Aragon Guide

Aragon is situated in the centre of the northeastern corner of Spain, bounded by Catalonia, Valencia, Navarra, Castille and France. About 76% of Spain's inhabitants live within 450 kilometres of the city of Zaragoza (Saragossa). The Ebro River, the longest in Spain, cuts through 330 kilometres with a river basin of 86.000 square kilometres. The population of the entire region is 1.200.000. The inhabitants enjoy a regional income per capita of 10% above the national average. In Teruel, there are 136.900 inhabitants, in Huesca 204.960 and in Zaragoza 841.500. Aragon has an area of 47.669 square kilometers divided into three provinces: Zaragoza (17.252 km), Huesca (15.613 km) and Teruel (14.785 km).

People - Historic figures past and present that influenced Aragon of today. The stunning diversity of Aragon has inspired some of the greatest stories, myths and legends the world has come to know and love. The constantly changing face of the Aragon has had a great effect on artists and is reflected in ...

Business Hours - Almost everything in Spain - shops, museums, churches, tourist offices - closes for a siesta of at least two hours in the hottest part of the day. There's a lot of variation (and the siesta tends to be longer in the south) blue basic summer working hours are 9.30am-1.30pm and 4.30-8pm. -certain ...

Costs, Money & Banks - Spain is one of Europe's more affordable countries. If you are particularly frugal it's just about possible to scrape by for around US$20 a day. This would involve staying in the cheapest possible accommodation, avoiding eating in restaurants or going to museums or bars, and not moving around too ...

Customs - With the Single European Market you can carry most things between EU countries, as long as you have paid tax on them in an EU country and you intend them for personal consumption. Customs will only start asking questions if your car is groaning under the weight of goods and they think you are going ...

Electricity - Current in most of Spain is 220 or 225 volts AC (just occasionally it's still 110 or 125V); most European appliances should work as long as you have an adaptor for European - style two-pin plugs. North Americans will need this plus a ...

Email & Internet - The internet has made great inroads into Spanish life and access is widely available at internet cafes (more commonly referred to as cibercafes in Spanish), some computer shops and many locutorios. Prices vary; in cities hourly rates can be as little as €1.80, rising to around €6 in some ...

Embassies & Consulates - For any consular assistance that you may require while you are in Aragon, you will have to direct your concerns to: The British Embassy in Madrid. Their offices can be found at C/ Fernando el Santo, 16, 28010 Madrid. You can reach them by telephone at the following numbers: (34) (91) 700 82 00 and ...

Health - As an EU country, Spain has free reciprocal health agreements with other member states (you should carry form E111, available from main post offices). Even so, some form of travel insurance is still all but essential; with it, you should be able to claim back the cost of any drugs prescribed by ...

Language Basics - In addition to Spanish, understood and spoken by virtually everyone in the region, the Aragonese language continues to be spoken in the mountainous northern counties of the Pyrenees, particularly in western Ribagorza, Sobrarbe, Jacetania and Somontano and is enjoying a resurgence of popularity as a ...

Languages Spoken - In addition to Spanish, understood and spoken by virtually everyone in the region, the Aragonese language continues to be spoken in the mountainous northern counties of the Pyrenees, particularly in western Ribagorza, Sobrarbe, Jacetania and Somontano and is enjoying a resurgence of popularity as a ...

Newspapers & Magazines - Of the Spanish newspapers the best are the centre-left El Pais and the centre-right El Mundo, both of which have good arts and foreign news coverage, including comprehensive regional "what's on" listings and supplements every weekend. Other national papers include the solidly elitist ABC ...

Postal Service - Post offices (Correos) are generally found near the centre of towns and are normally open from 8am to noon and again from 5 to 7.30pm, though big branches in large cities may have considerably longer hours and usually do not close at midday. Except in the cities there's only one post office in each ...

TV & Radio - You'll inadvertently catch more TV than you expect sitting in bars and restaurants where the set often blares away on a shelf in one corner. Spaniards are Europe's greatest TV watchers after the British. Most TVs receive between five and seven channels. Two come from the state-run Television ...

Tourist Offices - The Main Torist Office in the Aragon region is located in 25 Cesaraugusto Avenue, Zaragoza. It is open Monday to Friday from 9 to 14 and 17 to 20, Saturdays and Sundays: 10 to 14 and 17 to 20. They have a telephone +34 902 477 000 where they will provide you with touristic information about all ...

Telephone - Spanish public phones work well and have instructions in English. If you can't find one, many bars also have pay phones you can use. Cabins and other phones are adapted to take the euro currency but you're best off buying a phone card (from a kiosko or tabac) which avoids hassles finding the right ...

Time - Time in Spain is one hour ahead of the UK, six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, nine hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, except for brief periods during the changeovers to and from daylight saving. In Spain the cloks go forward in the last week in March and Back again in the last week in ...

Visas and Documentation - Citizens of most EU countries (and of Norway and Iceland) need only a valid national identity card to enter Spain for up to six months. Since Britain has no identity card system, however, British citizens have to take a passport. US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand citizens do not need a visa ...