Portray of the Destination
In the city of Huesca, the plains that smoothly descend towards the Ebro River begin, and the first mounts that rise to the impressive Pyrenean are born. They converge in this region, La Hoya, and this is where the Aragon essence bursts: beautiful and smooth plains, impressive and proud mountains.
Huesca presents itself as a small city with all the services and facilities to secure a nice and diverse stay. It keeps its peace and proximity, has a millenary past and invites to live its traditions whilst incorporates the most avant-garde novelties and shows its vitality. It is a hospitable city, with a high living standard thanks to its gentle and kind inhabitants. Getting inside the city centre of Huesca, making monumental tours, its gastronomy, enjoying the culture, the people and the towns and practicing all kind of activities is within your grasp.
We would like to thank the Tourism Board of Huesca for the texts and photographs provided.
Visit:
www.huescaturismo.com
Geography
Huesca is located on the Ebro Valley, next to the Isuela River, facing the mountain ranges of the Pyrenean. The great province’s surface area and its geographic diversity allow enjoying all kind of landscapes, from the highest peaks of about 3000 meters high to the vast desert of Los Monegros.
We should also mention the rough inland mountain ranges where a wide range of beautiful spots are hidden. This rich geographic diversity makes possible to choose the most convenient area. So the rough winter which hinders the activities in the north of the province, is ideal to travel to the exterior mountain ranges, the lowlands and mainly the Monegros dessert where rainfalls are scarce. During the warmer months, the Pyrenees are ideal for going out for a tour.
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean, with continental tinges. Summers are hot.
As in the rest of the Ebro Valley, precipitations are scarce, approximately 540 annual millimeters.
When to go
Huesca can be visited all year long, but its winters are particularly cold, this is why the best time to visit the city is in spring, summer or autumn, when the temperatures are milder.
History
In past times, the Iberians (more precisely the Ilergetes), occupied the region before the arrival of the Roman. At that age, the city was named Bolskan, and it already minted coins in the 2nd century BC. The Roman settlement called Osca, from the 1st century BC was already a plenty Romanized city. It was the capital of the revolted Hispania ruled by Sertorio against the Republic, and Augustus declared it municipality in the year 30 BC.
After the Visigoth period and the Arab invasion, Osca was controlled by the Muslims, who named it Wasqa. It was the boundary of the Northern Christian kingdoms, the besiege attempts to the city were continuous, which forced it to become a first order military base. In 1094 Christian king Sancho Ramirez tried to conquer the city constructing the Montearagon castle. In the spring of 1096 the Christian army led by King Pedro, besieged Huesca during six months. The city was given to King Pedro, winner in the battle of Los Llanos de Alcoraz, according to a previous agreement between Muslims and Christians.
The Cathedral was constructed at the same time as the University of Huesca (1354, and suppressed in 1845) during the period of epidemics and miracles (Santo Cristo). Once Huesca recovered its strength, great buildings were erected: the City Council, San Lorenzo, San Vicente and Santo Domingo. From the 17th century the heritage of Lastanosa, protector of Baltasar Gracián, is conserved.
In the 19tt century Huesca became the provincial capital, and welcomed the railroad progress (1864) and later on the International Railroad (1928) until the 20th century, which defined the current city. Artistic samples from all ages and styles can be found in Huesca, Romanesque in San Pedro el Viejo or San Miguel churches, gothic in the Cathedral, Renaissance in its altarpiece and in the City Council, and baroque in Santo Domingo or San Lorenzo.
Traditions
Among the celebrations, the main festivities of Huesca in honor to the patron saint, St Lorenzo, must be mentioned. During a whole week, from the 9 to the 15th of august, the city totally transforms in white and green, the basil smell invades the environment and the citizens go out to the streets and celebrate this St Lorenzo festivity. In the morning of the 9th of august, traditionally, thousands of people wait for the advertising shooting that indicates the beginning of the celebration on the Plaza de la Catedral. The dancing celebrations are worth mentioning, with ancestral traditions, as well as the procession of the 10th and the closure day offering. There are also cheerful and hubbub performances, very important for the Bullfighting Fair.
The city attracts many visitors during these days, which are fully integrated in the ambiance thanks to the local people.
