Traveling to Zaragoza

Zcam activities usually take place at the new I+D Building where ZCAM is located, in the «Río Ebro» campus (better known to taxi drivers as the Escuela de Ingenieros, or the Actur Rey Fernando bus stop) of the University of Zaragoza in the north of the city. The I+D (investigacion y Desarollo) building is at the Nothern end of the campus (i. e. further away from the city), it has red lateral walls and is located next a large parking for cars.

To Zaragoza

You can arrive in Zaragoza by plane, train, bus and car. If you come from abroad and you land at either Madrid or Barcelona airports, then the train or the bus are usually the best options for the last part of the trip to Zaragoza.

From Madrid Barajas airport, you have to reach the Atocha train station from where the high-speed trains depart (AVE or Alta Velocidad): take the metro airport line (L8, 2 euros) to terminus (metro station named «Nuevos Ministerios») where you can change and take a local train (Cercanias, 1,35 euros) to Puerta de Atocha train station: all Cercanias train lines are in the direction north-south and all southbound trains go to Atocha which is two stops away. Tickets can be purchased from automatic machines.

There is a new direct train line (Cercanias C-1 line) connecting terminal 4 of Barajas airport to Atocha station: it takes 26 minutes and run every half an hour. This line is advantageous if you are landing to terminal 4 (T4): although there are buses connecting terminals, it might be faster to take the metro and change at Nuevos Ministerios if you are landing at terminals 1,2 or 3.

AVE trains run every hour or so and take a bit more than one hour to reach Zaragoza: they necessitate seat reservation like the French TGV. We advise you to book the ticket in advance as trains might be full at peak hours and, at times, there might be queues and a long waiting time. Consult the Renfe web site for more information (prices, train schedule…). Note that buying from the internet might be impossible for non-Spanish credit cards. Tickets can however be purchased from travel agents (SNCF and DB are selling Renfe tickets for example).

The travel time from Barajas airport to the Atocha station is approximately 45 minutes. It is generally safe to book a seat in a train leaving two hours after landing time. In case of late plane arrival, you loose the reservation and will then have to go to ask help to the counter «Atencion al cliente» where Renfe employees can speak in English: they will explain how to rebook another seat in the next possible train.

See also the web page of the bus company which runs a long-distance coach service to Zaragoza from T4 terminal. Travel time is less than 4 hours.

From the Barcelona El Prat airport, you have to reach the train station Barcelona Sants, from where the AVE will depart. Buses are connecting the station from both terminal T1 and T2. What has been explained for the Madrid airport-train station connection timings is also applicable if you come through Barcelona.

Landing in Zaragoza airport

The Zaragoza airport is situated 9 km from the city. At present, there are regular flights to Charleroi (Brussels-south), Frankfurt, Rome, London, Milan and Lisbon and domestic flights to Sevilla. Connections from the airport to the city are by bus and taxi. You can make a flight search in the web sites of the companies that operate with the Zaragoza airport: Iberia (Air Nostrum), Air Europa, and Ryanair (low-cost company with no connected flights planning). Zaragoza airport web site

By train

Zaragoza has a new railway station (Estación de Delicias), with a high-speed connection to Madrid and Barcelona (AVE train). The railway station is at the same place as bus and taxi stops, and car rental services. Zaragoza is also connected by train to other major Spanish cities such as Valencia, Granada, Sevilla and Málaga. Timetable information can be obtained at the Spanish Railway Company web site: Renfe.

By bus

Zaragoza is connected by bus to the main Spanish cities. You can search the routes and timetables in the web site of the Spanish bus company ALSA.

By car

Zaragoza has an excellent communication network, and is linked to the North of Spain: through a motor way to Bilbao (A-68) and Barcelona (A-2), and the Aragón highway connecting to Madrid (N-II).

Moving around in the city

By Tram and bus

Easiest way to reach Zcam is to take the tram and get down at the tram stop ¨Campus Rio Ebro¨. From city center (plaza de España or plaza de Aragon), take the tram northbound (direction: Avenida de la Academia). Here is a map of the Tram line: Tramvia´s map

Tickets are available at the tram stops from automatic machines , accepting coins and credit cards.

You can also check the routes and timetables of the city buses at the web page of the bus company.

By taxi

Taxis are easily available in Zaragoza and relatively cheap: you can hire one in the street. Two taxi operators can be called in Zaragoza: 976 757575 or 976 424242, or 976 383838, adding the international prefix +34 if you call from a non-Spanish phone.

The I+D building of the Escuela de Ingenieros is a new building and some taxi drivers might not know the exact location inside the campus: the GPS coordinates, the google map indications will help in finding more rapidly the location. Note that the building is at the nothern end of the campus (i. e. away from the city) and has very visible red lateral walls. Beatriz phone number (976 76 2988) might help in case of difficulty.

http://www.zaragoza.es/ciudad/turismo/default_en.htm
http://www.zaragoza.es/ciudad/turismo/en/listado_Alojamiento?op=t