A Road Trip Through Aragon’s Wine Country, Castles, Pyrenees, and Canyoning

Canyoning in the Pyrenees

Zaragoza was the reason I wanted to go to Aragon, but the rest of the region gave me some of the most memorable moments of the trip.

After exploring Zaragoza on a press trip to Aragon, we headed into wine country, then north toward Huesca, Castle Loarre, Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, and the mountain village of Alquézar. That part of the trip changed my sense of Aragon. It was no longer just a region with an interesting city. It became a road-trip destination of wineries, abbeys, castles, dramatic cliffs, Pyrenees viewpoints, and canyon adventures.

It also became the place where I tried not to fall off a mountain and later found myself in a wetsuit, sliding down rocks into a cold river.

Veruela Abbey

Why Aragon Works as a Road Trip

Spain has an excellent train system, and Zaragoza is easy to reach by high-speed rail. But once you want to explore the countryside of Aragon, a car makes sense.

The roads we used were modern, well-maintained, and well-signed. More importantly, driving gives you the freedom to stop when you see a castle, a monastery, a rock formation, a medieval village, or a winery sign.

Aragon is a place that reveals itself visually. You see something on a hilltop and want to investigate. You pass a brown sign and wonder what is down that road. You notice cliffs in the distance, then suddenly you are standing under the Mallos de Riglos or looking into a canyon near the Pyrenees.

This is not a region I would experience only by train. This is a place to drive.

Veruela Abbey: A Fortified Monastery

Our first stop after leaving Zaragoza was Veruela Abbey, a Cistercian abbey dating to the 12th century. From the outside, it looks almost like a fortress, which makes sense in a region that has seen shifting frontiers and competing powers.

The cloister was one of the most interesting parts for me. It had carved heads of people you might have seen in the neighborhood, including one figure with a turban, as well as figures that looked like conquistadors and others from different walks of life.

Inside the abbey, our guide pointed out a stone with measurements inscribed on it, including outlines of feet. This was built before standard measurements, and a project like this might take generations. The architect would leave the measurements for the building to be carved into stone. If he said something should be 20 feet, this stone showed what “feet” meant for this project. 

The abbey church itself struck me as surprisingly large, especially given that the abbey apparently never had that many people. 

Aragon Wine Country: Garnacha and Good Value

Wine was one of the themes of this trip, especially Garnacha. Aragon has several wine regions with DO status, or Denominación de Origen. These are more restrictive than simply saying a grape came from a region. In Spain, the wine must come from the region and be made there.

Cariñena, south of Zaragoza, is the oldest DO and is known for reds, especially Garnacha and Tempranillo. Campo de Borja, northwest of Zaragoza, is called the empire of Garnacha and is known for old-vine Garnacha, sometimes from vines around 100 years old. Calatayud, southwest of Zaragoza, has a higher elevation and rugged terrain, producing fresher, more mineral-driven Garnacha wines. Somontano, near the Pyrenees, is more modern and uses both Spanish and French grapes.

We visited two wineries.

The first was Aragonesas in Campo de Borja, a large cooperative with 700 families. They have 3,500 hectares of vines and 3,500 barrels in the cellar. One of my favorite wines at Aragonesas was Fagus, an old-vine, high-altitude red made from vines 40 to 50 years old. Older vines produce less fruit, but the flavor can be more intense.

The second winery, Tierra de Cubas, was in the Cariñena area, out in the countryside with views of the hills. They were preparing for an eclipse party later in 2026 because of their good view of the sky. The winery also has rooms and functions as a small four-star hotel, so you can stay there if you want to make wine part of your itinerary.

Coming from California wine country, I was struck by the prices. Many bottles were around 6.50 euros, and even the most expensive one I noticed was around 18 euros. You might find some of these wines in the United States, but once shipping and tariffs are added, the price looks very different. 

Huesca and the Mallos de Riglos

We stayed in Huesca that night at Hotel Pedro I de Aragón.

