Discover Alfajarín’s architecture and landscape

Alfajarín brings together several specific points of interest for planning a trip: BIC-protected buildings, the late Gothic Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña and natural areas with gypsum soils and steep slopes. Highlights range from a surviving gate section of the town walls to agricultural tracks into the northern Montes de Alfajarín, Saso de Osera. The visitor access arrangements at Castillo de los Cornel and the dates of the Festival de los Castillos are also relevant when planning your trip.

Architecture and protected buildings

The Torre e Iglesia Parroquial de San Miguel Arcángel in Alfajarín is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC), or an Asset of Cultural Interest. La Portaza also has BIC status and is classified as a fortified gate. It is the only surviving part of the walls of Alfajarín. A pointed brick arch with a double ring of arches is joined to a short section of rubble-stone wall. Both the archway and the adjoining section of wall therefore define its architectural form. La Portaza is thus the surviving part of the fortifications, not a fully preserved town wall.

The Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña is located near Castillo de los Cornel and dates from the 16th century. The late Gothic building has a single-nave church with three bays covered by stellar rib vaults; the choir terminates in a polygonal apse. The three bays divide the nave, while the stellar rib vaults are a distinctive architectural feature. Alfajarín thus brings different forms together: fortification architecture and a late Gothic religious building.

Castillo de los Cornel is also a BIC-protected building in Alfajarín. Its ground plan is irregular and roughly pentagonal. A defensive moat protected the entrance, which was reached via a drawbridge and defended by two towers. Castillo de los Cornel is privately owned. The 2026 programme describes more restricted visitor access than at other Aragonese fortresses. If you are planning a visit, check the current visitor arrangements.

Landscape and routes

Alfajarín is one of the municipalities included in the Reserva Natural Dirigida de los Sotos y Galachos del Ebro. Another natural area is the ZEC Montes de Alfajarín, Saso de Osera. It has plant communities on gypsum outcrops and gypsum soils, rock vegetation on the steep slopes, and fauna associated with the escarpments. These features are clearly distinct from the town’s architectural highlights.

Several agricultural tracks lead from the town centre to the northern Montes de Alfajarín, Saso de Osera, usually following gypsum ravines or cultivated vales. The tracks are agricultural in character; no marked tourist hiking trail is designated there. If you take these tracks into account when planning, do not mistake them for a signposted walking route. The gypsum outcrops, steep slopes and cultivated vales are distinct landscape features; the routes described usually follow ravines or vales.

Getting there and event dates

You can reach Alfajarín by car via the first AP-2 exit towards Barcelona or via the N-II, which passes through the town. Alfajarín also has two bus stops on Avenida Europa. If you plan to travel by bus, check the timetables separately.

The Festival de los Castillos takes place annually in Aragón, and Alfajarín is one of its venues. Dates vary from one edition to the next. If the festival is a deciding factor in your trip, check the dates for the relevant edition before planning your stay.

Discover more destinations: Calcena, Lécera, Malón, Pedrola, Santa Engracia, Orés, Sabiñán, Alera.

For the wider travel guide: Zaragoza.