Living in Zaragoza

The city of Zaragoza, with a population of 700,000 inhabitants is the capital of Aragon. It is located in a privileged geographical position in the North of Spain, between Madrid and Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia and this has converted it into a centre which holds a wide range of activities such as: congresses, exhibitions, sports events, festivals, concerts and trade fairs.

Owing to its size, Zaragoza is a very comfortable city to live in as it has all the facilities one needs and you do not have to waste time getting around it so life here is not affected by the stress of other large cities.

On the other hand, its privileged geographical position along with its good communications means that Zaragoza is just 1 hour from the Pyrenees for those who like skiing and mountain sports and 2 and a half hours from the Mediterranean coasts, where you can enjoy a relaxing weekend at the beach. It is less than 3 hours form Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, the four most important and attractive cities in Spain, thus allowing you to organise interesting weekend trips.

With the slogan: “Water and Sustainable Development” Zaragoza has recently been chosen as the venue for the Universal Exhibition which will be held in 2008 and the city is now preparing itself for this magnificent event.

Zaragoza's wide range of services make it a very attractive city for visitors. Here you can enjoy shopping, shopping malls, restaurants and all kinds of leisure and cultural facilities: cinemas, theatres, museums, libraries, sports…

On the other hand, Zaragoza offers its visitors over 1,000 years of history with remains from Iberian, Roman, Arab, Jewish and Christian cultures. All this enables you to enjoy visiting its monuments and means you can make interesting tours by following the remains left behind by these different cultures.

A tour through the old quarters of Zaragoza is a journey through time where we can go from a perfectly preserved Roman theatre to an Arabian castle “ La Aljafería ”, without forgetting the tour through the world famous Basílica of the Pilar and our cathedral, La Seo in Mudejar style.

Besides, the historic centre offers picturesque streets and squares with hundreds of “tapas” bars and nice restaurants where you can sample the best of Aragonese cuisine and wine, as well as feeling part of the city and its people and learning about Spanish customs and culture.

More information:

• Useful websites
• Students halls
• Hostels and Boarding houses
• Temporary accommodation