Some destinations are experienced one ticket and reservation at a time, while others reveal themselves through wandering, taking time to look around, and allowing yourself to be surprised.

Zaragoza belongs to this second category: an open, bright and generous city, where monumental heritage coexists with free cultural offerings, vast green spaces, lively riverbanks and creative corners that turn any getaway into a rich, inspiring and nuanced experience.

One of the best ways to begin is to lose yourself in the area around Plaza del Pilar, one of those places that make an impression at first sight and invite you to stay. There, amid the majestic silhouette of the cathedrals, the openness of the square and the ever-changing pulse of the historic centre, Zaragoza appears both monumental and welcoming at once. It is a place to take in, to sit, to photograph and to simply go with the flow of an atmosphere where everyday life, celebration and open-air culture often meet. In this setting, the Basilica of the Pillar stands out as one of the city’s great icons, and it can also be visited free of charge, making it an accessible and extraordinary gateway to the monumental soul of Zaragoza.

Very nearby stands La Lonja, another of the city’s great treasures: a magnificent 16th-century civil building that now hosts photography, painting and sculpture exhibitions, with free admission, making it a perfect stop to add beauty and culture to a walk through the historic heart of the city. And just a short distance away, almost as an invitation to keep discovering the city step by step, are some of the Mudéjar jewels that form part of the World Heritage Site: the beautiful Parroquieta of San Miguel at La Seo, with its extraordinary exterior wall of brick and ceramic, and the tower of the Church of San Pablo, from which one can enjoy one of the most distinctive views over the rooftops of the old quarter.

For those looking for a more contemporary Zaragoza, the IAACC Pablo Serrano is a must-see. Located on Paseo María Agustín, this modern and contemporary art museum offers an open, engaging and highly accessible experience, ideal both for art lovers and for those who simply want to discover another side of the city. Its galleries bring together the Pablo Serrano Foundational Collection, the Juana Francés Collection, holdings of contemporary Aragonese art, as well as temporary exhibitions that broaden the visit and turn it into a dynamic journey through 20th- and 21st-century artistic creation. Visiting the IAACC means discovering a creative, restless Zaragoza, in constant dialogue with its own time.

But Zaragoza is not only discovered through its monuments, museums and exhibition spaces: it is also intensely experienced through its festivals, its urban routes and its very own way of turning the street into a great shared stage.

Throughout the year, the city offers celebrations that provide an open, participatory and highly accessible way to connect with its history and identity. The Goya Festivals, for example, invite visitors to rediscover the universal figure of Francisco de Goya in the city where he learned to see the world, through cultural events, historical re-enactments, activities and atmospheres that connect art with everyday life. The city also comes alive through other events that combine culture, gastronomy and leisure in a particularly appealing way. Among them, the Garnacha Fair stands out as a now well-established celebration that turns Zaragoza into a meeting point for lovers of wine, local produce and a festive atmosphere, with tastings, concerts and experiences designed to enjoy the city from a close and contemporary perspective. And, of course, the Fiestas del Pilar represent the liveliest and most moving expression of Zaragoza’s soul: days when the city fills with music, tradition, popular culture, offerings, performances, family activities and open-air events that turn every square and every corner into an invitation to take part.

And if the city is best enjoyed outdoors, Zaragoza answers with green spaces and walks that deserve to be explored at a leisurely pace. Parque Grande José Antonio Labordeta, one of the city’s great urban lungs, stretches across 27 hectares with sculptures, pine groves, broad avenues, fountains, terraces and spaces for walking and relaxing. Very different, yet equally attractive, is Parque del Agua Luis Buñuel, Zaragoza’s largest urban park, with more than 120 hectares next to the Expo site, ideal for walking among nature, sheets of water and wide open spaces. And for those seeking a more natural experience, the Galacho de Juslibol offers a surprising landscape on the edge of the city, with more than 100 hectares where the Ebro, the former meander, lagoons, gypsum cliffs, steppe and market gardens coexist. Added to this are the banks of the Ebro, nearly 20 kilometres for walking or cycling between monumental views and urban nature, and places such as the Arboleda de Macanaz, a peaceful green terrace with viewpoints, fountains and children’s play areas from which to admire the Basilica of the Pillar and the river from a different perspective.

And there is yet another Zaragoza to be discovered by looking up: the city of the murals of the Asalto Festival, which since 2005 has been filling Zaragoza with urban art and which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025. Its interventions, first created in the historic centre and around the Ebro riverbanks and later extended to different neighbourhoods, have turned Zaragoza into something of an open-air museum, where a façade, a party wall or an unexpected corner can become a remarkable find.

In this way, the city can be enjoyed at many different paces: the pace of heritage, of the museum, of celebration, of the park, of the riverside walk and of art that appears unexpectedly halfway along the way. Perhaps this is one of Zaragoza’s greatest virtues: its ability to offer so much without demanding too much.