luis Buñuel, the Pavilion of Aragon, the Pavilion of Spain and the Conference hall Aragon.

10. OTHER PLACES TO VISIT:

*MONASTERY OF STONE:

Monastery of Stone forms a part of one of the mountains of the Iberian system, because of it we can visit the Monastery of Stone and the Nature reserve in the one that is located.

The Nature reserve, it´s inside the network of Protected areas of Aragon, declared Picturesque Landscape since 1945. The Park receives dense forests of bank, in one of the ecosystems of major biological richness where they find many kinds of animals and you plant in a relatively limited space and great variety of enormous trees. The areas of management that develop in the Park take as an aim the conservation of these ecosystems in its natural state.

By other hand is the Monastery of Stone, where there is anybody since 1835. In 1840 was bought by Sir Pablo Muntadas Campeny and from this moment was a private property.

ACCESES:

Highway A-2, direction Madrid - Barcelona gone out km 204 (Alhama of Aragon - Monastery of Stone); or, in the same highway direction Barcelona - Madrid km 231 (Nuévalos - Monastery of Stone).

*NATIONAL PARK OF  ORDESA AND MONTE PERDIDO:

His orography dominates Monte Perdido's clump (3.355 m), with the tops of Three Sorores, from where they derive the valleys of Ordesa, Pineta, Añisclo and Escuaín. A landscape of big contrasts: the extreme aridity of the high zones, contrasts with the green valleys covered by forests, where the water forms waterfalls and crosses cannons and cliffs.

From July 1, 2006, the management of the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido corresponds in sole right to the Autonomous Community of Aragon.

Since it is necessary to emphasize natural values, the extreme aridity of the high zones contrasts with the green valleys covered by forests and meadows, where the water forms waterfalls and crosses cannons and cliffs.

Concerning the park two zones have been delimited: The Peripheral one of Protection of major surface that the own(proper) Park, destined to avoid impacts to the same one, and other one of Influence where activities compatible with the Park are promoted.

The Department of Environment started during 1998 the Plan of Visitors' Accesses to Ordesa's Valley with three aims:

·     To improve the quality of the visit of Ordesa's valley.

·     To reduce the impacts produced by the vehicles in Ordesa's valley.

·     To allow the access at any hour of the day inside the authorized schedule.

Inside this plan built a parking in Torla, with capacity for 386 tourisms and 17 buses.

* SIERRA DE GUARA:

This zone of the high Aragon takes his name of the Tozal of Guara that dominates this region to 2077m. The history of Guara's Hills is very ancient. More recently, remains of the Arabic conquest, medieval hermitages, churches and the landscapes shaped by the man are tests of the human presence that continued throughout the centuries in the zone.

Nowadays, Guara's Hills is known and recognizes for his activities of adventures between which the barranquismo plays a role very important. In effect with his climate and the hundred of cliffs distributed in the zone, Guara's Hills is the ideal area for the practice of the decrease of cannons. It offers also numerous alternatives simultaneously sports and cultural between which the climbing, the excursions, the routes ferratas, the excursions astride as well as the visits of the villages of Guara's Hills, livedor not, and of his monuments.

ACCESES:

CAR: Take the highway E-7 / A-23 direction HUESCA until gone out 573 norths Huesca/Barbastro/Lerida, later to continue with the N-240 direction Barbastro/Lerida. 3km later and then, cross the bridge and then you found Guara´s Hills.  Next the road A-1229 until Abiego; later the village, take you the cross at left to Bierge.

In Bierge, takes the road  A-1230 until the ALMUNIAS of RODELLAR .

*MOUNTAINS FROM TERUEL:

In the zone oriental center turolense, bordering on Castellón's province, is situated this region, with fertile valleys and rough cliffs. The great extension of his municipal areas has given like proved an important dispersed habitat, specially abundant in the highest zones, because of the difficulties to exploit. These circumstances are those that have formed the habitat of this mountains.

The Cultural Park of the Mountains from Teruel is formed around the river Guadalope and his tributaries, including 43 municipalities distributed in six regions of the province of Teruel: Andorra - Hills of Arches, Under Aragon, Mining Basins, Gúdar - Javalambre, Mountains from Teruel, which shape a vast territory with a wide heritage.

 *CULTURAL PARK IN THE MOUNTAINS OF TERUEL:

There is born as project of rural development integral taken refuge in the initiative Community LEADER. Departing from the evaluation and promotion of the own resources with which the region is provided, particularly from his rich natural and cultural heritage. In addition into factor that agglutinates new programs in tourist and environmental matter. As a result of this initiative they arose:

 -Cultural Park of  Molinos

-Museum of Mas of the Matas

-Paleontologic Park of Galve                                                                           

-Geologic Park of Aliaga

*MONEGROS DESSERT:

It is a question of one of the most singular regions of the Community of Aragon. The region of the Monegros is an immense desert of stones and sand to half a way between Huesca and Saragossa.

The end of Monegros, he identifies as Black Mounts. The landscape that shows us is desert, in the main the special, only desert in Europe since it has hills, plains and ravines, but also it is splashed by small rafts of salty water that are formed from the water of the rain and as not, for rivers, which also are present.

The weather can be considered to be like continental arid, being characterized by annual extreme temperatures, it is therefore a semiarid climate, with scanty rainfalls and high summer temperatures, they are the signs of identity of a territory with variable appearance according to the epoch of the year in which we visit it.

In 1999 the scientific Manifest was announced by the Monegros that it was required, signed by more than 500 scientists and investigators with the results of the opposing species, the prompt declaration of The Monegros as protected zone.

*GALLOCANTA:

Situated to 106 kms southwest of the province of Saragossa, in Daroca's Region, in a flat area to approximately 1.000 meters on the level of the sea, Gallocanta's locality gives name to the great wetland GALLOCANTA's wetland a Special Zone of Protection of Birds.

Gallocanta's wetland is the only wetland in Spain due to his biological richness and his aptitude to shelter great quantity of birds. His strategic location does that every year differents aquatic birds as broke divers and coots use the wetland as point of wintertime, as locality of step or establish for the baby.

Gallocanta's wetland is the most important Spanish point for the crane.

We are a space that deserves and must be taken care and respected.

*SKI RESORTS:

 -CANDANCHU

-ASTUN

-CERLER

-FORMIGAL

-PANTICOSA

-VALDELINARES

-JAVALAMBRE