Segovia had been on my journey bucket checklist since I first noticed photos in my highschool Spanish 4 class. I even discovered a poster of the Segovia fortress to hold on my bed room wall. So after we took a two-week household journey to Spain, I knew Segovia needed to be on our itinerary and we determined to take a Segovia day journey from Madrid.
Segovia is a captivating UNESCO World Heritage metropolis and we fell in love with its cute and crooked streets, spectacular historic sights, pleasant individuals, and nice meals. Located simply 90 kilometers north of Madrid, a day journey to Segovia is straightforward so as to add to your Spain itinerary.
Segovia has one thing to enchantment to the entire household, together with a powerful 2,000-year-old Roman aqueduct, a fairy-tale-like fortress, and a jaw-dropping cathedral. My eight-year-old cherished all of the issues to do in Seville with youngsters and rated it her favourite cease on our total journey to Spain.
Getting to Segovia
By Car
Getting to Segovia is admittedly fairly straightforward. If you’ve got a automobile, it’s a one-hour drive up the freeway. Plentiful parking is offered on the practice station and close to the Roman Aqueduct. From there you possibly can simply stroll into city.
By Train
One of the simplest methods to get to Segovia on a day journey from Madrid is on the high-speed AVE practice, which is simply 27 minutes from Madrid’s Chamartin station. The trains are spotless and really comfy. If you’re planning to take a Segovia day journey from Madrid, you possibly can simply present up and attempt to purchase a ticket, however many trains do promote out so it’s safer to purchase tickets upfront.
f you’ve got any hassle buying practice tickets instantly from the USA, I have a tendency to make use of RailEurope when buying practice tickets in Europe for simplicity. I feel it’s price shopping for upfront if you recognize your plans for the peace of thoughts of a assured seat.
Just needless to say there are a number of practice stations in Madrid and your practice to Segovia will seemingly go away from Madrid’s Chamartin Station. The station is pretty giant so you’ll want to give your self loads of time to find the proper monitor in your practice.
You will arrive at a really clear and fashionable practice station in Segovia. Plan to cease by the vacationer agent to get a map, bus schedule, or different recommendation about issues to do in Segovia. Since the station is barely out of city, you’ll must take a cab or a really quick, cheap bus experience downtown to a cease close to the aqueduct.  Since we needed to go to the Castle first after which stroll down the hill into city, we determined to take a cab to the Alcazar de Segovia, because it was the farthest web site we needed to go to.
By Bus
Another method to get take a Segovia day journey from Madrid is by bus. The bus will prevent a little bit cash, but in addition take a bit longer (most are 1 hour and 20 minutes versus the roughly half-hour on the high-speed practice.) Busses go away from Moncloa Station in Madrid and arrive within the Segovia bus station.
Things to do on a Segovia Day Trip
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Tour the Alcazar / Segovia Castle
One of the perfect issues to do in Segovia is go to the Alcazar. It is alleged that the Alcazar de Segovia, together with the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, have been inspirations for Cinderella’s fortress in Disney. Once you spy the blue-gray turrets of this fortress on a hill, you will notice why.
After seeing the Moorish structure in Seville and Granada, the Alcazar in Segovia was our first glimpse of a medieval fortress. The Alcazar de Segovia dates again to the twelfth century, beginning as an Arab fort earlier than changing into a royal palace.
In 1474, Queen Isabella I of Castile and Leon was topped on the Alcazar. As you might know, she went on to change into a major determine in Spanish historical past. Before leaving on our journey, my daughter had learn a guide about Isabella and noticed her as a strong girl and chief. On the journey, she turned conscious of her bloodier aspect and needed to reconcile her uniting the nation with the atrocities dedicated in opposition to Jews and Muslims throughout the Spanish Inquisition.
