After the Zaragoza Marathon: Monasterio de Piedra
The Route: Zaragoza → Nuévalos (Monasterio de Piedra) → Zaragoza or Madrid airport Logistics: Hire car, about 1 hour 30 minutes south-west via Calatayud. One night at the monastery, then back to Zaragoza or on to Madrid. Marathon Month: April Duration: 1 night
Zaragoza ──(about 1 hr 30 mins by car via Calatayud)──> Monasterio de Piedra
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Zaragoza (ZAZ) or Madrid-Barajas (MAD) ◄──(car, or car to Calatayud + AVE)──┘
The Zaragoza Marathon runs along the Ebro. The River Piedra, a small tributary in the hills to the south-west, does something much more dramatic: it drops through a limestone gorge in a series of waterfalls, around which Cistercian monks built a monastery in the twelfth century and nineteenth-century owners laid out a romantic garden.
April at the Monasterio de Piedra is waterfall season. Spring rain and snowmelt fill the river, the woods are coming into leaf, and the paths are damp and cool. Nights are cold at this height, so bring a warm layer. Weekends are busy with Spanish visitors; a weekday is quieter.
Public transport is limited, so drive: about 1 hour 30 minutes from Zaragoza on the A-2 to Calatayud, then south through the hills to Nuévalos. Calatayud is also an AVE stop between Zaragoza and Madrid, and taxis can be arranged from there.
On the way, Calatayud is worth an hour. The town, on the A-2 about an hour from Zaragoza, is one of the centres of Aragon's Mudéjar architecture, and the octagonal brick tower of the collegiate church of Santa María, decorated with glazed tiles, is part of the same UNESCO listing as Teruel's towers. The streets around it in the lower town are level; the ruined Moorish castle on the hill above is a steep climb and can wait. Park near the centre and walk a few minutes to the church.
Night One: The monastery and the gorge
The park and monastery are on one ticket, €20 for an adult (about £17), bought online at monasteriopiedra.com. In April the park opens from 09:00 to 20:00 (last entry 18:00) and the monastery from 10:00 to 19:30. Arrive in the afternoon, see the monastery, sleep, and walk the park in the morning with fresh-ish legs.
The monastery itself, founded in 1194, has a Gothic cloister, the old kitchens and a museum of wine and of chocolate, since the monks are said to have made some of the first chocolate in Europe here. The main rooms are on the level.
The walk through the park is the main event and the one real test for tired legs. The marked route through the gorge takes two to three hours, past the Cola de Caballo, the tallest waterfall, and down into the Gruta Iris, a grotto behind the falling water, reached by steep, damp steps cut into the rock. There are slopes and stairs throughout, handrails in the steepest places and benches along the way. Take it slowly, and skip the grotto if the steps are too much; the upper paths still pass the main falls.
Where to stay. The Hotel Monasterio de Piedra is inside the monastery buildings, so the park is at the door and the evening is quiet once day visitors have left. The village of Nuévalos, about 3 km away beside the La Tranquera reservoir, has a small number of simpler hotels and guesthouses.
Where to eat. The monastery's restaurant is the easy choice after the park closes and the day visitors leave. Roast lamb, ternasco de Aragón, is the local dish, and the Calatayud wine region, known for Garnacha, supplies the list. In the morning, the cloister and the gardens by the entrance are quiet before the gates open to the public.
Getting to the airport
Drive back to Zaragoza Airport (ZAZ), about 1 hour 30 minutes, or to Madrid-Barajas (MAD), about 2 hours 30 minutes. Car-free travellers can take a taxi to Calatayud station and the AVE to Madrid Puerta de Atocha, about 1 hour, then Cercanías C1 to Terminal 4. Check train times at renfe.com.