Zaragoza
Spain'S Fifth City, The Roman Caesaraugusta And Later A Moorish Taifa Capital, Holding The Basilica Del Pilar And The Aljaferia Palace, Part Of The UNESCO Mudejar Architecture Of Aragon Listing · Zaragoza, Aragon
Spain's fifth city, sitting exactly halfway between Madrid and Barcelona, which is why almost nobody stops. That is the case for going. Zaragoza was Roman Caesaraugusta, then a Moorish taifa capital, and both are still visible: a Roman theatre and forum under the modern streets, and the Aljaferia, an eleventh-century Islamic palace that is the finest surviving Moorish building in Spain outside Andalusia and is now the regional parliament. The Basilica del Pilar dominates the riverfront with eleven domes and holds the pillar the Virgin is said to have appeared on, making it one of the major Marian shrines in the Catholic world; Goya painted part of the ceiling and was born nearby. The old town is large and unpolished, the tapas quarter around El Tubo is cheap and packed, and the whole place runs on its own terms rather than on visitors, which is increasingly rare and is the whole argument for stopping here instead of passing through at three hundred kilometres an hour like everybody else does.
Plaza del Pilar, Zaragoza, Aragon, 50003, Spain
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: the BASILICA DEL PILAR is FREE and open long hours, closing to sightseeing during services and on Marian feasts. THE ALJAFERIA IS A WORKING PARLIAMENT and its visiting hours are restricted and can close at short notice for political business, which is the one thing to confirm before travelling. La Seo and the Caesaraugusta museums keep daytime hours with a midday break and Monday closures. The Fiestas del Pilar in October override everything.