Loarre won the award for Tourist Town of the Year 2024 at the Town of the Year Awards gala held yesterday. Located in the province of Huesca, it is a historic town located at the foot of its majestic castle, the hallmark of a town with an approximate population of 350 inhabitants. In addition, it is part of the outer Pyrenean mountain ranges, specifically the one it gives its name to, and is located 27 kilometers northwest of Huesca capital.

The location in which it is located allows it to enjoy variable fauna and flora, which provides it with significant income. Of its flora, its almond tree crops stand out above all. Of its fauna, what you can enjoy most are scavenger and predatory birds such as vultures, bearded vultures, golden eagles and falcons, mammals such as wild boars or foxes and a wide variety of surprising reptiles.

This municipality is synonymous with natural and architectural charm and has a rural area of ​​four towns, each with its own characteristics. Linás de Marcuello is an irregular terrain that gives the town a rustic style. Santa Engracia de Loarre only needs one street to be absolutely cozy and charming. Sarsamarcuello allows you to enjoy the best views offered by the mountains and nearby nature. For his part, Loarre stands out above all for his strength.

And it is impossible to talk about this Huesca municipality without mentioning the majestic Loarre Castle, one of the most emblematic in Aragon. Built in the 11th century, it is the best preserved medieval fortress in Europe. It is not at all strange, therefore, that it has been chosen on several occasions as the ideal location for filming films of the caliber of director Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven. From its Mirador de la Reina you can see practically the entire plain.

However, Loarre has many other tourist proposals to offer. In the town itself we can visit the old Renaissance-style town hall, which today houses one of the Hospederías de Aragón. Another tourist attraction is the Loarre Paleontological Laboratory, the first laboratory in Aragon where you can walk among scientists and see how they work with dinosaur eggs from 68 million years ago. The Church of San Esteban is also a must-see for its original tower and its relics of San Demetrius.

Once we leave the municipality we can carry out activities of all kinds. For example, its hiking routes around the castle or the paths enabled to enjoy mountain biking. The inn also offers a varied selection of leisure services and nature activities from rafting, canoeing, canyoning, hydrospeed, among others.

In addition to Loarre, the other four towns that competed to win the Tourist Town of the Year award were: Ansó, Beceite, Daroca and Villanúa.