Renaissance walking tour

Renaissance walking tour

Another walking guided tour. This time related to Renaissance in Zaragoza.

What are I'm going to visit?

Walking along the city with a guide you will visit seven monuments:

- Pilar Basilic
- Renaissance Market
- Camon Aznar Musem Palace
- Real Maestranza Palace
- Sastago Palace
- St. Engracia Basilic
- Infanta Courtyard (inside ibercaja bank)

A guide will go with you with explanations of all these monuments

When are these tours available?

Once per month on saturdays at 11:00.
Ask in the tourism office for further information


Cost is 5,50 EUR for adults.

New Touristic Bus season 2013

New Touristic Bus season 2013

Starting in Spring, Touristic Bus keeps on going on weekends and daily in summer.
And there are some news. Take a look:

ENLARGED JOURNEY.

In spite of a 1h15m journey we will have a 2h00 journey with the touristic bus. This means that if you want to have a fast visit in any language, it will be enough to take it... and most of main monuments will be in front of you.

It will be hold by three buses having a 40 minutes frequency. As usual, first stop is in front of the cathedral and the bus will make a tour.

WHICH ARE THE NEWNESS THIS YEAR?

First of all, the bus will cross again besides Pignatelli park, Jose Antonio Labordeta park and Gran Via. They seem to be housing areas and parks... but there are some cool houses in the journey and both parks have some corners that worth a lot. We will talk about them in other blog entrances. Just think that there are stops besides there

Secondly, the bus will make a tour inside the Expo area (2008 international exhibition area) with stops very near of Bridge Pavilion and the Aquarium. It will go across a restricted area only able to some vehicles, and be aware that it is the most useful way to go to the Aquarium, Expo area and Bridge pavilion.

HOW DOES IT WORKS?

Just read this entrance according to last season touristic bus because only the journey and frequencies have been changed.

2013 Price is 8 euro.
Tickets can be booked online (ask in this forum about official webpage), in the tourist office and on board.


Timetables are the following ones: Starting, in the morning, at 10:30, and in the afternoon at 17:00, one bus every 40 minutes. In every stop you will find the exact hour.

This is, in front of the cathedral 10:30, 11:10, 11:50, 12:30 and 13:10 (last full tour that will arrive to the cathedral at 15:10). Same for afternoon: 17:00, 17:40, 18:20, 19:00 and 19:40.

Be aware that, for instance, if in the morning you are taking the first two buses you will be able to cross the cathedral stop. This is, the 10:30 bus can be taken at some other time in some other stop and will arrive at 12:30 to the cathedral, making a second tour. No need to get off. The same ticket remains valid.

But if you take the three last ones in the morning or afternoon/evening, you will have to get off in the cathedral stop and continue in the afternoon or following day.


In April, May and June and second half of September it will run on saturdays and sundays
In July, August and first half of September it will run daily.

In October (second half only because in the first half there are major days), a long-weekend in November (1st to 3rd) and a long-weekend in December (6th to 9th) it will run again but starting at 11:00 and in the afternoon, last departure at 18:15.

Have a look to last season service where some FAQs are answered there. Any other one, just post here a question.

MAP

this is current map.

2013 STOPS

1- Plaza de La Seo (Roman Forum)
2. Plaza de España
5- Paseo Renovales
7- Paseo Pamplona 14
8- Museo Pablo Serrano
13- Palacio Congresos / Pabellón Puente
14- Zona Expo / Acuario
15- La Aljafería
16. Paseo Echegaray y Caballero /c/Jardiel (close to El Pilar)

NIGHT TOURISTIC BUS

It will have a similar but shorter journey and no stops.

Bus will depart at 21:45 on the following days:
July: Saturday
August: Friday and Saturday
1st half September: Friday and Saturday

from the Cathedral square.

Price is 11 euro and can be booked on line or bought at the tourism office or on board (we recommend to buy it in advance).

Zaragoza: The four cathedrals city

Zaragoza: The four cathedrals city

How many cathedrals does Zaragoza have?. The answer is four.
Yes, it is true. Why so many?. Let's tell the whole story.

Let us count. One, two, three and four

Yes... first Cathedral: Seo de San Salvador (in this blog, every time we will talk about the "Cathedral" we will talk about that one. Otherwise we will indicate the name of it)
Second Cathedral: Basilica del Pilar
Third Cathedral: Basilica de Santa Engracia
Fourth Cathedral: Iglesia de San Pablo

Why so many cathedrals?

