Zaragoza? Never heard of it! | #141 |
Our very Spanish (special) home base, that nobody has heard of
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👋 Hey lovely readers! Hope y’all are doing well!?
Just over 8 years ago - thanks to Remote Work powered Global Mobility - we moved to Zaragoza from Dublin to try to improve our daughter’s health with the very dry climate in Aragón.
Regularly we get asked “Why Zaragoza?!” and if you are buying me a coffee or drink, I will explain that my husband happened to have some remote working colleagues and connections there. Many of whom were parents too, advising us to consider the city due to the very dry climate and good health service to support our our sick child, sharing the longer version of the why in the context of being desperate parents of a chronically asthmatic small child.
As EU passport holders, we could move relatively easily from an administration perspective, so in a fog of exhaustion and desperation we grabbed a short-term rental, packed our stuff and left Dublin.
It was only later, with the benefit of hindsight we can reflect on why we love (and why we stayed!) in Zaragoza.
Let’s dig in!
🧭 Location, location, location
Zaragoza (the 4th biggest city in Spain no-one has heard of) is very well located for all manner of holiday options
Salou, Calafell, Cambrils & Comarruga, all beaches in the Costa Dorada are only a 2 ½ hour drive away
The ski resorts of Formigal & Astún (which are lovely in the summer time too!) are only 2 hours away
The French border is only 2 hours away
Pamplona is 2 hours away
Bilbao is 3 hours away
🔗 Connectedness
Zaragoza is well served by Spain’s extensive transport network, in fact for the first 4 years we lived without a car and relied on public transport to move around!
Motorway connections to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Valencia
High Speed Train Services to Madrid, Barcelona (and onward to France), Valencia, Malaga, Sevilla, Alicante
Fact: There are now several companies running high speed trains (Renfe/Iryo/Ouigo) so train travel is cheaper than ever if you can plan your trip!
Regional Trains including the beautiful journey to Canfranc-Estación in the Pyrenees
Comfortable bus services to all major Spanish cities
Interested in visiting Zaragoza? Our home is available on HomeExchange:
🚲 15 Minute City / Infrastructure
After Zaragoza held the World Expo in 2008, a major rethink was done with regard to its infrastructure, aiming for a compact 15 minute type city vibe!
A tram system traversing the city as well as an extensive bus network exists. With a Tarjeta Bus card (buy here: Gran Vía (€7 to buy with €5 credit included) any journey is 45 cents.
The city can be cycled across (fully!) in around 45 minutes. An extensive network of cycle lanes (130km) exists and the municipal free bikes (with motors!) can be hired for €1 a day or €10 a week, called Bizi.
Unique Attractions In ZGZ
Aquarium - Zaragoza’s aquarium is a bit different in that it only has fish from rivers, it is in fact Europe’s largest river aquarium (300 species!), it has 5 zones based on these rivers
Nile (Africa)
Mekong (Asia)
Murray-Darling (Oceania)
Amazon (Américas)
Ebro (Europe)
Origami Museum (EMOZ) Europe’s first Origami Museum, the exhibitions change regularly and various workshops are put on for young and old alike
Paddle the Ebro - The longest river that flows solely within Spain is the Ebro and bisects Zaragoza in two. It can be paddled down (in a very gentle relaxed manner)
Parque De Atracciones - Charming old school theme park set high above the city
Museums - there are plenty to choose from!
🫒 Food / Tardeando
Food as you may imagine is the #1 & #2 most important thing in Spain (well maybe equal with football).
We are going to recommend some of our favourite tapas bars in the centre of town. Remember the idea is to visit 3 or 4 of these and then have dinner, so tread lightly!!
Los Victorinos - https://maps.app.goo.gl/PBh6dtNg9zNTuaA36
Rated the #1 tapas spot in town and rightfully so. Specialises in ‘montaditos” (i.e. the thing you ordered on a bit of bread)
Barrio Sur - https://maps.app.goo.gl/pKLvPrBxugPd6tSbA
You can sit down here and order ‘raciones’ (sharing plates). What sets this place apart is the amount of vegetarian and vegan options that are available!
