Cadrete: Castle, Baroque and Routes to La Plana

Under Aragonese heritage legislation, the Castillo de Cadrete is classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural, one of the region’s protected castles. A guided tour also includes the tower and the excavated upper, middle and lower areas of the complex; the outdoor area is freely accessible. The Interpretation Centre of the Castillo de Cadrete is located on the third floor of Cadrete Town Hall and can be visited after the castle tour.

Culture

On Cadrete’s main square stands the parish church of the Immaculate Conception, a brick church built in the 18th century in the Aragonese Baroque style. Its barrel vault is reinforced by transverse arches and lunettes. The church belonged to the Santa Fe Monastery of the Cistercian Order of Clairvaux. Also located in Cadrete is the Cistercian monastery of Santa Fe de Huerva, a Baroque building from the 18th century. There are no guided tours there. Only the exterior of the building and the courtyard, which is accessible through the arch of the main façade, can be visited.

Festivals and Local Traditions

Cadrete’s main festival, held in honour of the Santo Cristo, takes place on 14 September. Traditional features include a flower procession or floral offering in honour of the Santo Cristo de Cadrete and a procession on the main festival day. The Exaltación de la Santa Cruz de Mayo is Cadrete’s smaller festival and takes place on 3 May. Traditional festival events also include a cycle ride up to Monte de La Plana.

Landscape and Cuisine

The area around Cadrete has a distinctive, branching network of ravines with high geological and landscape value. The mountains were shaped by water erosion of the limestone. The areas of Las Planas and along the Río Huerva around Cadrete have been designated as special protection areas for birds (ZEPA). White cardoon is a Christmas vegetable typical of Cadrete and is grown in the municipality.

Bus 411 runs from Zaragoza to Cadrete and stops at the C/Cortes de Aragón 4 stop in Cadrete.

Routes and Cycling Events

Cadrete, together with Zaragoza and the neighbouring towns of Cuarte de Huerva, María de Huerva and Botorrita, forms part of a joint route. The Santa Fe–Arco Natural–Castillo de Cadrete y Molino de Viento route is designated as a named route. From Cadrete, a named route leads to the Mirador de La Plana, the Vértice Geodésico Salinas, the Barranco de la Sal and the Barranco de la Morera. A route can end at the Castillo de Cadrete and then continue to the Mirador de Las Planas.

Other places to research include Zuera, Farasdués, Nuévalos, Brea De Aragón, Fuentes De Ebro, Tauste, Novallas and Alhama De Aragón.

On 17 May 2026, the Subida a La Plana was scheduled to take place in Cadrete in the form of an uphill time trial. An approximately 4.5 km route with around 300 metres of elevation gain from the cemetery area to the Mirador del Alto de Las Planas was planned for this event. The Subida a La Plana announced for 17 May 2026 was to be open to participants with mountain bikes, gravel bikes and e-bikes. The “KDRTRAIL 2026: LCDB (Las Crestas del Bisonte)” event was also announced for 2026.

To the main travel overview: Saragossa.