Inexpensive Weekend Getaway: Barcelona to Zaragoza, Spain

One of my favorite attributes to living in Barcelona is the ease and ability to travel without having a car. Since moving here in February 2018, we have been sin coche. Coming from the US where a car is an absolute must, it has been quite a relief to hand over the wheel to the metro and bus drivers. Aside from being cheap (1.20 euros for up to an hour of travel via public transport), I don’t have to worry about my wine consumption.

And while getting around Barcelona is super easy, leaving the city to visit other parts of Spain is just as communicable, especially by train. Lately, the national train companies are touting a greener, faster, and cheaper alternative to flying. They are right! We have learned to love travel by train for all of those reasons and more! First, the security lines at train stations are quicker. Second, you can bring full bottles of liquids (including a bottle of wine). Third, you can arrive within 20 minutes of your departure and board right away. Fourth, you can get up and move often. Fifth, there is a bar and restaurant on board most trains. And, lastly, most train stations stop in the center of town (as compared to airports that are often located outside of the city). Win, win, win.

One of our latest adventures was taking a train from Barcelona to Zaragoza. A new French train company had entered the market and advertised super inexpensive bookings. So, I researched and secured a weekend getaway for 4 of us on Ouigo (www.ouigo.com) for 9 euros each (one way). The trick is to book well in advance. I downloaded the app, and the ease of payment and digital tickets made the experience that much more enjoyable. The entire route was on a fast train so it only took 1.5 hours. The views were spectacular! Going from Cataluyna to Aragon is dotted with old villages, ruins, castles, and farmland. It is a nice backdrop while enjoying your Spanish rose. Did I mention there is no turbulence, either?

Once we arrived in Zaragoza, we walked 30 minutes from the train station to our hotel located in the Old Town. We were super pleased to stay at Apartahotel Los Girasoles (losgirasoles.info), which we found on Booking.com. We had a two bedroom and two full bathroom suite with living room and kitchen. It was clean and quiet with 24 hour reception, and generally only a 10 minute walk to all the major attractions of Zaragoza. There were 4 of us: my husband, me, my daughter (age 16), and her friend (age 15). I mention this because all of the sites and attractions we did were family and teenager friendly, the latter often most difficult.

So, here are the top 10 things we did in Zaragoza:

• Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar: Hands down this is what makes Zaragoza special. For free, you can walk around this building admiring every little detail. It photographs like a dream, statuesque and majestic. Also for free, you can enter inside (during open hours) and gape with mouth wide open at the interior abound with rotundas, murals, marble, saints, and holiness. For a fee, you can climb one of the towers. We did not go this route because we have a rooftop at our hotel and we had grumpy teenagers that just could not go the extra effort. One cool item to note: inside this cathedral hang two unexploded missiles from the civil war. The missiles were duds, but the locals believe it was a miracle which saved this beautiful church. Either way, kind of cool.

•  Plaza de Pilar: WOW. This huge plaza is wide, lined with restaurants (umbrellas, terraces, cold wine, oh my!) serving local tapas and the background is the Basilica Pilar. Despite the higher prices (tourist area), we enjoyed this plaza to rest and relax at several different restaurants. But we enjoyed it most at dusk and night. It was unbelievable the beauty of the Basilica as the sun went down and the night sky turned Mediterranean Blue. At one end of the plaza is a grand fountain that honors Latin America. It is a light show and wonderful to listen to the water. Really spectacular! This is also a great area for IG photos (teenagers love this).

• Museum(s) of Roman Ruins: At the other end of the Plaza de Pilar is a museum that houses an ancient Roman forum. There are times that this museum will open for free (first Sunday of the month and other holidays), but we did not visit because we had too cool teenagers that could not be bothered with history.
• Roman Amphitheatre: part of a three museum deal for Roman Ruins. It appears most people will purchase a tour for all three museums to learn how Zaragoza was a major city for the Romans because of the Ebro River. For free, you can walk around the amphitheater and take photos. But a tour will allow you inside and there is a head set that explains all the features. Again, we did not take the tour because we have grumpy teenagers.

• Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge): The Basilica sits on the side of the Ebro River. You can cross the river via several bridges but the most iconic bridge is just in front of the cathedral, and it is literally made of stone. Super iconic photos from this bridge with the cathedral behind it are not to be missed. Even better, if you have a good sunset, cross the bridge to the other side from the cathedral. The sun will set basically on the river, behind the cathedral and bridge. It is really just a perfect setting.

• Parque del Agua: On google maps, this park does not look too big or too far from the Old Town. But it is both. Zaragoza is hot during summer (we visited end of May 2021), and the walk from Old Town to the park is long and sweaty. We love to walk a lot but this was even a bit too much for me. We soon discovered how to rent scooters (patinetes) for the teenagers and this made them very happy. Once at the park, we rented a peddled Swan boat that circled some gardens via canals. After a long walk, peddling this Swan soon became tiresome and quite hot. But, alas, the teenagers enjoyed it with some music and IG photo opportunities. If peddling is too much, one can also rent a row boat. Both boats are quite cheap (I think 6 euros) and worthy for an hour of entertainment.

• El Tubo: This was my favorite part of Zaragoza. This area of the Old Town has winding, cobbled streets lined with bars and restaurants. During the day, street tables start to fill up with a great opportunity to have a cold beer, people watch, and try pinchos (little tapas on top of sliced baguette). At night, the streets are like a club atmosphere and incredibly lively. Tables are hard to find so most people stand around but interior patios open and you can feel the energy. It reminds me of a tiny San Sebastian, and we had our fill of interesting tapas.

• Mercado Central: Like all of Spain and Europe, a good, central market is mandatory. This is no exception. The market is long and skinny, but I have been hundreds of markets so the I am less interested in the products than I am the architecture. This market is beautiful, but especially at night. There are some great photo opportunities in front of this market.

• Borraja: Known as Borage or Starflower in English, this green plant is a local delicacy. We found it in the market but we did not know how to cook it so we looked for restaurants that would serve it. We definitely wanted to try it, and after many requests, a bartender directed us to a fancy restaurant. We made a reservation for our last day and ordered the Borraja served with potato. It was good, but not spectacular. It was certainly green and I am happy we tried it, but the restaurant was so snotty with a sassy staff so that left our experience a bit disappointing. Therefore, I won’t mention the name.
• Palacio de al Aljaferia: We messed up here. Book your tickets in advance because tours sell out quickly. I really wanted to check out this palace. It looks like a cool military fort on the outside (used as one during the civil war), but it is a grand Moorish-influenced palace on the inside. For free, you can walk around the structure and gardens. The tour inside has a fee, and we did not book in advance, so we did not get to check out its interior glory.

We left Barcelona on a Friday afternoon and returned the following Monday afternoon, so we spent 3 nights in Zaragoza. This was ample time to just skim the surface and check out the major attractions in Zaragoza. There were ample museums to visit, including the famous works of Goya. The only museum that the teenagers would entertain was the Origami exhibit (EMOZ) and temporary History of the Bra Exhibit in the same building. We found the exhibits interesting but not extraordinary, so I give them a notable mention. In the summer, more attractions are open, like kayaking down the Ebro and local swimming pools (Parque del Agua). Additionally, with a car, one could extend the time in Aragon and visit more areas, like the Pyrenees, White Water Rafting, Castles, and Hiking, which could be fun for teenagers. But, if you are looking to get out of Barcelona with very little costs, then Zaragoza is great opportunity to explore something different on the cheap. Enjoy!