It is common for some dioceses to have a main cathedral and a Second-cathedral. And always a church has been considerated and consecrated as cathedral it will keep the range for ever.
After the Middle Age in Zaragoza there were two different dioceses. One at El Salvador (current cathedral) and second one at El Pilar. The diocese of El Pilar had, indeed, two cathedrals: main cathedral at El Pilar, second-cathedral at San Pablo.
And, Huesca diocese had the Santa Engracia church (it was consacrated as basilica just some decades ago) as his second-cathedral. Even if it was 72 km away and between two other diocese, this church was really a cathedral of Huesca. In fact, it was the church that gave more incoming to the Huesca diocese.
Zaragoza dioceses were unified only in one: El Salvador, and obviously with one arch-bishop and one religious structure only. So then El Salvador got the consideration as "Main cathedral" of the city but El Pilar and San Pablo kept their consideration of "second-cathedral".
In the middle SXX, the Second Vatican Council asked every diocese in the world to keep their limits as many near to administrative limits. Obviously you can always think if some village should change of bishop or shouldn't but it was very clear that they were asking to Huesca diocese not to have a second cathedral in a city where another archbishop was ruling all the religious administration.
Santa Engracia changed from Huesca diocese to Zaragoza diocese being another "second-cathedral".
And... you can find one "Main Cathedral" in Zaragoza and three "second-cathedrals". One plus three equal to four.
Four cathedrals in the same city (and really not far away)

What are their real names?

Let's start saying that Cathedral is translated into Spanish as "catedral" (without the "H") but into Aragonese as "Seo". Aragonese is a very little spoken language in the northern Aragon but there are some words that will be very used in Zaragoza. It will be very often to hear about the "Seo" instead of the "Catedral". Whayt it will be considered as a mistake is to talk about "Catedral de la Seo" because it should be translated something as "cathedral of the cathedral" or something like that. Just because "catedral" and "seo" mean the same in different languages. In spite this case... a great deal of guides will remain using that WRONG name.
Main Cathedral, San Salvador, will be used with the same name in English. You can translate it as "St. Saver" for instance... but remember that the city with the same name is not translated (the capital of the country El Salvador).
Second-cathedral, El Pilar, is usually called by the same name and it is one of the city's icon. A correct translation will be "The Pillar" (the Virgin appeared over a pillar, therefore its name) but I have never red that translation
Second-cathedral, San Pablo, could be easily translated as St. Paul (it is the name of the neighbourhood, by the way)
Second-cathedral, Santa Engracia, has no translation into English.

Were can I find more information and how can I visit them?

Obviously in the Tourism office were they will say the timetables for any cathedral.
El Pilar and San Salvador are included in the guided walks. Entrance to El Pilar is free. Entrance to San Salvador it is not, but not expensive and it worths a lot!!.
Santa Engracia has a very interesting crypt with its timetable. Ask in Tourism office for more detailed information.
San Pablo is not far away from city centre but in a slum neighbourhood that it is changing quickly and being refurbished. It has not a concrete timetable for visits but in the webpage they say that in the mornings they are opened 9:00 to 12:30, they have a morning mass at 9:30 and they ask everyone who wants to visit it to go when the mass has finished, monday to saturday. So you will have 10:00 to 12:30 monday to saturday to visit it.
Take notice that El Pilar and San Pablo are that little list of places that can be visited on mondays, if you are in the city that day.

In further posts we will talk about these cathedrals, one per one.

How can I reach them?

Walking, by public transport or by touristic bus.
San Salvador: Touristic bus in cathedral stop. Tramway in Plaza de España
El Pilar: Touristic bus in El Pilar (Echegaray y Caballero). Tramway in Plaza del Pilar-Murallas
Santa Engracia: Touristic bus in P.Independencia. Tramway in Plaza Aragon
San Pablo: Touristic bus in Conde Aranda. Tramway in Cesar Augusto

And some pictures

Seo de San Salvador (Main Cathedral)

Basilica del Pilar

Basilica de Santa Engracia

Iglesia de San Pablo

Guided Tours around Ancient city centre

Guided Tours around Ancient city centre.

