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Aragón: Hidden Spain - Teruel, Zaragoza, Sos
9
days
from
A$6,110
Book today with a deposit from
A$917
29th September 2027 - 7th October 2027
Tour highlights
- Travel with historian Giles Tremlett to uncover Aragón’s role in the making of Spain.
- Outstanding Mudéjar architecture, Romanesque churches and the castle of Loarre.
- From prehistoric cave art to Goya and the Spanish Civil War.
- Zaragoza’s Aljafería, one of Spain’s finest Islamic palaces.
- Medieval hill towns and dramatic landscapes from the Pyrenees to the Ebro valley.
To understand Spain, it is worth beginning in Aragón. Though one of its least-visited regions, this former kingdom played a decisive role in shaping the country’s history and identity. Its landscapes, cities and monuments preserve the traces of successive civilisations with unusual clarity, from prehistoric communities and the Roman Empire to Islamic rule, the medieval Christian kingdoms and the upheavals of the 20th century.
With historian Giles Tremlett, we investigate Aragón much as he has long investigated Spain itself: through its landscapes, buildings, people and fragments of the past. Drawing on decades of living and writing in Spain, he invites us to piece together the region’s history from the evidence successive generations have left behind. The tour adopts this approach, bringing together architecture, art and political history in a richly layered exploration of Aragón and its place within Spain.
Aragón emerged from a small Pyrenean kingdom to become one of medieval Europe’s most dynamic powers before joining with Castile to help forge modern Spain. Later displaced from the political centre, it remained less transformed than many other regions and preserves an exceptional concentration of historic buildings and landscapes.
Among its greatest treasures are the exuberant Mudéjar towers of Teruel, the Romanesque castle of Loarre and Zaragoza’s Aljafería, one of Spain’s finest surviving Islamic palaces. Alongside these are places whose significance extends beyond their architecture: Goya’s birthplace and his haunting reflections on war, the ruins of Belchite, preserved after the Spanish Civil War, and Teruel itself, where one of the conflict’s bitterest battles was fought.
Set amid landscapes ranging from the High Pyrenees to river valleys, gorges and semi-desert plains, this is a journey through the making of Spain. By investigating the traces left across Aragón, we discover not simply an absorbing region but a distinctive way of understanding the country as a whole.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 9.15am (Iberia) from London Heathrow to Madrid. Drive to Teruel arriving at the hotel at c. 6.00pm. First of two nights in Teruel.
A full day exploring Teruel, whose celebrated Mudéjar towers represent the finest flowering of a style born of Christian and Islamic traditions. Visit the cathedral with its painted wooden ceiling, the Provincial Museum, housed in an elegant Aragonese mansion, and the mausoleum of the famous Lovers of Teruel.
The gorge-ringed hill town of Albarracín, founded by the Arabs and later ruled by Christians, retains its medieval walls, winding streets and dramatic setting. Nearby, in wooded country above red sandstone cliffs, prehistoric communities left paintings in rock shelters. Walk to some of the most revealing examples before continuing to Zaragoza, capital of Aragón, for three nights.
Explore Zaragoza’s rich architectural legacy, from the cathedral with its Mudéjar work and the Gothic-Renaissance La Lonja to the Basilica of El Pilar, one of Spain’s great pilgrimage churches. Ceiling paintings by Goya provide an early insight into Aragón’s most celebrated artist.
Investigate Aragón’s layered history through war, art and architecture. The ruins of Belchite, preserved after fierce fighting during the Spanish Civil War, remain one of the conflict’s most powerful memorials. Continue to nearby Fuendetodos, Goya’s birthplace, where the Museum of Etching displays the Caprichos, Disparates and Horrors of War. Return to Zaragoza to visit the Aljafería, one of Spain’s finest surviving Islamic palaces, later transformed by Ferdinand and Isabella.
Travel north through Aragón’s varied landscapes. Visit Huesca Cathedral with its striking altarpiece before following the River Gállego beneath the extraordinary rock formations of Riglos de los Mallos. The day’s highlight is the Romanesque castle of Loarre, arguably Spain’s finest medieval military building. Continue to the well-preserved hill town of Sos del Rey Católico for three nights.
Explore Sos del Rey Católico, birthplace of Ferdinand of Aragón and one of the best-preserved towns of the medieval kingdom. Continue through remote hill country to the monastery of San Salvador de Leyre, whose atmospheric church contains a notable crypt and finely carved western portal; the monastic community maintains Gregorian offices.
The monastery of San Juan de la Peña, sheltered beneath an overhanging rock face, was the burial place of Aragón’s early kings and queens and remains central to the region’s identity. Continue to the Romanesque church of Santa Cruz de la Serós before concluding at Jaca Cathedral, renowned for its stone carving.
Drive north out of Aragón to Bilbao (143 miles) to take the afternoon flight arriving at London Heathrow at c. 2.45pm (Vueling).
Expert speaker
Mr Giles Tremlett
Award-winning journalist and historian. Former Madrid correspondent for the Economist and the Guardian, he has lived in Spain for over 25 years. His books include Ghosts of Spain: Travels through Spain and Its Silent Past, Isabella of Castile: Europe’s First Great Queen, for which he won the 2018 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography, and The International Brigades: Fascism, Freedom and the Spanish Civil War. His latest book is the acclaimed biography El Generalissimo: Franco - Power, Violence and the Quest for Greatness.
More tours led by Mr Giles Tremlett
Practicalities
Two sharing: A$6,630 or A$6,110 without flights. Single occupancy: A$7,600 or A$7,080 without flights.
Private coach; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 2 lunches and 5 dinners with wine or beer, soft drinks, water and tea or coffee; all admissions; all tips for waiters, drivers and guides; all taxes; the services of the lecturer, tour manager and local guides.
Gran Hotel Botánicos, Teruel: modern and centrally located 4-star hotel with well-equipped rooms. Hotel Catalonia el Pilar, Zaragoza: modern 4-star hotel in an attractive turn-of-the-century building in the historic centre. Parador de Sos del Rey Católico, Sos: 4-star parador with views of surrounding countryside. Single rooms are doubles for sole use throughout.
The tour involves a lot of walking in town centres, where coach access is restricted, and standing in museums and churches. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. The optional, more strenuous walk on day 3 requires you to be a practised country walker, used to some up and down. It should not be undertaken by anyone who is not sure-footed or who has difficulty with gradients. Some days involve a lot of driving – average distance by coach per day: 80 miles.
Between 10 and 24 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Smartraveller to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
29th September - 7th October 2027
Speaker:
Mr Giles Tremlett
Price:
from A$6,110
(Based on two sharing)Testimonials
“This tour really opened my eyes to a beautiful part of Spain I had never visited. The simplistic beauty of the Romanesque architecture was the highlight for me especially the monastery at San Juan de le Pena. Our lecturer was incredibly enthusiastic and her broad knowledge covered not only art history, but architecture, medieval history and basically anything we asked her.
”
“Stimulating! I enjoyed the variety of locations, found the tour manager excellent and the tour leader extremely knowledgeable. I enjoyed seeing Aragón – a part of Spain I had not seen before.
”
“A varied itinerary which catered for all interests and took in some fascinating sites in the remoter parts of the province.
”
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