A Day in Segovia

Segovia is one of the famous historic cities in Spain. I came to know this place when I tried to research on the activities to do when in Madrid; a day tour on this city showed up, and it caught my interest. Initially, I wanted to avail that day tour, which aside from Segovia I will also get to see Avila (another city), but something happened, that after a number of online booking attempts, it failed to push through. Anyway, Tep and I just decided to do the trip on our own.

Going there from Madrid, you have the option to ride either a bus (1 hour travel) or high speed train (30 minutes travel). We chose the train, so we headed to the Chamartin train station on the day of our trip to purchase our train tickets (you can also book online). The amount of round trip train tickets during that time (Aug 2015) was EUR 15 per person. Upon reaching Segovia AV station, we rode Bus # 11 which took us to the City center (fare was EUR 1/ pax). We alighted on the last bus stop; you will know this once you see the Aqueduct.

Roaming around the city was also easy, you can take a bus (make sure to check the bus stops and timings posted on each station), taxi or you can explore the city by foot. I would strongly advise doing the latter (be ready to wear your most comfy shoes), since that will make you appreciate the place more, plus the city is not that big.

Sample bus stops and timings posted on each station

Our first destination was the Alcazar de Segovia which looks like a fairy tale castle. Upon our arrival, we bought the full ticket (EUR 8/pax) which allowed us to visit the castle and the tower.

Originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, state prison, Royal Artillery College and military academy before. Currently used as a museum and a military archives building. (From Wikipedia)

Some pictures taken while roaming around the castle

The magnificent view from the castle’s tower

Enjoying the view

It took us roughly around 2 hours to wander around the castle. Afterwards, we were craving for lunch, so we headed to Meson Don Jimeno restaurant which was a few steps from the castle. Ofcourse we sampled some of Segovia’s famous dishes, especially the conchinillo or suckling pig (in the Philippines we call this lechon de leche).

After our lunch, we walked towards the Segovia Cathedral. A Gothic-style, Roman Catholic cathedral located in the Plaza Mayor of the city. There was an admission fee to be paid in order to enter the cathedral and its tower, but we only bought the ticket for the cathedral.

Segovia Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral

Then we made our way to the Segovia Aqueduct, were we just walked around and took some pictures. This site is free for all.

Built during the 1st century AD under the Roman Empire and supplied water from the Frio River to the city during the 20th century. (From World Monuments Fund)

A closer look of the Aqueduct.

These are just the famous attractions in Segovia. If you’ve got plenty of time and want to explore more, you can also visit the Jewish Quarter, Monasterio del Parral and all the Churches within the city. You can also stay for a night or two if you want. They’ve got luxury, mid-range and budget hotels that you can choose from.

After spending a full day in Segovia, we hop on to the bus that will take us to the train station going to Madrid.

For more information on opening times and ticket prices, you may visit:

 Alcazar de Segovia website

Segovia Cathedral

Segovia Tourism