Bar El Champi - https://maps.app.goo.gl/KoQrsa4KJ5DFWGoA8
Some bars specialise in certain products only (Shellfish, lamb etc). Champi is famous as it sells one thing only: three mushrooms sitting on a piece of bread with a shrimp on top, slathered in garlic oil. Divine and tricky to not spill on your clothes!
Bar El Circo - https://maps.app.goo.gl/L8jmjWYZtEc7knpz7
The best tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette) in town. End of.
Bar Gilda - https://maps.app.goo.gl/hiJ7B3n4XzxGZ5oE6
A bit out of the centre but worth it. A Gilda is an anchovy/olive/chili pepper combo on a toothpick. These guys do the best ones, more or less anything can have their signature spicy sauce added to it!
Bar Estudios - https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wp1LUvYz681BTvwv7
These guys do cheese (100 kinds), ham (on a giant toast) and a belly of tuna with tomato salad. That's it. It’s all one needs.
🏰 Easy Day Trips from Zaragoza
The province of Huesca is within an hour of Zaragoza, the gateway to the Spanish Pyrenees, so day trips from Zaragoza are abundant!
All of these assume you’ll be driving, car hire is not expensive (roughly 60€ for the weekend: Fri - Sun).
The Loarre Castle - which is around 1hr30mins from Zaragoza - and the spectacular rock formation Mallos de Riglos (pictured below) are within 30 mins of each other by car. The castle has been spectacularly well preserved (dates from the 11th century)
Hiking around the Mallos de Riglos
Mallos De Riglos (pictured above!)
Rising to 300m high, these red towers look stunning against the surrounding vistas. A 5 km loop can be walked up to the top of them and the eagle eyed should be able to see some brave rock climbers too!
Monasterio de Piedra - The 800 year old monastery and gardens is about a 90 minute drive from ZGZ. A picnic can be brought and it’s a lovely space for adults and children alike!
Parque Lacuniacha - This 30 hectare park features such diverse animals as Iberian Wolves, European Lynxes, Brown Bears & Przewalski’s Horses. Perfect for children but we recommend getting there early as parking is up a 1400 metre road!
Interested in visiting Zaragoza? Our home is available on HomeExchange:
🏠 A homely place
Zaragoza is a gem of a city. Where you “bump” into people you know easily, due to it’s compact nature and not-too-big size, making in friendly and hospitable for expats and relocating types.
It’s history, traditions and architecture all contribute to making it very Spanish in feel, but the people have made is want to stay as we feel so welcome and “at home” here.
I could write more about the geoarbitage benefits too of Zaragoza i.e. it is not a nomad or expat hotspot, so the local living costs very much reflect that. It is provincial. It is very much the real Spain.
We are integrated here - which has to happen when you have to learn Spanish quick as parents with a sick child accessing a local health care system at pace, our Spanish improved rapidly, we had no choice! At the time it was super hard, now we feel blessed it forced us to integrate to survive.
All in all, we are blessed to call it home.
note: Taking a summer break now, so back later in August. BFN!
TLDR: 🫱🏽🫲🏾 In case you don’t know me already, I am Ro, I am based in Zaragoza, Spain with my Location Independent, somewhat Nomadic (4-6 months a years of nomading) family.
For work, I am a Remote Work and Digital Nomad Expert, Advisor and Writer, oh and a Linkedin Top Voice.
»You can book a Direction Session with me here for help with remote careers and relocation strategies.
All my web and FREE resource links are here.
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May the road rise to meet you,
love n light,
💚 Ro
What a fantastic deep dive into a city that deserves far more love. Zaragoza really does feel like the “real Spain” — layered, livable, and just under the tourist radar. I love how your story shows that sometimes the best places aren’t the ones we plan for, but the ones that heal us and quietly become home. It's now on my list!
Thank you for this great post Ro! You got me so excited to visit, I've been in Barcelona 7 years and have not made it over there yet. Looking forward to bringing my bike and checking out all the cycling infrastructure!