Zaragoza, capital of Spain’s Aragon region, is a stylish city that’s very easy to reach by train. It is on the main high-speed rail route between Barcelona and Madrid. Fast AVE trains speed from both cities to Zaragoza in less than 90 mins. So Zaragoza is easy to take in as a day trip from either Madrid or Barcelona, but in truth it deserves more. This is one of Spain’s most impressive cities, a place with oodles of history and some striking modern architecture and design.

The city centre clusters on the south bank of the Rio Ebro. The stand-out building is a remarkable basilica, which is flanked by stylish squares and boulevards. While Moorish style is usually more associated with southern Spain, there are also echoes of Moorish settlement in Zaragoza, most particularly in the Aljaferia. When visiting the Aljaferia, don't miss the remarkable mosque.

Zaragoza lies at the hub of a network of rail routes fanning out across Aragon and beyond. The gorgeous small town of Teruel is two hours away to the south via a spectacular rail route. Another line heads north to Canfranc in the Pyrenees (from where there's a useful onward bus connection into France). Zaragoza is also well connected with Spain’s Atlantic region, with direct trains to Bilbao, Gijón, Vigo, A Coruna and Santiago de Compostela.

Zaragoza has several railway stations; the most important is Delicias. It is from here that high-speed trains leave for a great range of destinations including Avignon, Barcelona, Córdoba, Madrid, Málaga, Marseille, Perpignan and Seville.