After serving as a palace, the Alcazar later turned a jail after which a navy academy. Today, it’s a museum that’s open to the general public. Inside the fortress, you can find the armor of medieval knights, stained glass home windows, stunning tapestries, and carved engravings of Spanish rulers. Â
If you’re up for the climb, you possibly can mount 152 stairs of the Tower of Juan II for a sweeping view of the hillside or a stupendous view over the city and cathedral. After taking time to discover the fortress, we took a 15-20 minute stroll down into city. Â
Eat Roast Suckling Pig
The complete city is known for its roast suckling pig, however maybe none greater than Meson de Candido, which serves the pig complete and cooks it so tender they reduce it with a plate. Before visiting Spain, we watch On the Road Again on PBS with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow. It was an amazing introduction to Spanish delicacies and even bought our daughter enthusiastic about attempting new meals. When I noticed the episode in Segovia, I knew we needed to go to this restaurant and check out the roast suckling pig.
Meson de Candido sits within the shadows of the aqueduct with a stupendous out of doors cafe and indoor restaurant. We nonetheless have a household joke about seeing that little pig splayed out on a platter in its full kind. It was a little bit a lot for my daughter to deal with, so we didn’t order the entire pig, only a common serving of a leg on a plate.
If you don’t get a reservation at Meson de Candido, there are numerous different locations to attempt roasted pig on the town, together with Jose Maria.
Explore the Roman Aqueduct
After having fun with our lunch, we set about exploring the aqueduct. Built within the 1st or 2nd century, the aqueduct is 818 meters lengthy and options greater than 170 arches. Built by hand with out utilizing any mortar, that is an architectural feat that even youngsters will marvel at! I do know you possibly can see Roman ruins all through Europe, however this was essentially the most spectacular outdoors of Rome. In reality, I discovered it much more spectacular than the aqueduct in Rome.
Definitely take the time to stroll up the steps from Plaza del Azoguejo to see the aqueduct and town from above.
Visit the Segovia Cathedral
Walking again via city to go to the outlets we quickly realized that the entire city was closed for siesta. Luckily, the cathedral was nonetheless open so we stepped inside to chill off. The final gothic cathedral inbuilt Spain, the Segovia cathedral holds many similarities to those we visited in Barcelona and Seville. Â
Built within the sixteenth century, the Catedral de Segovia towers over town. Located in Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral isn’t removed from the Alcazar so should you get an early begin, you possibly can go to each within the morning earlier than lunch. However, I loved visiting within the afternoon when lots of the outlets on the town have been closed.
There are 21 beautifully-decorated chapels within the Cathedral. However, our favourite a part of the Cathedral was the peaceable Gothic cloister that surrounds the backyard and bushes within the heart courtyard. It was cool and calm within the cloister and we spent a while there stress-free and catching up on our journal writing. You may additionally wish to take a look at the Chapter Hall, which has many intricate tapestries.
Walk via the Jewish Quarter
After the cathedral, we went to discover La Juderia, the outdated Jewish quarter, since we had been in search of out the small remnants of the Jewish neighborhood and Jewish historical past all through our time in Spain. The slender, crooked streets on this quarter are very charming and we noticed just a few Jewish outlets and eating places.
We have been completely satisfied to lastly come upon a Jewish Educational Center with multimedia shows displaying the destiny of Segovia’s Jews. While there aren’t many Jews left in Segovia, there’s proof of their legacy all through the quarter.
Before heading again, we checked out the outlets on the town for some compulsory pig-related souvenirs and stopped at a bakery for just a few scrumptious snacks. At the tip of the day, we caught a bus again to the practice station.
We actually loved exploring the city of Segovia. The streets are clear and quaint, the surroundings is gorgeous and the websites are breathtaking. If you’re visiting Spain, you shouldn’t miss a day journey to Segovia!
We discovered it straightforward sufficient to discover on our personal, however there are additionally guided tour choices should you favor. While many individuals take aspect journeys from Madrid to Toledo, I don’t suppose as many find out about Segovia. Maybe that could be a good factor so it doesn’t lose its allure however I nonetheless extremely advocate it to anybody with a day to spare in Madrid!
If you’ve got extra time to spend in Segovia, many individuals get pleasure from taking a scorching air balloon experience, however we determined to do this after we have been in Ronda in Andalucia. You may take a day journey that features Avila and Segovia.
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