Nature of Zaragoza

What is it like to live in Zaragoza? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Zaragoza is an important cog in the machine of communications between Spain and outside Spain. There aren't many methods of transport directly from here, so you always have to get the train or bus to Madrid or Barcelona and from there, you can travel to everywhere else.

Source

Getting anywhere from the city isn't difficult but there can be complications with destinations further away. Zaragoza isn't very big. The maximum distance to the centre from any other point around the outside, would take an hour to walk. The bus services aren't very good because they're cancelling some of them and changing the route of others in favour of the tram, which is only one line that runs from the north to the south of the city.

The weather in Zaragoza is very extreme. Those of us who live here are accustomed to it, but the foreigners that come here from places with pleasant temperatures, don't have the best time. In the winter it's very cold and windy (which is what we call the 'cold north wind' here), so it's difficult to keep warm. Spring doesn't exist: the weather goes directly from suffocating heat to freezing cold, so a lot of people get sick in the first few days of the change. It doesn't normally rain, but when it does it's incredibly violent and carries on for a few days in succession.

What is the student lifestyle like in Zaragoza?

The student lifestyle is excellent. There are a lot of Erasmus students which makes it very easy to practise languages. Additionally, when the good weather arrives, it's common to see people sunbathing, eating, talking and even playing instruments next to the pond on the San Francisco campus.

Source

How much does it cost to live in Zaragoza?

It all depends on what style of life you'd like to have.

When it comes to eating, there are a lot of bars that serve very good food in abundance for not a lot of money, especially those around the university. For going on a night out, just look for the places that sell cubatas for €5 (there are a lot of these around the university too).

For transport, if you're going to use it every day, I recommend the year long pass. The BiZi (bike) card is difficult to get because there's a long waiting list (and some of the bikes aren't in a great state).

Source

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Zaragoza? Do you have any advice?

I live here, but I know that a lot of the time there are posters made by different people offering shared accommodation up on the boards in the university. In this area, there are loads of apartments to rent especially for students (flats where about 3 students usually live).

I recommend the page UNIZAR

There are few areas that aren't very nice (in my opinion), like the Casco (the historical centre), Delicias, Las Fuentes, San José and the areas along the bank of the river Ebro (Almozara, Arrabal, Picarral). If I had to recommend areas to live in, they would be Centro (the Gran Vía area), University, Romareda and ACTUR.

What is the food like there? What are some of your favourite dishes?

Aragón, as it has always had cultivable land, uses a lot of vegetables, legumes and meat. Some traditional dishes from here are: a fillet "a la zaragozana" (in a Zaragozan way), roasted lamb with potatoes and the cod (despite not being close to the sea). Cold meats like chorizo and pork sausages are commonplace dishes as well. There are some other very easy dishes you can do like "migas" (bread crumbs) which are great, especially with grapes and a fried egg. And there are is always the ham and the wine from the land of Spain itself to go with any of the dishes.

What places would you recommend visiting in Zaragoza?

It's essential to visit the historical centre of the city that extends from Coso until the river Ebro.

The most well-known monuments and the ones that are found very close by are the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pilar, the Seo or the Arch of the Dean. Also, in the same area there are some archaeological remains from Roman Zaragoza (like the Roman Baths or the Roman Theatre, the river port... ). The Aljafería which dates back to the Arabic and Christian era now serves as the headquarters for the Courts of Aragón (the Government building).

Source

There are also centres such as the Museum of Zaragoza or the Sástago Palace which has both fixed and temporary exhibitions. In order to see modern art, there is the IAACC Pablo Serrano or the Caixaforum.

There are also some pretty parks such as Parque Grande or the Parque del Agua, even the walk along the riverbank of the Ebro for those who like to walk, bike-riding and sunbathing.

Is it good to eat out in Zaragoza?

What are some of your favourite places to go?

For university students I would recommend places where you can eat well for a good price, but without a doubt my favourites are:

London, which is in front of the San Francisco campus. When it comes to eating there, it's always full of people but it's worth the wait. The "patatas bravas" are the best in Zaragoza. There are very distinct sandwiches of different sizes and types that cost around €2-3 (and satisfies your appetite). Also, the atmosphere and the waiters are really welcoming.

-Burguer Paco, in one of the galleries on Calle Alfonso. At night it's practically impossible to find anywhere to sit without waiting for about an hour. Their speciality is the combined plates (the maximum price for these is about €8 and they're so big you can share it between two) and the hamburgers, are also gigantic. The only problem here would be that sometimes they "forget" to notice you if there are a lot of people and they're rushed off their feet.

Of course there are always the chains such as McDonalds or Bocatta, but a little bit of homemade food is always better.

Source

Where would you recommend for a night out in Zaragoza?

-La City: these are bars where you can just sit or play table football and pool whilst listening to music of any genre. In some of the bars you can choose the music thanks to an app! The bars I like the most are Luxor or Luces de Bohemia.

-Rollo: which are bars where you have to stand, and normally they play rock/heavy metal music. These are places where you can have a drink and talk to your friends. There are little hangouts such as Devizio, Desastre, Posturas or Momia.

Casco: bars to dance in. And finally, usually the people that go there are either under age, are contrastingly in their thirties, or celebrating a bachelor or hen party... They are on very narrow streets and are often covered in rubbish. When it comes to music, it's predominantly electrolatino, although there are always exceptions. I recommend Canterbury, Buscón, La Casa del Loco, Martinica, Recogida.

Source

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Zaragoza in the future?

Don't come here for Spanish clichés. We don't have a beach, nor paella, nor flamenco, nor bulls. Aragón is a very special community with a lot of distinct characteristics. You'll find them in its gastronomy, culture, or even the language (initially you'll find it quite difficult to understand people here because we use a lot of vocabulary that belongs to the Aragón language, not Castilian Spanish).

Don't forget that apart from Zaragoza itself, there are also Huesca and Teruel, which are two beautiful cities and provinces.