3 Best Sights in The Pyrenees, Spain

The citadel and castle, originally built by the Moors in the 11th century, was conquered by the Christians and reconstructed in the 16th century. Take a walk along the ramparts for the best views of the town and surrounding landscape.

This massively walled 11th-century structure surrounded by rocky outcroppings is perhaps the best-preserved Romanesque castle in Europe. Inside the walls are a church, tower, dungeon, and even a medieval toilet. The strategic vantage point commands views of the almond and olive groves in the Ebro basin.

This is one of Spain's three best-preserved Moorish palaces. If Córdoba's Mezquita shows the energy of the 10th-century Caliphate and Granada's Alhambra is the crowning 14th-century glory of al-Andalus (the 789-year Moorish empire on the Iberian Peninsula), then the late-11th-century Aljafería is the middle child. Originally a fortress and royal residence, and later a seat of the Spanish Inquisition, the Aljafería is now the home of the Cortes (Parliament) de Aragón. The 9th-century Torre del Trovador (Tower of the Troubadour) appears in Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore.  Visits by online reservation only.