This itinerary assumes a driving loop from the Madrid area. Please note, not all 7 days are actually in Aragon - they are a combination of Castilla-La Mancha, Aragon, and the Comunidad Valenciana, but are compounded into Aragon for efficiency. Finally, this itinerary assumes a fairly leisurely pace, with plenty of time at each night's stop. If you're okay with a faster pace, days 4-6 could easily be combined into 2 days rather than 3, spending the night perhaps in Alcañiz.
Day One
- Leave Madrid by about 9 am
- Drive to Alcala de Henares, spend 3 hrs
- Drive to Cuenca, spend the night. Cuenca is a beautiful, historic town; leave time to explore it in the late afternoon/evening. Make sure to see the Casas Colgadas (hanging houses) and cathedral.
Day Two
- Leave Cuence by about 9:30 am
- Drive through the Ciudad Encantada nature park, spend 2 hrs
- Drive to Albarracin, spend 3 hrs. This is considered one of the most charming villages in Spain and can get extremely crowded on weekends.
- Drive to Teruel, spend the night.
Day Three
- Spend the morning exploring Teruel, leave by about 11:30 am
- Drive to Cantavieja, spend about 45 mins seeing the Templar Church there. Also check out the spectacular viewpoint nearby.
- Drive to Mirambel, spend about 45 mins
- Drive to Morella, spend the night. This is an extremely impressive walled old town perched on a hilltop.
Day Four
- Leave Morella by about 10 am.
- Drive to Valderrobres, spend about 2 hrs
- Drive to Beceite, arrive in the early afternoon. Spend a few hours in the afternoon hiking in the Parrizal de Beceite. Spend in night.
Day Five
- Leave Beceite around 10 am.
- Drive to Belchite, spend about 2 hrs. This town was destroyed in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and was left in ruins as a war memorial.
- Make an optional stop in Fuendetodos, hometown of the famous painter Goya.
- Drive to Calatayud, spend the night. Spend the late afternoon/evening exploring the town's superb Moorish architecture.
Day Six
- Leave Calatayud around 10 am.
- Drive to Monasterio de Piedra, spend about 4 hrs on the nature walk through the gorgeous river canyon.
- Drive to Molina de Aragon, spend the night.
Day Seven
- Leave Molina de Aragon by about 10 am
- Drive to Medinaceli, spend 45 mins
- Drive to Siguenza, spend 1 hr
- Drive to Jadraque Castle, spend 30 mins
- Drive to Ponton de Oliva, spend 2 hrs hiking. This is a former reservoir behind a disused dam.
- Return to Madrid
Enjoy your trip!
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This looks like a fantastic trip! I was just going to take the AVE from Barcelona to Madrid for a few days but maybe I'll take the long way back home through Cuenca and Morella!