Getting around Zaragoza
Zaragoza is a compact, largely flat city on the Ebro river, and its main sights — the Basílica del Pilar, La Seo Cathedral and the Aljafería Palace — sit close enough together that visitors based in or near the old town can cover most of them on foot. For longer hops across the city, or for reaching the stations and the airport, you have a straightforward set of options: an urban bus network, a single tram line, plentiful taxis, a shared bicycle scheme, and a tourist sightseeing bus.
On foot
Walking is the simplest way to see the centre. If you stay in or near the old town, most of the main attractions are within easy walking distance of each other, so you can plan a day of sightseeing without needing any transport at all.
Tram
Zaragoza has one tram line, known locally as the Tranvía, which runs from the north of the city to the south-west, passing through the city centre. It is a popular way to cross town, though there are no concrete plans to open additional lines. The tram uses the same fare system as the buses: you touch your transport card on a reader when boarding.
Buses
The urban bus network is the main way to get around beyond the centre. Most bus routes have audio announcements and "next stop" displays inside the vehicle, which makes them reasonably easy to use even if you don't know the city.
For paying your fare, the cheapest approach is a rechargeable transport card:
- Buy the card at any tobacco kiosk. It costs €7, which includes an initial fee of €2 and €5 of credit.
- With the card, a journey costs €0.74, and you can change lines within an hour without being charged again.
- Cards can be topped up at ticket machines or at the kiosks.
- One card can be used by more than one person on the same trip — tap twice for two people, and so on.
- If you buy a single ticket from the driver instead, it costs €1.70 and must be paid in cash.
Tourist bus
A sightseeing bus is another option if you want an overview of the city. It costs €7, and the ticket can be used for the entire day. It is free if you hold a Zaragoza card.
Taxis
Taxis are plentiful in Zaragoza and the drivers are generally honest, so hailing one is a reliable fallback, particularly for short trips with luggage or late at night.
Bicycles
Zaragoza has a shared bicycle system called Bizi, which has a fairly good website in English and lets you set up a temporary subscription online before you arrive.
- A temporary subscription is valid for three days and costs €5.28, with a €200 deposit.
- The first 30 minutes of each ride are free; after that you pay €0.52 per additional 30 minutes, up to two hours.
- Beyond two hours, a penalty of €3.16 per hour applies.
- Once you subscribe online you receive a subscription number; together with a PIN code of your choice, this lets you take a bike as soon as you arrive.
- Bike availability is usually good, with plenty of stations in the city centre as well as near the Delicias train station and the Expo area.
One caveat: the screens at many bicycle stations have been unreliable, which can make it impossible to enter your subscription number and PIN and therefore impossible to borrow a bike. The system is more dependable for annual subscribers using a contactless card, so treat Bizi as convenient but not guaranteed.
Arriving by air: Zaragoza Airport
Zaragoza Airport (ZAZ) lies about 10 km from the city centre. It is a relatively minor airport for passenger flights — mostly served by budget airlines such as Ryanair and Wizzair, with other services largely seasonal — so many visitors arrive via Madrid or Barcelona instead (see below).
From the airport into the city you have two practical choices:
- Airport bus 501 — the cheapest option. It stops at Los Enlaces, Delicias train station, Avenida de Navarra, and Paseo de María Agustín 7 in the city centre. The ride takes about 45 minutes and costs €1.85. It runs every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and every hour on Sundays and holidays.
- Taxi — around €25–30 and roughly 20 minutes to the city centre.
Arriving via Madrid or Barcelona
Because Zaragoza Airport has limited flight connections, it can be more convenient to fly into Madrid or Barcelona and continue by train or coach. Both cities are reachable from Zaragoza in under three hours.
- From Madrid Barajas Airport: travel to Atocha RENFE station by taxi (about 30 minutes, around €25) or by metro (about 45 minutes, €2), then take the high-speed AVE train to Zaragoza (about 1 hour 30 minutes, around €50). A cheaper but less comfortable alternative is the ALSA coach between Barajas terminal T4 and Zaragoza, which runs every 2–3 hours and takes about 3 hours 45 minutes (single/return around €15/€26). If you are in terminals T1, T2 or T3, take the free airport shuttle bus to terminal T4 — the bus to Zaragoza stops in the same place. The ALSA ticket counter is inside the terminal, and there is a vending machine with ALSA tickets near the bus bays.
- From Barcelona Airport: take the half-hourly RENFE R2Nord suburban train to Barcelona Sants (about 20 minutes, €2.20), then the high-speed AVE to Zaragoza (about 1 hour 45 minutes, around €60). If you already hold your AVE ticket, you can get the suburban train ticket free from the automatic vending machines by entering the "cercanías" code shown on your AVE ticket.
If you don't mind driving through long stretches of empty countryside, other airports within reach of Zaragoza include Logroño and Reus.
Arriving by train or coach
Zaragoza is well served by the high-speed AVE network, with frequent services to Madrid and Barcelona, and regular rates starting at around €50 to Madrid and €60 to Barcelona — though booking online well in advance can earn a substantial discount. Since the tracks have been opened to private operators, tickets to or from Madrid can sometimes be found for as little as €9 through companies such as Ouigo or Omio. A cheaper, slower option from Barcelona is the Regional Express, which takes about 5 hours on an old track through small villages and striking landscapes for €22. Other neighbouring cities, including Huesca, Teruel, Pamplona, Logroño, Bilbao and Valencia, are linked by a few daily conventional trains. For schedules and prices, check the RENFE website; note that the station itself has no café or bar with wifi.
Coaches also connect Zaragoza with Madrid and Barcelona in about 3 hours 45 minutes (ALSA, single/return around €15/€26), as well as with other major cities such as Valencia and Bilbao, and with France via lines from Lourdes, Tarbes, Pau and Oloron.
All trains and buses arrive at Delicias station, which sits about 2 km from the city centre. To cover that last stretch, use urban buses 34 and 51 or take a taxi (about 10 minutes, around €10).
Arriving by car
Zaragoza is well connected by free expressways to Huesca, Teruel and Madrid, and by toll highways to Barcelona, Pamplona and Bilbao. Traffic around the city is relatively light except on some weekends and holidays. Be aware that free parking in the city centre is very scarce: most streets have metered parking limited to one or two hours, while underground paying car parks are scattered throughout the city and usually have spaces available.