Old City
The Historic Quarter, or "Old Town", as it is popularly known, refers not only to the network of streets near the Basilica del Pilar, but also includes the urban space delineated by the medieval wall, and which is currently encircled by Coso Street. The city once had twelve gates that adorned Zaragoza with their walls. Today, only the Puerta del Carmen remains.

Inside, it houses the following neighborhoods: El Gancho, San Miguel, Tenerías y La Magdalena.
D. Jaime I street was the main road in Roman times, the origin of the Decúmano, a set of perpendicular streets that led to the aforementioned road. The 19th century saw the building of Alfonso Street to provide access to the Pilar.
Interculturality is a characteristic of the population that resides in the old town.
To walk through the streets of the historic center is to journey back in time to a different era, only to find out that time seems to have stopped in many places. As you walk into small squares and down narrow streets, you see the essence of Zaragoza: El Pilar, the Mudejar, Goya, its Roman past and the friendliness of its people.
And in the narrowness of its streets you also find small shops with a unique charm, restaurants and tapas bars where you can enjoy some lamb, locally grown products or a good glass of wine.
Zaragoza is no longer a drive-through city; it is now a destination that is visited and admired by travelers and tourists who are surprised to discover a place full of art, gastronomy, history and a lot of life.
The streets constantly beckon you to discover in their stones the remnants of the civilizations - Roman, Muslim, Jewish or Christian - that once occupied this city. And to listen to its people, who will regale you with beautiful stories, like the one involving the Torre Nueva (New Tower). This is an 80-meter tall tower located in the Plaza de San Felipe that was used to notify the neighborhood's newly-created Fire Brigade of where a fire had broken out:
- One stroke if it was in the Seo neighborhood
- Four strokes if it was in the San Miguel neighborhood
- Eleven strokes indicated that the fire was in Santa Engracia.
In 1883, the tower was destroyed due to risk of collapse.