Jaca is known as “the pearl of the Pyrenees”. It is a cosmopolitan European city, and a key stop on the St James Way (Camino de Santiago). When in Jaca, it is essential to visit the Citadel, which is a fine example of 16th-century military architecture and declared a National Monument. Construction on the citadel began in 1592. As a result, the monument features a pentagonal ground plan of grandiose dimensions, including a moat, and is built on flat ground.

There are other significant buildings to be found in Jaca, including its Romanesque cathedral (built in the 11th century and since declared a National Monument), the Benedictine monastery, the Church of Santiago, the Hermitage of Sarsa, the Bridge of San Miguel, the Clock Tower (15th century) and the Town Hall.

One of its most important festivals is the one held on the first Friday in May, which commemorates a medieval battle. There are tournaments, jousting, a beautiful flag-bearing procession, and trials of ancient Aragonese sports such as the bar throw. The Romerías (pilgrimages) de Santa Orosia, famous throughout Europe, also take place in both Jaca (25 June) and Yebra de Basa (25 July).

They celebrate one of the oldest dances in the Pyrenees, known as the “palotiaus”, accompanied by sacred, ancient instruments: the chiflo and the stringed psaltery.