On the way, we stopped to photograph the Mallos de Riglos, massive reddish rock formations popular with climbers. They rise up to 300 meters, or nearly 1,000 feet, and make a dramatic introduction to the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Even if you are not a rock climber, they are worth seeing. They stand out from the landscape in a way that makes you understand why climbers are drawn to them.

Castle Loarre: A Romanesque Fortress on a Hill

The next day began with one of my favorite kinds of stops: an old castle.

Castle Loarre is a Romanesque castle and abbey near the town of Loarre in the province of Huesca. It dates back to the 11th century, when this area was the frontier between Christian and Muslim lands. Later, as the frontier moved south, the castle became a monastery.

I love touring old castles, and this one did not disappoint. It has outer walls, an inner keep, a chapel, towers you can climb, and views that stretch for miles. It sits on a hill in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and it is easy to understand why someone chose this spot for a fortress. You are looking out over the country that the castle once guarded.

After Castle Loarre, we stopped for lunch at Asador de Fiscal, a restaurant known for grilled meats and fish. We ate outside with a view of the pool and the mountains, and by that point, the trip had clearly shifted from urban Aragon to outdoor Aragon.

Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park

That afternoon was one of the great highlights of the trip.

We were in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park in the Pyrenees, and we took a 4×4 tour with Miradores de Ordesa. The route climbed from about 800 meters to around 2,100 meters. It was a 4×4 because the road was rough, and for much of the climb, I sat on the left side of the vehicle, trying to get comfortable with the sheer drop outside my window.

At one point, one of my traveling companions had to help shepherd sheep off the road because no shepherd was around. Only in Aragon.

At the top, we did what was described as a little hike. I say “little” with air quotes. The path followed a ridge to a dramatic view of what we were told is the deepest canyon in Europe. Across the canyon were striped cliffs that reminded one of my traveling companions of the Grand Canyon or Copper Canyon. There were views toward the French border, snow-capped peaks, and a waterfall cascading from the cliffs where a glacier once sat.

It was spectacular.

It was also the place where I tried, unsuccessfully, to fall down the mountain.

I stepped on a rock that gave way. Fortunately, I fell in the right direction. A sheer drop was only a few feet away on the other side, and I was very happy not to become vulture food. We saw a bearded vulture circling below us, which was a nice touch after I had already decided I did not want to roll down the hill.

Even with that moment, I would highly recommend the experience. The view was worth it. The presentation was part of the drama, too. You walk along the ridge, come around a bend, and suddenly the canyon opens before you.

Canyoning in the Sierra de Guara

You might think the 4×4 ride and ridge walk were the most adventurous parts of the trip. They were not.

The most adventurous experience came on the last full day, when we went canyoning near Alquézar. In the United States, I would call it canyoneering. I had done something somewhat similar in Jordan, but this was different.

Our itinerary said “canyoning level one,” which sounds manageable. I later learned that we had originally been scheduled for something more advanced, which would not have been appropriate for our group. 

The information came to us in bits and pieces. At first, I was not sure what kind of preparation we needed. Then we learned we would be wearing wetsuits because the river is fed by snowmelt and is cold. We also needed helmets and appropriate shoes. Our guide and fixer, Jorge, did a lot of work communicating with the outfitter to ensure we had the right equipment and the right level of adventure.

We used Sally Adventures. My one critique is that, before we started, I would have appreciated a clearer briefing. Something like: “We are going to hike up the river for about half an hour, then hike down to the river, put on wetsuits, and make our way down through the canyon.” That would have helped.

Once we were in the river, though, the guides did an excellent job. Sometimes we were hiking. Sometimes we were climbing over rocks. Sometimes we were sliding down rocks into pools. At one point, we slid through an opening formed by large boulders. Some people jumped off rocks into pools. At the end, we lay back and floated down the river in clear, turquoise water.

It was beautiful. It was also tiring.

