Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bus. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Going by taxi from the airport to city centre.

Going by taxi from the airport to city centre.


How much is it going a taxi journey cost?


Taxi fares


There are several fares in Zaragoza for taxis.
Fare 1 is for weekly days. Fare 2 is for night and weekend services (22:00 to 6:00).
Fare 3 and 4 are the same ones but used for not inner city. This is... if you go from city centre to anywhere out of inner city they will apply fare 1 (or 2) until one specific point (there are signals in the street/road) and later fare 3 (or 4) which is more expensive.
If you go out of Zaragoza municipality territory, fare will be calculated based in kilometres (but there is not many difference, indeed, with the fare numbers price).
The total cost will depend even of the time that they have been waiting (or going under 20 km/h), even of kilometres.
This is, you can consider the number of kilometres as an estimation but in a traffic light in red the price will increase a little because "waiting time". And it will be more expensive if the taxi is in a traffic congestion and running slowly than if it goes faster (if it drives fast you will notice that taximetre will run fast too... but you will arrive to destination fast too also).
Furthermore, there is a specific extra fare if the taxi departs from the airport.


so... how is it going to cost me?


It is not easy to calculate, but taxi drivers have set this pannel in the airport where you will take a taxi, in English and Spanish and you will be able to check fares. They are just approximate. Final fare to pay is which would be indicated in the taximetre in any case. But it is written for weekends and for weekly days. So you can decide if taking a taxi or not.
As an example, "city centre" will cost 19 or 26 euro depending of weekly days or weekend.
Railway and bus station (Estacion Delicias) will cost 17 to 22.
Hospital Miguel Servet and Hospital Clinico are 18/19 to 23/24 euro (they are quite near).
The rest of destinations are for other towns in the nearby, exhibition centre or industrial areas.
As said... it is not official but you can know, more or less, how much will it cost to you.



Is there any other option for mobility?


Yes. Every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and 60 minutes in Sunday there is a bus that takes you from the airport to Delicias railway and bus Station and to city centre.
A single ticket costs 1,70 euro so you can decide if it wonders to take a taxi or not.
Time for a bus to city centre is about 30 minutes. Final stop is in P. Maria Agustin, corner with Cesar Augusto.
should you have a bus card or so, inside Zaragoza, connecting with another bus or tramway is free.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Arriving by plane to Zaragoza


Airport: Arriving by plane to Zaragoza


Zaragoza has not a big airport. It was refurbished in 2008 because the international exhibition but you will not see many international flights and almost all of them low cost.
Being a city located about 300 km away from Madrid airport, Barcelona airport, Valencia and Bilbao (and a little more to Toulouse) it is quite easy to arrive there with more destinations and frequencies and transfer to train.


But it is possible to arrive by plane.



Which international destinations do we have?


Today there are only two companies with international destinations: Ryanair and Wizz-Air.
Ryanair flyes Charleroi (Brussels), Stansted (London) and Beauvois (Paris) three or four times per week and to Bergamo (Milano) everyday (it could be the unique non base-to-base RYR flight daily).

Wizz-Air flyes to Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca twice per week.

Both of them are low cost companies and have the typical baggage, check-in, etc... restrictions. Have a look in their webs.

There are other domestic direct destinations.


How can I move from airport to city centre?


In a weekly day, fare with all supplements Airport-City centre would be 25 EUR for a taxi.

There is a bus service that runs every 30 minutes (60 minutes on sundays). and takes you from airport to station and city centre. It costs 1,85 EUR/person.

It will go via a logistic area and shopping centre (they have more passengers than airport and thanks to them we have these frequencies. Airport is only the last stop). They will stop at the station. Take notice. Direction centre they will stop at Departures area and direction airport they will stop at the Arrivals area. That will help anyone who arrives to Zaragoza (arrivals area) and want to take a bus to airport or conversely.

At city centre they have the terminus in P. Maria Agustin 7.

These are current timetables. You can have a look
http://www.consorciozaragoza.es/docs/lineas/doc/1358345626.pdf



Where can I find information?


At the airport there is a tourism office, managed both by Zaragoza council and Aragon government so you will find enough information about each destination. Be almost sure that you would be able to buy there all official tickets you would want.
It opens 10:00 to 21:00 monday to sunday except Christmas and New Year's day.


Can I find more flights?


Yes. There are not too many direct flights but in holiday seasons you can find charter flights. It is an aiport located in a city between important hubs. People do not use it for business because destinations and frequencies but they use it for holidays.
Have a look for season destinations or sometimes a flight to be operated only in some dates.


Apart of it, thanks to Zaragoza location (about 30 million people in 350 km around considering almost all Spain and southern France), Zaragoza airport will not have too many passenger flights but it is the second airport in freight in Spain, after Madrid airport and more freight than other ones.



Update: Free internet at Zaragoza airport




Saturday, January 5, 2013

Touristic Bus

Touristic Bus

As many other cities, Zaragoza has a touristic bus too.

