Zaragoza

Two days in Zaragoza, from the Pilar basilica to the Aljafería

Zaragoza fills two unhurried days. The first belongs to the Basílica del Pilar, La Seo and the Roman Caesaraugusta trail, with tapas in El Tubo after dark; the second to the Aljafería palace, a park or the old Expo 2008 riverside, and a last walk across the Puente de Piedra once the basilica is floodlit.

Morning one: reach the Basílica del Pilar early, before the tour groups, and find the dome Goya painted. Cross Plaza del Pilar to La Seo, where Romanesque, Gothic and Mudéjar work share one building, then walk out onto the Puente de Piedra for the view of the basilica's tiled domes over the Ebro. After lunch, follow the Caesaraugusta trail through the small museums built over the Roman forum, the river port, the baths and the theatre. As the evening cools, drift into El Tubo for tapas.

Day two starts at the Aljafería, 20 minutes' walk west, an 11th-century palace of the taifa kings whose courtyard of interlaced arches is the city's great surprise; the Aragonese parliament still sits there. Spend the afternoon in Parque Grande or by the river at the old Expo 2008 grounds. In high summer, swap the park for one of the municipal open-air pools, which stay open into the evening. Have dinner around Calle Mayor, then take a last walk across the Puente de Piedra once the basilica is floodlit.

Ternasco lamb, borage and tapas in El Tubo

Order ternasco asado in Zaragoza: young lamb roasted with potatoes, protected by its own regional label. Aragonese cooking is inland food built on lamb, pork, garden vegetables and bread, and the tapas bars of El Tubo, just south of Plaza del Pilar, are where most visitors start eating.

Pollo al chilindrón stews chicken with cured ham, tomato, onion and paprika, and migas a la aragonesa fries breadcrumbs with egg and chorizo, an old shepherds' dish. Look out for borrajas, borage, a vegetable you will rarely see on menus outside Aragon, usually dressed simply with olive oil, and bacalao al ajoarriero, salt cod with garlic and egg.

El Tubo, the tight knot of lanes just south of Plaza del Pilar, is where most people start. Many bars have a speciality, so the done thing is one plate and a drink in each before moving on; Calle Mayor and Calle Espoz y Mina continue the crawl. Café Praga, on Plaza de Santa Cruz, is a long-standing local favourite for a drink outdoors.

For dessert, melocotón con vino, peaches steeped in red wine, is the local finish, and frutas de Aragón, candied fruit dipped in chocolate, make a good gift to carry home. Aragon's own wines come from Cariñena, Campo de Borja and Somontano, and every bar pours them by the glass.

Why autumn suits Zaragoza, with notes on the cierzo and July heat

Come in autumn if you can. September stays warm at 27°C and October cools to 22°C in time for the Fiestas del Pilar around 12 October, while winters are cold and windy, July averages 33°C with almost no rain, and spring is short and pleasant.

Zaragoza has a hard, dry climate. Winter days reach only 11°C in December and January, with nights around 3°C, and the cierzo, a cold north-westerly that funnels down the Ebro valley, can blow for days on end and make it feel far colder. Pack a windproof layer between November and March.

Spring is short and pleasant: 18°C in March, 20°C in April and 25°C in May. April and May are the wettest months at around 40 mm each, which is still not much. By June the city is at 30°C, and July averages 33°C with almost no rain. Summer afternoons here are for siestas, museums and the public pools; walk the old town at breakfast time or after dark.

The Fiestas del Pilar are the city's great week, built around 12 October. On that day the Ofrenda de Flores sees groups in regional costume carry flowers to Plaza del Pilar, where they are stacked into a towering mantle around a statue of the Virgin. Concerts, fairground rides and jota dancing fill the rest of the week, and hotel prices climb with them, so book early.