Halfway through, my legs felt like lead. The wetsuit held extra water, and I was lifting that weight over boulders. We were hot when we hiked in the sun and cold when we plunged back into the water. I was semi-blind because I did not wear my glasses. In hindsight, I should have brought a glasses strap and worn my polycarbonate sunglasses.

Would I do it again? Yes.

Would I have done it if I had fully understood what we were getting into? Maybe not.

That is part of why it became such a memorable experience. It was challenging, gorgeous, a little scary, and ultimately rewarding. The feeling of stripping off the wetsuit afterward and having a drink at lunch was one of those great post-adventure moments.

Alquézar: The Prettiest Town of the Trip

After canyoning, we went to Alquézar, which was the most picturesque town we saw in Aragon.

Alquézar is a medieval village on a hill, with stone lanes, old houses, and a fortified church above it. It had nearly faded away as a community, with only a handful of students left in the school, but outdoor tourism helped revive it. French adventurers began coming in the 1970s for canyoning, climbing, hiking, and via ferratas, and tourism helped bring life back to the village.

We had lunch at Mesón del Vero, eating outside on the edge of the canyon. The town sits on a rock above the valley, and the views from the restaurant were worth lingering over.

We stayed at Hotel Boutique Maribel, the prettiest hotel of our trip. It is small, charming, and does not have an elevator. I travel light, so I took one of the rooms on the upper floor and left the lower floors for those with more luggage. Still, after canyoning, those stairs were a bit of work. I took a nap after lunch to recover.

home museum in Alquézar

Later, we toured Alquézar with a local guide from the tourist office. We saw a preserved home with a loom and an olive press in the basement. The home had become a museum of life in one of these small villages in the days before electricity and tourism. 

We also saw animal hooves above one door, used as good-luck charms to ward off evil. They obviously had not protected the animal, so I am not sure how that worked.

One of the local treats is dobladillo de Alquézar, a pastry that is both sweet and somewhat savory, with an anise flavor. It had disappeared when the last bakery making it closed, but when a family reopened the bakery, one of the old baker’s children gave them the secret recipe. You can try it at Panadería Repostería O Forno.

There are trails from town down into the canyon and back up, but this is a place where you need to take the heat seriously. If you are hiking in summer, go early and bring plenty of water. Our guide sometimes has to rescue people who ignore that advice.

from Cueva Reina

That evening, we had one of the best meals of the trip at Cueva Reina. The food was thoughtful and creative, and the setting overlooking the canyon was memorable. The owners, Felipe and Concha, made an impression too. Their story included a career shift from auto mechanic to chef, which is not a path you hear every day.

Alquézar

When to Go to Aragon

We visited in mid-June, and Zaragoza was hot. The temperatures I noted ranged from about 95 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit, or roughly 35 to 40 Celsius. It became cooler as we went north into the Pyrenees, but if you are focusing on the lower parts of Aragon, I would consider May or September rather than the heat of midsummer.

For outdoor activities like hiking and canyoning, pay close attention to weather, water levels, and local advice. 

author at Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park

Final Thoughts on Aragon

The wine country gave us old-vine Garnacha, cooperative wineries, and prices that made this California wine-country traveler take notice. Castle Loarre gave us Romanesque stone walls, towers, and sweeping views of the Pyrenees foothills. Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park gave us one of the most dramatic mountain views of the trip. Alquézar gave us stone lanes, canyon views, a revived village, and one of the prettiest settings in Aragon.

And canyoning gave me the story I will probably still be telling years from now.

Aragon still feels undiscovered by many American travelers, but it should not be overlooked. Beyond Zaragoza, it has the food and wine of rural Spain, the architecture of a frontier region, and the outdoor drama of the Pyrenees and canyon country. Rent a car, leave time for detours, and have fun!

I visited the hotel on a press trip visiting the province of Aragon, paid for by the Tourism Board of Spain and the region of Aragon. The opinions expressed are my own.