The area of Aragon can be found in northeastern Spain and comprises the provinces of Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel. The region lies approximately within the historic kingdom of Aragon and is bounded towards the north by France; the south by Valencia; the east by Catalonia and on the west by the regions of Castilla la Mancha, Castilla Leon, Navarre and La Rioja. The official spoken language in Aragon is Castilian Spanish, even though in some from the valleys of the Pyrenees its feasible to hear the original language of Aragonese.

The greatest peaks from the Pyrenees Mountains could be found in Aragon with Aneto, the highest of them all, being found within the province of Huesca. In amongst the mountains can be found some beautiful secluded valleys, which remain largely un-spoilt due to their inaccessibility. Spread thinly through the valleys and plains could be found little towns and churches with great views from the rugged landscape.

Aragon is traversed by the river Ebro, which offers fish of such numbers and proportions that the Ebro is considered one of the best locations in Europe for Cat and Carp fishing. With a population of just more than 1.3 million people living in Aragon, and half of them living within the capital city of Zaragoza, the area is mostly deserted with beautiful, mountainous scenery towards the north, and mainly barren land in the south.

The area of Aragon has three provinces whose capital cities Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel take the same names as their province. There are lots of, little towns all across the region, and especially within the province of Teruel exactly where out from the 236 municipalities, more than half the villages have a population of fewer than 200 people. In-between the villages the land is mostly deserted and quite barren. Aragon is really a wonderful area of Spain to visit. The Pyrenees Mountains provide fantastic dramatic scenery to the north and also the ancient cities of Zaragoza, Teruel and Huesca have numerous essential historical buildings. If you are looking for a various holiday experience in Spain, Aragon may just be the location of choice.

The huge Plaza del Pilar is the social centre of Zaragoza, looked over by some wonderful old monuments and fine fountains. Here could be found the Basílica del Pilar; whose domes and towers dominate the city and this is exactly where legend has it the Virgin Mary appeared. Towards the west of the city centre could be discovered the La Aljaferia palace. An Islamic-fortress, it was once the residence of Arab kings and later by Christian kings, Aragonese kings and then by Spanish monarchs. Nowadays, the building houses Aragon’s regional parliament.

Located 30km southwest of Jaca, this monastery church that is dedicated to saint John, is situated beneath a large overhanging rock. The monastery has had special significance since Muslim times where pilgrims would stop here in the hope of viewing the Holy Grail, a Roman chalice which was hidden somewhere in the monastery. The Roman chalice is now on view in Valencia Cathedral. The lower church represents the heart from the monastery that was founded in 920. On the second floor is the Pantheon where could be observed the tombs of noblemen from both Aragon and Navarre. Within the apse of the High Church of San Juan could be observed a replica from the Holy Grail which was kept within the walls to protect it against Muslim invasion.

Declared a national park in 1918, an area of more than 15,600 hectares is now protected in the Biosphere Reserve or Ordesa as declared by UNESCO is 1997. Most from the park is limestone and a retreating glacier still exists on the north face of Monte Pedido, the third largest mountain in the Pyrenees. The park’s dramatic mountain scenery comprises of limestone cliffs, canyons, caves, chasms and crystal-clear streams with forests of pine, birch, ash, willow and oak. Great birds fly the skies including the royal eagle, hawks, royal owls, ospreys and also the snow partridge, while about the ground could be seen the marmot, wild boar, chamois and the red deer. The park is open all year round but the months between April and October provide the greatest conditions for walking and hiking.

Zaragoza Airport is situated sixteen kilometres to the west of Zaragoza city. The airport is famous for being home to the Spanish Air Force 15th Group and also serves as landing area for NASA in emergency cases.

The city of Zaragoza is also known as Saragossa by English speakers. It has the fifth highest population in Spain. The city makes an ideal base for getting to other major cities such as Barcelona, Toulouse, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia as all are around two hundred miles away.

Getting from Ireland to Zaragoza will require a connecting flight from an airline such as Ryanair who offer flights from Stansted, Bergamo, Alicante, Ciampino and Brussels. Domestic flights are available from Air Europa who fly to Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Menorca, Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife-South while Iberia fly to Coruña, Ibiza, Madrid and Menorca.

Passenger numbers have grown steadily over the years with almost six hundred thousand people using the airport in 2008. Recently a new terminal building was opened to deal with increasing numbers. Its modern design has drawn praise from many quarters.

A taxi from the airport into the city should set you back around twenty five euro. These are generally easily available at flight arrival times. There is also a bus service available which costs €2.50 one way.