In Huesca city people are also attracted by other festivities such as St Vicente, the local festivity that is celebrated on January 22nd with its traditional bonfire and “patatada”, the carnivals, its horse riding, Saint George’s, the regional Aragon day, the pilgrimage to the chapel situated on the top of a hill and the Holy week, followed by a great number of people. The St Lorenzo festival and the Holy week have been declared Festivities of Tourist Interest.
Gastronomy
Huesca is considered as one of the cities whose gastronomy and regional specialties are a must. In the surrounding areas and even in the city, a variety of distinguished restaurants offering an innovating cuisine about tradition and modernity can be found. In addition some other homemade cuisine establishments and bars complement the offer. The natural produce of these lands are the base of this gastronomy.
Amongst local dishes, you could try "migas a la pastora" that is, breadcrumbs cooked with lard with local sausages, Sopa Oscence, garlic soup, salads, vegetables (cardoon, borage...) "salmorrejo", that is poached eggs with ham, "chilindron" style chicken (casseroled with red peppers), trout, cod in "ajoarriero" sauce (with garlic and eggs), roast lamb or lamb chops, game, "chiretas" (entrails) and various cold meats and blood puddings.
The wines of the region of Somontano, with protected guarantee of origin, have become famous amongst Spanish wines because of their outstanding quality. There are also other well known products for their quality such as cheeses, "longaniza" (pork sausage), honey, truffles, oil, almonds... Finally, sweets and snacks available in the various patisseries of Huesca deserve a visit: the most famous city’s specialties are the called trenza, glorias, tejas, colinetas, pajaritas and the marzipan chestnuts.
Basic Dictionary
YES: si. NO: no. HELLO: hola. GOOD BYE: adios. GOOD MORNING: buenos días. GOOD AFTERNOON: buenas tardes. GOOD NIGHT: buenas noches. PLEASE: por favor. SORRY: lo siento. THANK YOU: gracias. DOCTOR: médico. PHARMACY: farmacia. NUMBERS: 1: un. 2: dos. 3: tres. 4: cuatro. 5: cinco. 6: seis. 7: siete. 8: ocho. 9: nueve. 10: diez. 11: once. 12: doce. 13: trece. 14: catorce. 15: quince. 16: dieciséis. 17: diecisiete. 18: dieciocho. 19: diecinueve. 20: veinte. 21: veintiuno. 22: veintidós. 30: treinta. 40: cuarenta. 50: cincuenta. 60: sesenta. 70: setenta. 80: ochenta. 90: noventa. 100: cien. 1000: mil. DAYS OF THE WEEK: MONDAY: lunes. TUESDAY: martes. WEDNESDAY: miércoles. THURSDAY: jueves. FRIDAY: viernes. SATURDAY: sábado. SUNDAY: domingo. COMMON WORDS: BIG/SMALL: grande/pequeño. HOT/COLD: caliente/frío. OPEN/CLOSED: abierto/cerrado. GOOD/BAD: bueno/malo. NEW/OLD: nuevo/viejo. PUSH/PULL: empujar/tirar. ENTRANCE/EXIT: entrada/salida. LADIES/GENTLEMEN: señoras/señores. FAR/NEAR: lejos/cerca. LEFT/RIGHT: izquierda/derecha. TAXI: taxi. BUS: autobús. MEALS: BREAKFAST: desayuno. LUNCH: comida. DINNER: cena. MENU: menú. WINES: vinos. DESSERT: postre. THE BILL: la cuenta. COMMON SENTENCES: DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?: ¿Habla inglés?. I DON'T UNDERSTAND: no entiendo. WHERE IS IT?: ¿donde está? HOW MUCH IS IT: ¿Cuánto es? WHAT TIME IS IT: ¿Qué hora es? COULD YOU HELP ME: ¿Puede ayudarme?
Currency
Euro is the local currency. There are 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 euro banknotes. There are also 1 and 2 euro coins, together with 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent coins.
Currency Exchange
Currency Exchange: 100 € = 120 U$D and 100 € = 70 Sterling Pounds
Prices
Prizes are reasonable, or even more economic than in other destinations within Europe.
