When visiting Zaragoza, we chose the car park at Parque del Agua because the other places we considered seemed either noisy or unattractive. We were there out of season, and there were only a couple of other motorhomes scattered around the large parking area. Finding a space for our 23-foot motorhome was easy, and our parking bay was particularly spacious. The surface was paved, the area was illuminated, and we felt reasonably safe. It was quiet and peaceful overall, although some traffic noise could be heard from the surrounding roads. Best of all, parking was completely free. It was a practical place to leave the motorhome while exploring the park, rather than a campsite intended for a full range of camping facilities.
We also visited Parque del Agua itself, officially known as Parque del Agua Luis Buñuel. Covering approximately 120 hectares, it is the largest urban park in Zaragoza and one of the main green spaces in the city. Its history is relatively recent, but the landscape in which it was created has a much longer connection with the Ebro River and agriculture. The park occupies the meander of Ranillas, a bend in the Ebro on the western side of Zaragoza. For centuries, this area was mainly used for vegetable gardens and cultivated land, supported by the river and irrigation channels. Before the park was built, much of the area consisted of old agricultural plots and less-developed riverbank land.
The transformation came with Expo Zaragoza 2008, an international exhibition held from 14 June to 14 September 2008. Its theme was Water and Sustainable Development, a particularly relevant subject for Zaragoza, a city shaped by the Ebro and other waterways. The exhibition brought new buildings, bridges and infrastructure to this part of the city, but the plan was not simply to create a temporary exhibition site. The aim was also to leave Zaragoza with a lasting public space that would combine recreation, nature and responsible water management. Parque del Agua opened on 11 June 2008, shortly before the exhibition began. Its design was developed by the Spanish architectural practice aldayjover, led by Iñaki Alday and Margarita Jover, together with French landscape architect Christine Dalnoky. The original project covered around 125 hectares and involved an investment of approximately €83 million.
One of the most distinctive aspects of the park is the way it deals with the Ebro. Rather than treating the river as something that must always be kept away from the landscape, the design allows some parts of the riverbank to flood naturally. This is important because the Ebro can rise considerably during periods of heavy rainfall and snowmelt. The park was designed to accommodate flooding in appropriate areas while preserving riverbank habitats. In this respect, the park is not just a recreational space: it was also conceived as a way of restoring a closer relationship between Zaragoza and its river.
Water was central to the original design. The planned system collected water from the Ebro, the Acequia del Rabal irrigation channel and underground sources. Natural filtration areas and a constructed wetland were intended to improve water quality before it was used in certain recreational areas and waterways, with water subsequently recycled for irrigation and wetlands. This approach connected the park directly to the theme of Expo 2008 and made water management part of the landscape rather than hiding it behind technical infrastructure. The original design also included channels, ponds and facilities for water-based activities.
The vegetation was planned around both the local environment and the recreational role of the park. Native riverbank trees such as elms, willows and poplars are characteristic of the area, while different garden sections provide other types of plant life. The botanical areas include vegetation associated with the Ebro, plants connected with food and cultivation, and more exotic species. There are also gardens, grassy spaces, paths and natural areas around the river. These different environments help explain why the park feels so different from a conventional city garden: it combines designed public spaces with parts intended to retain a more natural character.
There is plenty of space for outdoor activities. The park has extensive walking and cycling routes, including running circuits of approximately five and ten kilometres, as well as children’s play areas and facilities connected with sport and leisure. Over the years, its attractions have included boating on the waterways, equestrian activities, golf and adventure activities. Some facilities operate independently and their availability can vary, particularly outside the main season, so it is worth checking specific activities before planning a visit around them.
There are also distinctive features linked to the park’s creation for Expo 2008. The Noria de la Paz, a traditional-style water wheel made by Syrian craftspeople from Hama, recalls older ways of lifting and moving water. Gardens, cultivated areas and the sundial provide other details to look for while walking around. Nearby, the former Expo site contains several notable pieces of contemporary architecture, including the Water Tower, the Bridge Pavilion designed by Zaha Hadid, the Third Millennium Bridge and the Spain Pavilion. These buildings belong to the wider Expo legacy and complement the park, although they are separate from its green spaces.
The park’s full name honours Luis Buñuel, the internationally renowned film director born in Calanda, Aragón, in 1900. Its design has also received environmental and landscape awards, including the Green Globe certification and other recognition for park management. These awards reflect the ambition behind the original project: to create a large public park that could support recreation while responding to the river environment.
For us, Parque del Agua was both a place to walk around and a sensible choice for parking the motorhome. The very large parking bays, paved surface, lighting, peaceful atmosphere and free parking made it preferable to the other places we had considered in Zaragoza. There was some traffic noise, but it did not spoil the experience. The park’s size means that a short walk only gives you a partial impression of it, while its history explains why this area looks the way it does today: what was once largely agricultural land on the Ebro’s floodplain was transformed for Expo 2008 into a major urban green space designed around water, nature and public recreation.