Option B — West: castles, Valle de Tena, Navarra¶
Zaragoza → Castillo de Loarre → Castillo de Montearagón → Graus → Castillo de Samitier → Panticosa (Valle de Tena) → Isaba → Monasterio de San Salvador de Leyre → Zaragoza
Prioritises the Aragón castles, Samitier, then Valle de Tena's activities/stargazing, before heading west into Navarra for Isaba/Leyre. Drops the Vall de Boí / Vielha / La Seu cluster entirely — see WIP plans for why combining both directions in one trip is a real stretch.
Why this one¶
Hits both Aragón castles (Loarre, Montearagón) plus Samitier, then gives real time in Valle de Tena for Acción Pirineos (buggies/paragliding) and catches the confirmed Alto Gállego stargazing session — Wed 2 Sep 22:30, Lanuza — and the Wednesday Panticosa guided tour (runs through 6 Sep), both real, live-confirmed dates (see Activities). Isaba and Leyre close out the loop back toward Zaragoza. Deliberately routes nowhere near Jaca/Santa Cruz de la Serós/Bailo — avoids the Las Peñas de Riglos wildfire-affected area entirely (San Juan de la Peña is excluded from every option regardless, since it's currently closed).
Rough pacing (9 days, 29 Aug – 6 Sep assumed)¶
Real road-routed distances/times below (via OSRM) — a routing-engine estimate, not checked against live traffic or actual mountain-pass conditions in late summer.
| Day | Leg | Real drive time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (29 Aug) | Zaragoza → Loarre → Montearagón | 101 km (~1h30) + 39 km (~43 min) | Two castles, doable in one day but with real driving in between. |
| 2 | Montearagón → Graus → Samitier | 78 km (~1h05) + 38 km (~44 min) | Sunset hike/drone at Samitier. |
| 3 | Samitier → Panticosa | 99 km, ~1h26 | Long drive into Valle de Tena. |
| 4–5 | Valle de Tena | — | Acción Pirineos activities; if day 5 lands on a Wednesday, the Panticosa guided tour. |
| 6 (2 Sep, if a Wed) | Lanuza stargazing, 22:30 | — | Confirmed, real date — anchor the schedule around this if keeping it. |
| 7 | Panticosa → Isaba | 130 km, ~2h06 — the longest single leg in this option | Roncal valley. |
| 8 | Isaba → Leyre | 56 km, ~54 min | Monastery + Yesa reservoir viewpoint. |
| 9 (6 Sep) | Leyre → Zaragoza | 153 km, ~2h24 | Still the shortest final leg of the three options (vs. ~3h48 for Option A, ~3h15 for Option C). |
Total driving: ≈695 km / ~10h52 across the loop. The Panticosa→Isaba leg (2h06) is longer than expected for the distance — that road crosses a mountain pass rather than a direct line. Click any leg on the map for its exact distance/time, or use the Maps link above for live traffic-aware timing.
See also: WIP plans · Sightseeing · Activities · Events & festivals.