It was in 1997 when first service was created. Just a bus with a 30-minute tour only in city centre but enough for a fast visit to the city.
Today service has been enlarged. In last years and according to city enlargement we have seen many changes. Sometimes two different tours, shorter and enlarged. Sometimes two different tours in different ways and today a single tour but much longer.
In fact it takes 75 minutes to make a tour in the Touristic Bus.

2013 UPDATE: SAME STOPS, JOURNEYS AND FARES THAN 2012



What is the touristic bus?

It is a service in double deck bus where you can get on and get off as many times as you want while a full day.


It has twelve stops. It will start in city centre, in front of the Cathedral and Roman forum, but after a Tour you can remain in the bus (except in the last service in the morning and evening).
You can choose any stop to get off the bus, visit something around and get on again... as many times as you want within the same day.

Where are those stops?

This is the last map for service

You might consider only the largest journey with red line and red spots (we will talk later about green and blue lines).

Main stop is with a green square besides the cathedral in this map. That is the first stop.
Take advice that journey makes a picture like a "snake". This means that you can get off anywhere and, if after your visit maybe a stop in the opposite direction is not far away. You can have a look to schedules for each stop and organise your visit.

Hint: Delicias train and bus station has a stop in the Arrivals area. If you arrive by train to Zaragoza... you can get from station to your hotel or destination just by touristic bus. Tickets can be bought in the bus too.

In the centre of this image, a Touristic Bus Stop, near La Aljafería. It appears a map and schedule on it

Google street Image


What is its schedule and operating dates?


It will operate mainly weekends and bank holidays from middle March to December.
Since 1st July until middle of September it will operate daily.
In some dates (mainly Easter and special holidays) service can be only in the morning.

Frequencies are one bus every 25 minutes. There are three buses, 75 minutes per journey... so 25 minutes every bus.

In almost all the year when service operates this is the schedule (departing Stop number 1 in front of Cathedral).
Morning: 10:30 to 13:25, one bus every 25 minutes
Evening: 16:45 to 19:40, one bus every 25 minutes.

Take advice that they are last services for each stop. This is... bus departing at 19:40 will make a full tour and finish at 20:55 in the same point. Just think that at Plaza La Seo you will not be able to take a new bus after that hour, and some minutes later at P.Independencia and so on.
Of course tickets used in the morning are accepted in the evening. Just service stops from 14:40 (last morning arrival to Cathedral Square) to 16:45 (first evening departure).

With your ticket you will receive a handout with monuments in each stop and schedules for them.


Where can I buy tickets?


Tickets can be bought at the same bus prior to entry.
Nevertheless if you want to save time, or if you want to assure you have your ticket you can buy them in advance on-line (http://www.zaragozaturismotiendaonline.com/turismo/inicio.asp) in the official Zaragoza municipality webpage or in any tourist office

Having a ticket do not assure seat in each bus. Seats have no numbers and you cannot choose upper or downer deck. They just assure you can entry them.


Prices and languages

Touristic bus for one day costs 8 Euro / person
Youth pass is accepted and cost will be 6 Euro
Kids younger than 5 are free but have no seats.

Touristic bus is included in Zaragoza Card and other cards that we talk about them in other entrances in this blog. Depending about your stay in Zaragoza it will worth to buy the Zaragoza Card because includes this service


A guide will make explanations at least in Spanish. Nevertheless they speak English too.
Headphones are included in the price with the full explanation of the tour in several languages including English.




Does it worth the Touristic Bus?

Yes. 
Except in that case you know the city, it is a fast and nice way to move within main touristic points in the city, specially those that are interesting but not in the city centre. You will have the schedules and a sum-up about the monuments or areas you can visit in every stop.

If you are going to stay for a short time in Zaragoza or you have a full agenda and not too much time, it will be the best way to know about the city and have a full look around it.
Better than visiting only a monument or something like that, having a full tour.

And... you can plan the bus you are going to get. Even if you make a full tour with non-stops, just hearing explanations, it will make you knowing something better about the city.


Which are other Touristic buses in the city?

Children touristic bus
Everyday there is a touristic bus with animation for children (sorry, but live animation is available only in Spanish).
It is at 16:30 everyday except in July and August when it is at 20:15. It take an hour and will make the green line tour (the same one that in the touristic bus with without going to arrivals in the Station and not approaching Casa Solans near the river)

It has no stops. You will enter and make a full tour (can be taken on only in front of the Cathedral)
Fare is 7,50 Euro.

Night touristic bus
Even the touristic bus tour is nice... looking from an upper bus deck in the night with all monuments lighted can be nicer!!!

In July, August and until middle September every Friday and Saturday night at 21:45 a night journey will run.
They will depart in front of the cathedral and will not make any stops. Journey will be the same than for children bus (blue line in the map).

Are you in Zaragoza because other reasons rather than tourism and really have no time to visit the city?
Sorry but... there is no excuse. At 21:45 you have an appointment and in one hour, even with live explanations, or headphones, you will have a full view of the city.




Tickets can be bought at the same bus but we will recommend to buy them in advance on-line or at tourism office if possible.




Sites that can be visited very near to any Touristic Bus Stop and have a thread in this blog:


Zaragoza Aquarium
The four cathedrals (Different stops)
El Pilar Tower (Lift)