Zaragoza

The city

Plaza in Zaragoza is in a privileged location: within a radius of 350km, lie 60% of the Spanish population and 80% of national GDP. Zaragoza is the geographical centre of a hexagon formed by Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Bilbao: an undoubted nerve centre in southwest Europe.

Zaragoza is well connected with the national and European network by road via the Ebro, Mediterranean and Atlantic routes, as well as the central Somport pass and with the north-south route to come.

Zaragoza has over 700,000 inhabitants and covers an area of 1,059.9 km². It is the 5th largest city in Spain, and the capital and political and administrative centre of the Autonomous Community of Aragon, which has a total area of 47,650 km² and covers almost 10% of the national territory.

The city is located 240m above sea level on the right bank of the mid-Ebro valley. As well as the Ebro river, the Gállego and Huerva rivers and the Imperial Canal of Aragón pass through it.

Also, due to its strategic location within the Iberian Peninsula and its cultural and linguistic ties, Zaragoza is a connection point between Latin America and Europe.

It has plenty of green areas in the heart of the city and large open spaces for pedestrians, cars, bicycles (with a growing network of bike paths) and trams.

Transport: how to arrive

By car:

Zaragoza is at the crossroads between Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia, and 300km from each, a journey of about 3 hours.

• A23 to Huesca and France
• A2 to Barcelona
• A68 to Logroño and Bilbao
• A2 to Madrid

 

By bus:

Zaragoza has connections with the main Spanish cities via the Central Bus Station located at the Zaragoza-Delicias intermodal station, where the AVE stops. Different companies take travellers to and from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Oviedo, Asturias, Pamplona among many other locations, with a variety of schedules and frequencies.

By plane:

There are various connections from the Aragonese capital via conventional and low cost airlines with international cities, like Paris, Milan, Brussels, London and the Spanish islands.

• Airport information: 976 712 300
• National reservations: 901 333 111
• International reservations: 901 333 222

 

By train:

Delicias Station welcomes the arrival and departure of the AVE trains that reach Madrid in 90 minutes and Barcelona in 2 hours, as well as other regional locations.

Culture and leisure

Because of its geographical location, the city is not only a meeting point for different cultural traditions, but also a centre for disseminating cultural trends settling there.

Zaragoza has remains of the four most representative cultures in the history of Spain and is a focus for varied and intense activity throughout the year. The enthusiasm and interest the city shows for art and culture reinforces the reputation that Zaragoza has as a meeting point for important conferences on a wide variety of topics. Here you can find the right framework for relevant events in the world of art, culture and leisure, as well as technical infrastructure that puts Zaragoza on an equal footing with the main European cities.

The city is fortunate to have a venue like the Zaragoza Auditorium, where the most renowned figures of the day display their talents. Musicians, singers and artists bring together all trends, from classical to contemporary music. In addition, Zaragoza has the elegance of the historic Teatro Principal (Main Theatre), the Teatro del Mercado (Market Theatre) and Rincón de Goya (Goya’s Corner). It held the International Exhibition in 2008, and the site is now a business centre, headquarters for the City of Justice and contains leisure parks for people to walk or go by bicycle. In the same area, next to the river Ebro, is the Palacio de Congresos (Conference Hall) for trade fairs and cultural activities of all kinds.

There are few truly walkable cities in the world, but Zaragoza is. Here, walking is a tradition, a natural and almost daily activity and a luxury available to everyone. There are numerous areas dedicated for walking and the pavements are, for the most part, spacious and comfortable. Zaragoza has plenty of green areas in the heart of the city and large open spaces for pedestrians, cars, bicycles (with a growing network of bicycle lanes) and trams.