You can have a guided tour in several languages organised by tourism office. Walking around main monuments in city centre and knowing some secrets of old streets that maybe they will not appear in some guide.
It is just a tour with an official guide. It is not visiting inside a monument but walking around several of them. You will enter in some of them and explanations could be given inside some monuments or just... in any Ancient street

What's Guided tours?

Tourist office will prepare several guided visits for main monuments. Some of them are available only in Spanish but there is one available in English, French, German and Italian.
Guide will make explanations in these three languages and you will be free to ask him any question being sure he/she will answer you with no problem.

Which are their timetables and fares?

It is a 2 hours walking tour around city centre. It runs on saturday afternoon (spring, autumn and winter 16:00, summer 18:00) and will require a 10 people minimum. You can book your visit one day in advance buying your ticket at Tourist office (you will assure at the same time that you have your ticket as well as it is not cancelled because no minimum).
Fare for year 2013 is 5,50 EUR but it doesn't include entrance to the Cathedral (it will include the entrance for any other monument in the visit).
If you bought the Zaragoza Card, this visit will be free for you.

What's the itinerary we will do?

Visit will start at 16:00 or 18:00 depending the season in front of Basilica del Pilar. There is a Touristic Bus Stop just behind it (and the main stop, in front of the Cathedral is only 300m ahead).
You will enter inside the Basilic and the Cathedral (entrance not included in the price) with explanations in English, French, German and Italian for all of them. You will make the following tour around the city.

Other visits can be modified according to the day or timetable but in anyway, the streets to run across the itinerary are the best ones for making a tour in the Ancient city.
You will know about the "Lonja" (Modern era market, only for trade, not purchasing), about the cathedral environment, Roman city (be sure no time to enter in any of these museums... they will require at least half a day but you will know about it and be able to ask anything to prepare your visit if you want).
You will know about some of the Mudejar towers. It is an architectural style that can be found in central-south Aragon and four towers remains in Zaragoza (In Teruel city, Unesco stated Mudejar buildings as Human Heritage). But also something about Renacentist palaces in city centre and finishing in the central market, Roman walls and Zuda tower.
This is a really very short description. Walking around the city with the guide you will know more.

Are there other guided tours?

Yes, they are not in English but enough interesting to make them.
Ask for timetables and schedules at any tourist office.
There is another guided tour around the city centre (daily in summer, and on weekends and special dates the rest of the year) that could help if you are not able to go to the English guided tour on Saturday afternoon.
There are gastronomic tours inside city centre. Despite explanations are only in Spanish... do not hesitate to take this tour as well as fare includes a visit to several shops, bars or bakeries and tasting products.
For instance, saturday morning there is a "Chocolate tour". You will start at 11:00 and will visit four different sites (be sure they are some of the best known in the city) were tasting sweet and chocolate products... and finishing before lunch time.

We are sorry but a local product tasting tour is also at 11:00 on saturday mornings so, except if you are going to be for more than one week... you will have to choose. With this visit you will enter in a very selective shops or markets with some goods ready to be tasted.

Price for both of them is 13 EUR. Little discount for children.
Not included in Zaragoza card.
Even if visit is only in Spanish, touristic guides in Zaragoza speak English so any question could be answered by them.
Wanna visit Zaragoza by bike?. If you have your bike (Zaragoza bike 3 days pass is accepted), you can walk with your guide and he will make some stops somewhere to make explanations.

And... in Spanish there are many other visits (daily in summer). Just ask for them because, despite you will not understand the language, the chance to enter or visiting easily somewhere is there and questions will be answered in English.

Something else to visit?

Yes, of course.
They are really too many visits within Zaragoza.
Several days you will find special visits for disabled people. These will be so specific and adapted one day to deaf people, other day for blind people. Two visits more for physic disable people (absolutely ready for wheel chairs) and for intellectual disables.

They will run some of main Zaragoza documents for only 2,50 EUR.
Visits will be every saturday at 12:00 but take schedule of each one of them (one saturday for deaf people, next for blind, etc...)
And, of course, a Tour for children.
Just ask for any of them at Zaragoza Tourist offices.
There are other visits to some monuments. This is, one guide that with its timetable daily will make at several hours some guides to any visitor.
Many of these visits are included in the Zaragoza card

Finally... in English there is only one visit on Saturday afternoon... but if you are going to stay for longer in Zaragoza you can try with some of them in Spanish. Just ask!.