Museums, transports, guided tours or excursions tickets fares are reasonable.
Useful Info
Official nameHuesca
CountrySpain
Time ZoneGMT+1 (winter), GMT+2 (summer)
Official LanguageSpanish
Surface area15,636 km²
Population48,530 inhabitants (2005)
Political RegimeConstitutional Monarchy
Public holidays
January 1st: New Year
January 6th: Epiphany
January 22nd: Traditional Bonfire and “patatada”
April 23rd: Saint George and Regional day of Aragón
May 1st: Labour Day
August 9 to 15th : St Lorenzo festivity, City’s patron saint
October 12th: Spain National Day
November 1st: All Saints Day
December 6th: Day of the Spanish Constitution
December 8th: Day of the Immaculate Conception
December 25th: Christmas
Religion
Catholicism is the main religion. There is also a minority of Jews and Muslims.
ReligionCatholic
Arrival / Departure
Huesca is perfectly connected by road and air. The N-330 road connects Huesca with Zaragoza and the rest of the country. The N-240 road leads to Lérida, the A-131 leads to Fraga and the A-132 to Pamplona.
The bus station has scheduled services with the main Spanish capitals. The railway station has several daily services to Zaragoza, Madrid, Valencia and Teruel. If traveling by flight is preferred, the airport is located 30 minutes away, near Zaragoza.
Safety
Taking into account the importance that tourism has in Spain, the security of the tourists is a true priority for the country. However, some general recommendations are given to the visitors like carrying the required money when going out and not the total amount taken for the holidays, also precautions need to be taken in busy places to prevent possible thefts.
Visa
The European Union tourists do not need visa to enter Spain. Neither those citizens of the United States, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and the rest of the Latin American countries, though a return ticket must be bought. Travelers from Australia, Anguilla, Bermuda, Canada, Cyprus, South Korea, Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Israel, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Saint Helena, Singapore and Turk & Caicos do not either need visa provided that they do not stay more than 90 days in Spain.
Clothing
There are low temperatures in winter and it can also snow, so appropiate clothing is advisable. During the summer, the weather is nicer, but it is always recommendable to carry an overcoat. Comfortable clothing is recommended for strolls and excursions.
Electricity
220V, sockets take two round plugs.
Radio and Television
These are some of the main TV channels:
Canal 25 Tele Barbastro,
Canal Bajo Aragon.
Localia TV Huesca, Popular TV Huesca,
TV 3, TVE 1, LA 2, CUATRO, TELECINCO, ANTENA 3, CANAL 6.
Main radio Stations are:
40 principales Hueca 96.9 Mhz; Aragon Radio 90 Mhz; Cadena 100; Cadena Dial Huesca 95.8 Mhz; Hit Radio Huesca 107.1 Mhz, Kiss FM Huesca 91.6 Mhz; M80 Radio Huesca 88.9 Mhz; Radio Huesca 1080 Khz; Radio Nacional de Espana – Radio 1 Huesca 89.6 Mhz.
Telephone
The Spanish phone code is 34 and the Huesca code is 974. To make a phone call to another country you must first dial 00 and then the international code of the country you would like to call to and finally dial the subscriber phone number. For phone calls within Spain a special code is not required.
The most important mobile phone operators are Amena – www.amena.com-, Movistar/Telefónica Móviles -www.movistar.tsm.es- and Vodafone-www.vodafone.es-.
Telephone booths are very common along the streets and they work with coins or phone cards. There are also the called locutorios, they are establishments with many phone booths, where coins or cards are not needed, just pay in cash the phone call after the conversation. In many of this kind of places it is also possible to send and receive faxes and there are computers with internet connection as well.
PoliceLocal Police: 092, National Police: 091
AmbulanceUrgencies: 902 110 112
Fire Brigade974 220 000
Tourist health care services974 292 170
Newspapers and Magazines
It receives all the National Newspapers such as: Abc, El Mundo, El País, La Razón, La Vanguardia, and the ones from Aragon like “HERALDO DE ARAGON” (www.heraldo.es) and EL PERIODICO DE ARAGON (www.elperiodicodearagon.com).
It also receives the following magazines: “Época”, “Semana”, “Interviú”, etc.
