Most beautiful villages in Aragon
The whole of Aragon fits into a handful of villages: from the peaks of the Pyrenees to the mountain ranges of Teruel, from the French border to the lands that look out towards the Mediterranean. Among Aragon's prettiest villages you'll find high-mountain towns, fortified strongholds and former capitals of counties and taifa kingdoms, all bound by a common thread: stone, a history shaped by life on the frontier and a very close relationship with the landscape around them.
In the Pyrenees of Huesca, the Tena Valley is home to Sallent de Gállego, with its Gothic church and coat-of-arms-adorned houses close to the French border, and to Lanuza, which was brought back to life by its own residents after being left empty by the reservoir. Further east, Aínsa keeps watch over its castle and fortified church at the gateway to Ordesa and Guara, while Roda de Isábena boasts a Romanesque cathedral in what was once the capital of the County of Ribagorza. Over in the Somontano, Alquézar rises around a 9th-century Muslim castle, perched above the Guara landscape.
Teruel brings a different character. Albarracín, a former taifa and independent lordship, spreads its walls, towers and cathedral across a rocky spur beside the river, its houses glowing in reddish tones. In the Matarraña, La Fresneda adds prehistoric rock engravings, Iberian roots and a long history linked to the Order of Calatrava. Mountains, Romanesque art, the legacy of al-Andalus and noble towns: each one tells a different part of Aragon's story.
Monument guide
Monuments of Aragon
Castles, cathedrals and monasteries in the region, in our guide.
9 monuments
Map of the villages
The 7 villages
VillageAínsa
A medieval town in Sobrarbe, designated a historic ensemble, with an 11th-century castle, a fortified church and a founding legend, right on the doorstep of Ordesa and Guara.
VillageAlbarracín
Once the capital of a Berber taifa and later an independent lordship, Albarracín preserves its walls, towers, alcázar and cathedral on a rocky spur above the river.
VillageAlquézar
A town in the Somontano de Barbastro that grew up around a 9th-century Muslim castle, with centuries of royal charters and a long history as a frontier stronghold.
VillageLa Fresneda
A town in the Matarraña with prehistoric rock carvings on Santa Bárbara hill, Iberian roots and a long history tied to the Order of Calatrava and the wars of the Crown.
VillageLanuza
Pueblo pirenaico del valle de Tena, cuna de nueve justicias de Aragón, que renació gracias a sus vecinos tras quedar deshabitado por el embalse que lleva su nombre.
VillageRoda de Isábena
Antigua capital del condado de Ribagorza y sede episcopal, Roda de Isábena conserva una catedral románica que custodió durante siglos la Crónica Rotense.
VillageSallent de Gállego
A Pyrenean town on the shores of the Lanuza reservoir, with a Gothic church, houses bearing coats of arms and glaciers within its municipal area; it is the main town of the Tena Valley, right by the French border.
