Attractions and Places To See around Novallas - Top 18

Stork's nest on the disused railway line

The Cueva del Castillo in Los Fayos is a fascinating place with a rich history. Located in the municipality of Los Fayos, in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, this natural cave has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. In the 12th century, a defensive castle was built taking advantage of the natural cavity in the rock. The castle of Los Fayos played a strategic role on the borders between the kingdoms of Aragon, Navarre and Castile. Although today only a few vestiges remain, such as the cistern and the water collection system, the cave remains a place of historical and archaeological interest. The entrance to the cave is located in a vertical cut in the rock, and a ladder is needed to access it. Inside the cave, several rooms can be seen, including the hearth and the cistern.

Visiting it is doing a deep review of the history of art in Spain, since in its construction there are spaces where all the styles that have existed since the 12th century, the time when construction began, come together. It is a unique example of a Gothic cathedral with an exceptional Mudejar and Renaissance legacy. The Tarazona Cathedral was built in the French Gothic style, but it maintains magnificent examples of the Mudejar style, including a Gothic-Mudejar cloister.

Tarazona boasts of offering a wide list of monuments of incalculable artistic value. The cathedral is a unique example of a Gothic temple in which an exceptional Mudejar and Renaissance legacy coexists.

Leaving Tarazona along the popular Vía Verde de la Tarazonica is easy, you have to go through the Plaza de San Francisco and continue to the Parque de la Estación, being careful of the prohibited directions. The track leads through streets permitted for bicycles. The path continues along the greenway to Tudela, a pleasant one-hour bike ride along a straight line that ends at the Ebro River. December 31, 1885 was a historic and exciting date for the inhabitants of Tarazona, Tudela and the small intermediate agricultural towns, such as Murchante, Cascante and Novallas, a railway line was finally inaugurated between the region of Tarazona and the Ribera de Navarra, an essential channel of communication and commerce that was active until 1972, when the track was dismantled due to lack of cost effectiveness. The natural path crosses a road over an overpass and passes by the Escachamatas monument, as the railway was popularly known due to the slowness and frequent derailments of the trains, and ends at the Tudela railway station. The track continues to the Ebro River bridge, with the possibility of connecting with the Ebro Natural Trail GR-99 and continuing an endless bikepacking adventure. The return point is the medieval Ebro bridge, which is 360 meters long and has 17 arches. On the way back we pass through the historic center, the cathedral, the Old Square, the Puerta del Juicio and other cobbled corners for centuries until we reach the Renfe station, we take the Tarazonica road again and return along the same path to the streets of Tarazona.

Not far from the 2315 meter high Moncayo is the small town of Tarazona. There is a lot to discover here. In addition to the three-story town hall, which is housed in an imposing Renaissance building with balconies and a loggia on the upper floor, the cathedral, which was built in the 12th century in the French Gothic style, is also worth a visit.

We visit the castle cave, a fortified cave with a lot of history. This 12th century medieval castle located in a cave at the top of the town of Los Fayos was a key place during the war of the two Pedros in 1357. We can book a guided tour to learn about its history and the hidden corners. We also have the option of leaving the bike and going up to the viewpoint of the castle with magnificent views of the Val dam and the town of Los Fayos. Of course, to get to it we will have to overcome the 333 steps that there are, but without a doubt, the reward is spectacular.

After a long and painstaking restoration, we are lucky to be able to admire the Cathedral of Santa María de la Huerta in Tarazona, where different styles are combined (Romanesque, Gothic, Mudejar and Renaissance). If we want to visit it from the inside (totally recommended) we must pay an entrance fee. Let's not forget to walk the picturesque streets of the town of Zaragoza.