Ainsa

Ainsa stands on a spur where the Ara and Cinca rivers meet, and the old town on the ridge above the modern one is a single tight grid of stone houses centred on a large arcaded plaza, one of the best-preserved medieval squares in Aragon, with the Romanesque church of Santa Maria on one side and the castle at the far end. It was briefly a capital of the county of Sobrarbe in the early stages of the Christian kingdoms. The castle keeps an eco-museum on Pyrenean fauna including the bearded vulture recovery programme. Ainsa is the practical base for Ordesa and Monte Perdido national park to the north, and the mountains are visible from the plaza on clear days.

What you actually see

• The arcaded plaza - a large medieval square enclosed by stone arcades.
• The castle - a fortress with an eco-museum on Pyrenean wildlife.
• Santa Maria - a Romanesque church with a crypt and bell tower.
• The mountain view - the Ordesa peaks visible from the ridge.

When to go

May to October; the Pyrenees are the reason most people come and the high routes clear from June. Ainsa holds a well-regarded medieval market in early September. Winter is cold and quiet.

Honest expectations

The old town is small and walked in an hour, and it is lined with restaurants and shops for passing mountain traffic. Parking is outside the walls. Accommodation books out in August and during the September market.

Nearby

Ordesa and Monte Perdido national park lies north; Alquezar and the Guara canyons are south.