Postal Service
The postal service is efficient. The mail sent within Europe take between 3 and 5 days to reach to their destination. A special delivery costs 2.50 Euros minimum.
Post offices:
COSO ALTO, 39. Telephone: +34 974 225 999. Open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 20:30, Saturdays and Sundays closed.
PZ. CERVANTES, 3. Telephone: +34 974 220 673. Open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 20:30, Saturdays and Sundays closed.
Health Care Services
Health care service is efficient in Spain, and there are several health care centers:
Urgencias Móviles: +34 902 110 112
San Jorge Ambulance Service: +34 902 110 112
Hospital General San Jorge: +34 974 247 000
Clínica Provincial: +34 974 230 600
Clínica Santiago: +34 974 220 600
Centro de Salud Pirineos (Inmaculada): +34 974 221 922
Centro de Salud Santo Grial: +34 974 244 122
Centro de Salud Perpetuoso Socorro: +34 974 225 450
Red Cross: +34 974 221 186
Toxicological Information: +34 915 620 420
It is worth mentioning that water is tested every month, in order to guarantee its quality for human consumption.
Airport
The city does not have its own airport, so the nearest airport is located 71 km away from Huesca, near Zaragoza, which means only 30 minutes.
It can be accessed by bus, Taxi or car.
Zaragoza International Airport is located 10 km away to the southwest of the capital.
Telephone number: +34 976 712 300. Web- Page: www.aena.es
Public Transport
As it is a small city, it is nice to walk along it, especially by the historic centre.
Bus: There are two urban bus services, the red and the blue lines. The blue one works from 8:30 to 22:00 hs, departing from the Avenida Pireneos up to Perpetuo Socorro. The red line also works from 8:30 to 22:00 hs, departing from the Estación Intermodal up to the Cemetery.
Bus Station phone number: +34 974 210 700
Taxi: there are three stops located in different areas in the city.
Taxi stop 1: Coso Alto, 35
Taxi stop 2: Plaza Navarra
Taxi stop 3: Avenida Parque
Another alternative is to dial +34 974 244 979 / +34 974 211 111.
The train is only used to travel to other cities such as Zaragoza, Madrid, Valencia and Teruel. The train information number is +34 974 242 159. For further information contact: www.renfe.es
Railway
It is an efficient, ecologic means of transport with many options. Recently, the high speed train has reached Huesca, which directly connects Madrid in only 2:30 hours, and to Zaragoza in only 50 minutes. There are many daily services to Zaragoza, Madrid, Valencia and Teruel.
Information telephone number: +34 974 242 159. Calle José Gil Cávez, 10, Railway Station, Huesca.
Bus
Huesca is perfectly covered by different bus services that connect the city with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. Tourist and local lines are: the Huesca-Jaca line, Huesca-Barcelona, Huesca-Lérida and Huesca-Zaragoza. Each one has many stops in different points. Fares are not expensive if taking into account the distance traveled.
The Bus Station Telephone is +34 974 210 700 and it is located on C/ José Gil Cávez, 10. www.alosa.es
Car
Huesca is easily accessed through the following routes:
From Zaragoza or France through the N-330 road, from Lérida by the N-240 road, to Fraga by the A-131 road and to Pamplona by the A-132.
Car Rentals
In order to rent a car, it is a requirement to be over 23 years old and to have a driving license since at least one year ago. Some agencies also require customers to be over 25 years old in order to rent special vehicles. Every car rental agency demands a prepaid fare and a deposit. VISA, American Express and Master-Card are accepted, among other main credit cards.
The main car rental office is:
Avis rent a car: Jose Gil Cavez, 8, Railway station. Telephone: +34 974 218 249.
Closed on Sundays.
www.avis.es
atencion.alcliente@avis.es.
Destination Tourism Office in Spain Spanish embassy in the destination Taking pictures See climate
www.worldweather.org
Currency converterwww.xe.com/uccA dinner12 € a 25 €
A coffee1.5 € a 2 €
The Bus€ 5 Tourist bus.
The taxiInitial fare: 1,10 Euros (standard) approx.
The trainBetween 5 € and 20 € to Zaragoza
