Proclaimed as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, this town whose history dates back to the 11th century has retained much of its medieval charm.
Located in Huesca at the confluence of the Cinca and Ara rivers and between the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, the Natural Park of the Sierra and the Canyons of Guara and the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which makes it an important crossroads within the Central Pyrenees for hikers and mountaineers.
A few kilometers to the north the Peña Montañesa rises above the village, creating a spectacular backdrop, covering the view of the Aragonese Pyrenees.
We enter Ainsa through the modern and commercial part coming from the national highway N-260. The only way to get to Aínsa by public transport is by bus (Avanzabus) from Huesca or from Barcelona, with transfer in Barbastro.
We went by car and left it in the public parking entering the town (there is another parking further up by the castle of Aínsa). After a short stroll through the modern town of Ainsa, we climb the stairs of c /de Abajo (this is the name of the street) to the Portal de Afuera, one of the gateways of the second walled enclosure of Aínsa, which takes us to the historic city center, declared Historic Artistic Site.
Walking along one of the two main streets, Calle Mayor, its old stone houses with wrought iron windows and small balconies with flower boxes, we arrive at the Plaza Mayor. The Plaza Mayor is considered one of the most beautiful medieval squares in Spain, it´s presided by the town hall building and flanked on two sides by Romanesque arcades that house cafes and restaurants that invite you to stop and have a cool beer.
To the north of the square we find the romanesque church of Santa María with its tower that dominates the whole town.
The Plaza Mayor opens to the west to the castle of Ainsa, a work of several centuries that preserves very few elements of the original romanesque building. Situated on Plaza del Castillo is the monument of the bills of Sobrarbe, which represents that the will of the subjects should be respected by the kings, and that this was the essence of the Aragonese Kingdom. According to different versions this was a reminder that forced the Aragonese kings to fulfill the bill before being elected.
The great courtyard of the castle is surrounded by a walled complex, at some points 14 meters high which gives us a nice view of Ainsa and its Plaza Mayor.
On the way back we stopped at the viewpoint, crossing below the arch of the old hospital, to enjoy more views of the valley of cinca up to the Peña Montañesa.
These are different perspectives of the same corner of the area of the viewpoint, a corner that makes you dream by just looking at its beautiful architecture.
Walking down Calle Santa Cruz we return again to the Portal de Afuera, the gateway that takes us back to the modern part of Aínsa.
