Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Canfranc

What to see and do in Canfranc (La Jacetania, Huesca): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 2 Activities · 3 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Canfranc

Canfranc International Station 4 km

Towns near Canfranc

What to see in Villanúa 4.7 km · 4 places
What to see in Aísa 8.4 km · 4 places
What to see in Borau 9.8 km · 4 places
What to see in Castiello de Jaca 9.8 km · 2 places
What to see in Jasa 12 km · 2 places
What to see in Aragüés del Puerto 12 km · 4 places
What to see in Sallent de Gállego 17 km · 12 places
What to see in Hoz de Jaca 18 km · 6 places

Spain › Aragon › Huesca › La Jacetania › Canfranc

What to see and do in Canfranc

Canfranc
Village
Canfranc is a Pyrenean town in the comarca of La Jacetania, in the province of Huesca, with 633 inhabitants (INE 2025), situated in the valley of the Aragón river, surrounded by high peaks such as the Peña Collarada, at 2,883 metres. The settlement of Canfranc stands at 1,040 metres, while Canfranc-Estación, next to the Somport pass, which provides a natural crossing into France, lies at 1,190 metres. The climate is mountainous, with below-zero minimums for much of the year. In the Canal Roya valley the Rinconada megalithic complex is preserved, from the late Neolithic, around 3000 BC, with the Mal Paso dolmens and a large tumulus 17 metres in diameter. A town on the border with France, it is best known for its monumental international railway station, next to the Somport tunnel.
Canfranc International Station
Monument
The Canfranc International Railway Station, very close to the border with France, was inaugurated in 1928 as an international rail link between the two countries and is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection). Connections with France were suspended in 1970, when a freight train derailed on the French side and caused the collapse of the L'Estanguet bridge; since then, passenger transport between the two countries has been by road. On 15 April 2021 the new passenger station was inaugurated, after two old freight hangars had been partially refurbished, and in 2023 a luxury hotel opened inside it. In 2025 rail service resumed with the medium-distance Line 56, which connects it to Zaragoza.
Festivities of Canfranc
Activity
Canfranc's festival is held in a village whose old town burned down in 1944 and was never rebuilt, community life moving to the railway quarter of Los Arañones, where the international Somport line was opened in 1928.
Festivities of invierno de Canfranc
Activity
Canfranc's winter festival is held beside the monumental Estación Internacional, inaugurated in 1928 as a rail link between Spain and France through the Somport tunnel.
The Peace of Canfranc
Historical milestone
Alfonso III of Aragon and Edward I of England met at Canfranc in 1288 and agreed to free Charles of Salerno, a prisoner since the war of Sicily, who renounced the island and left two of his sons as hostages in Barcelona.
The opening of the international Somport railway
Historical milestone
Alfonso XIII and the French president Gaston Doumergue inaugurated in 1928 at Los Arañones the line that linked Zaragoza with Pau through the Somport tunnel, after almost half a century of works and negotiations between the two countries.
The fire that emptied old Canfranc
Historical milestone
A chimney spark and a hurricane wind destroyed in 1944 around one hundred and thirty houses of the old quarter. The village was never rebuilt and the council and community life moved to the railway quarter of Los Arañones.