Showing posts with label tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tour. Show all posts

Monday, May 6, 2013

Goya in Zaragoza I - Camon Aznar museum


Goya in Zaragoza I - Camon Aznar museum


Francisco de Goya (wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Goya) was born in Fuendetodos, a little village near Zaragoza.
Part of his live was in Zaragoza, where he stayed while he was teenager, young man. He was married here and stayed some time while his life.


Camon Aznar museum


It is a museum property of ibercaja bank.

It was an old 16th century palace refurbished for a museum (from my point of view, it is as intereting paintings than the whole building). There are too many paintings there from 15th century to 20th century but Goya's are the main ones.

As a curiosity, Goya not only did paintings but also etchings. This means that there can be several "original etchings" taken from the original piece. He made a lot of ones in Spain and someones more in France (Bordeaux).
Camon Aznar museum is the only one that has a copy of all etchings made in Spain. They show almost all of them but in their warehouses they have the full collection.




How can I get there?


Go to the main Tourist office located in front of the town hall (middle way Cathedral and El Pilar). Go back ahead between the buildings and... just 100 metres. It is one of those buildings that you will see from the square but the main entrance is in the opposite side. But... just 100 m ahead.

Touristic bus has a stop in Cathedral square, close to museum
Tramway near stop is in Plaza de España
Behind touristic office you have a station to take your bike if you had rented a three days pass
And, anyway, it is very near to any point from the old city. If you are there, you will reach it easily walking.





Which are timetables and prices?


Entrance is free.

If you have taken a guided tour around the city centre, you will pass in front of it, and guide will make an explanation about the building and about what you will find inside.

It is open Tuesday to Saturday 10 to 14 and 17 to 21 and Sunday 10 to 14

Think in it for a late visit in Zaragoza while the week

More information (in Spanish) at: http://obrasocial.ibercaja.es/v2_ficha_centro.php?centro=36


REMEMBER: At Patio de la Infanta, in ibercaja headquarter, you will have more Goya original paintings.






Monday, January 14, 2013

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!.