Tourism and culture
The city of Zaragoza
Zaragoza is a pleasant, prosperous, lively and affordable university town. Situated in the Ebro valley, Zaragoza lies 200 metres above sea level. The Ebro river, the largest in Spain, runs through the city. Los Monegros, one of the driest areas in Spain, very close to Zaragoza is always the visitor's favourite sight, especially those from wetter central and Northern European countries. The city is also within easy reach to the Pyrenees.
Zaragoza is now a very modern Spanish city but abundant traces of its long history can be found everywhere in its streets and squares. The cathedral of San Salvador (also called La Seo), originally a mosque, is a masterpiece of local Gothic and an illustration of the layering of various cultures that characterise the city's history, including Romanesque, Mudéjar, Baroque and other architectural styles. Other monuments, like the Aljafería Moorish palace, now the seat of the Aragonese Parliament, or the huge basilica of El Pilar, a centre of Catholic devotion around the Spanish-speaking world, are well worth visiting. The best known cultural figures associated with Zaragoza are the painter Francisco de Goya, some of whose paintings and etchings can be seen in the city museums, and filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Nevertheless, Zaragoza has much more to offer the visitor: its wide, graceful avenues, its parks and squares, the varied cuisine of its restaurants and the local "tapas" in bars and cafés, its lively night life and the famed hospitality of its people all contribute to providing the visitor with an experience of life in a Spanish city outside the more famous tourist areas.
