Key facts
Aragon at a glance
Areas and places
Aragon area by area
Each area has its own page, with its own character, plans and map.
42.65° N · 0.06° W
Ordesa Valley
By campervanOn footBy 4x4
40.41° N · 1.44° W
Albarracín
By car
42.17° N · 0.02° E
Alquézar and the River Vero
By car
42.42° N · 0.14° E
Aínsa and the Sobrarbe
By car
42.61° N · 0.52° E
Benasque Valley
By car
42.75° N · 0.52° W
Canfranc, Candanchú and Astún
By car
41.19° N · 1.78° W
Monasterio de Piedra
By car
40.00° N · 1.04° W
Sierra de Javalambre
41.91° N · 1.73° W
Tarazona and the Moncayo
By car
42.77° N · 0.36° W
Tena Valley
By car
40.34° N · 1.11° W
Teruel, a Mudéjar City
By carCar-free
40.88° N · 0.15° E
Valderrobres and the Matarraña
By car
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Aragon, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Aragon
June, September and October for the Pyrenees, with full waterfalls or the red beech forest. Spring and autumn for Guara, Riglos and Albarracín. In July and August the plains scorch and Ordesa fills up; in winter the Pyrenees mean snow and equipment.
How you travel
Aragon your way
The ways of travelling that suit Aragon. We are writing a guide to each one: where to stay, how to get around and which services you will need.
By carBy campervanCar-freeOn footBy 4x4
Nearby
Near Aragon
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
42.70° N · 1.65° W
Navarre
By carCar-freeBy bike
42.35° N · 2.55° W
La Rioja
By carCar-free
43.05° N · 2.62° W
Basque Country
By carCar-freeLuxury
41.80° N · 1.80° E
Catalonia
By carBy planeBy campervanCampingCar-freeLuxuryBy motorbike
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Get up early in Ordesa
Take one of the first buses from Torla: by mid-morning there is a queue and the valley fills up.
- 2Check the mountain forecast
In the Pyrenees the weather changes fast in the afternoon, with summer storms. Start early and come down early.
- 3Canyons, always with a guide
If you have no experience, there are companies in Guara and Ordesa that run them with equipment and a qualified guide.
- 4Carry water and fuel
Between the villages of Teruel and the Pre-Pyrenees there are many kilometres without services.
Going to Ordesa on a Saturday in August in mid-morning. There is a queue for the bus, the waterfalls trail is a procession and there is no parking left in Torla. Go midweek or on the first bus.
Which part of Aragon should I choose?
Aragon is big and almost empty. From north to south it goes from the highest Pyrenees to the limestone canyons of the Pre-Pyrenees, the Ebro valley and the sierras of Teruel. Almost half the territory is mountain. It can't be seen in one trip: choose the north or the south.
- High mountains: the Huesca Pyrenees. This is the reason most people come. The Ordesa Valley, in the Sobrarbe district, is the easiest way in: a glacial canyon inside the oldest national park in the Pyrenees, created in 1918, with waterfalls, beech forests and Monte Perdido in the background. You walk it from the Pradera, which you reach by bus from Torla in season. To the east, the Benasque valley leads to Aneto, which at 3,404 metres is the roof of the range. For two or three nights.
- Canyons and rock: Guara and the Mallos. South of the Pyrenees, the Sierra y Cañones de Guara is a natural park known for canyoning, climbing and its cave paintings, with Alquézar as the base village. To the west, the Mallos de Riglos are walls of about 300 metres above the village, known to climbers all over the world; you can see them whole from the village itself. For a weekend.
- A pink-stone village: Albarracín and its sierra. In Teruel, perched above the Guadalaviar, one of the prettiest villages in Spain, surrounded by gorges and pine forests. For one night, ideally midweek.
- City: Zaragoza. The logical stop between Madrid and Barcelona, and the best gateway if you arrive by train.
If you only have a weekend and are coming from Madrid or Barcelona, Guara and Riglos are closer than Ordesa. If you have three days and want real mountains, go straight to the Pyrenees.
How do I get there and how do I get around?
By train, to Zaragoza-Delicias on the Madrid–Barcelona high-speed line: from Madrid it takes a little under an hour and a half, and there are also direct trains from Barcelona, Andalusia and the Mediterranean coast. Huesca has very few direct trains from Madrid, some only at weekends. From there, the Pyrenees depend on the bus, with few departures.
By car is the best way to get around. From Madrid and Barcelona you enter along the A-2 as far as Zaragoza; from there the A-23 heads for Huesca and the Pyrenees, and in the opposite direction for Teruel and Valencia. From Catalonia, the A-22 links Lleida with Huesca via Barbastro, the most direct route to Guara and the Sobrarbe. The last roads into the Pyrenees are twisty: always allow more time than the satnav says.
In the Pyrenees, you often leave the car in the village. In Ordesa, in summer, at Easter and on long weekends, you can't drive up to the Pradera: you park in Torla and take the shuttle bus, with departures from first thing in the morning.
When should I go and what will I spend?
- Pyrenees: from June to October. June brings the waterfalls at their fullest and September the best calm; in October the Ordesa beech forest turns red. In winter there is snow and the high routes call for equipment and experience.
- Guara, Riglos and Albarracín: spring and autumn. The wet canyons of Guara are mostly done in summer, but the rest of the area suffers badly from the heat in July and August.
- Zaragoza and the Ebro valley: avoid July and August at midday; the dry heat is fierce.
The budget is mid-range and drops as soon as you move away from the fashionable villages. In the Pyrenees there are campsites, hostels and mountain refuges as well as hotels. In Ordesa, the fixed cost is the shuttle bus in season. What you need to book furthest ahead is a bed in Torla in autumn and in Albarracín at weekends.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What can I see in Aragon in three days?
The Pyrenees: one day in Ordesa, another in the Sobrarbe and another in Guara or Riglos on the way back. If you are coming from Valencia or Madrid via the south, swap the Pyrenees for Albarracín and its sierra.
Can I go without a car?
To Zaragoza, yes, by train. For the Pyrenees and the villages there are buses, but with few timetables; a car is almost essential.
What is the highest mountain?
Aneto, at 3,404 metres, in the Benasque valley. It is also the highest peak in the whole Pyrenees.
Do I have to pay to enter Ordesa?
No. The park is free; you only pay for the shuttle bus from Torla when it is compulsory.
When is there snow?
In the Pyrenees, from December to April at high altitude. Summer routes can have snow well into June.
Is it a good destination with children?
Yes. The Ordesa waterfalls trail, the Mallos path and the village of Albarracín all work with children. Canyons have a minimum age depending on the company and the stretch.