← Zaragoza Marathon·Day trip

Huesca: A Cathedral City Below the Pyrenees

A small provincial capital an hour north of Zaragoza, with a Gothic cathedral on a low hill, a Romanesque cloister and, on clear April days, the snowy Pyrenees on the horizon.

DurationDay trip
TransitTrain from Zaragoza-Delicias, about 50 to 70 minutes
DepartsZaragoza-Delicias

After the Zaragoza Marathon: Huesca

The Route: Zaragoza → Huesca → Zaragoza Logistics: Train from Zaragoza-Delicias, about 50 to 70 minutes depending on the service. A compact, easy day. Marathon Month: April Duration: Day trip

Zaragoza-Delicias ──(50-70 mins train)──> Huesca ──(50-70 mins)──> Zaragoza-Delicias

The Zaragoza Marathon crosses the flat Ebro valley. An hour north, the land starts to rise towards the Pyrenees, and Huesca sits at the point where the plain gives way to the foothills: a small, quiet provincial capital, with its old centre on a gentle hill.

April in Huesca is spring on the edge of the mountains. In most years the days are mild and bright, the evenings cool, and on a clear morning the snow-covered peaks of the Pyrenees show on the northern skyline. Rain is possible, and the cierzo that blows through Zaragoza can reach here too.

Trains run from Zaragoza-Delicias to Huesca in about 50 to 70 minutes, some of them faster long-distance services and some regional trains; check times and book at renfe.com. Huesca's intermodal station is on the edge of the centre, about 10 to 15 minutes' walk from the old town.

The old town

The cathedral, Santa María, stands at the top of the old town. The climb to it is gentle, up sloping streets with no steps. The Gothic building has a carved west door and an alabaster altarpiece by the sixteenth-century sculptor Damián Forment; the cathedral museum and the cloister are visited on the same ticket. Opposite, the Renaissance town hall faces the cathedral square.

The church of San Pedro el Viejo, a few streets downhill, is one of the oldest Romanesque churches in Aragón, with a cloister of carved capitals and the tombs of two medieval kings, Alfonso I and Ramiro II. It is small, quiet and on the level once inside; check its opening hours, which are short.

The Museo de Huesca, in the old university building next to the cathedral, is built round an octagonal courtyard and includes the hall of the "Bell of Huesca", the room where, as the legend goes, Ramiro II had rebellious nobles beheaded. Check its opening hours before going; like most Spanish museums it closes on Mondays.

Lunch and the park

The Coso, the ring of streets around the old town, has the cafés and bars. Huesca's sweet speciality is the Russian cake, the pastel ruso, an almond sponge layered with praline cream, sold in the town's bakeries. The Parque Miguel Servet, just south of the centre, is flat and shaded, a good place to sit before the train.

Trains back to Zaragoza run through the afternoon and evening.