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Postcard from Segovia

(Last Updated On: February 28, 2021)

Segovia is a cute little city in Spain with historic significance. It boasts of the 2000-year-old Roman aqueduct (one of the best-preserved elevated Roman aqueducts), a beautiful cathedral, and a fairy tale castle, to name a few. Segovia’s steep and narrow cobblestone streets, combined with old buildings would definitely take you back in time. This city is steeped in history and culture, dating back centuries. The beginnings of Segovia are also not known and the people are known to have populated the area before it was conquered by the Romans. Segovia is just magical and it should definitely be on the list for anyone visiting Madrid. Continue to read our article on ‘Day trip from Madrid to Segovia’ which will definitely help you make a decision between touristy Toledo & not so crowded Segovia.

I mean, who cannot fall in love with a place that looks like this?

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Segovia, Madrid, Spain
Beautiful rooftop view of Segovia
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Aqueduct
Exploring this magical city
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 10
It’s all about fairytale castles..
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain
Street view filled with tiny European houses
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain
Alleyways definitely can’t get better than this.

 

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city

 

How to reach Segovia from Madrid:

A day trip from Madrid to Segovia is probably what you need to escape Madrid’s busyness. 

Segovia is very close to Madrid and can be easily reached via trains. It is just a 30 mins train ride from Madrid and there are many trains running between these cities throughout the day. Google maps won’t show the right information about how to get there so here are our exclusive tips on reaching Segovia. The high-speed trains run from Chamartín Station and make sure to book tickets online as the tickets tend to sell out for the peak timings. Also, take a printout of the ticket and if you could not do it, exchange it at the station before traveling as the authorities don’t accept the e-tickets. We were lucky enough to be allowed to board the train just with an e-ticket and we were let off with a warning. We made sure to exchange it at the Segovia station while returning though.

Once you get off at Segovia station (which is in the middle of nowhere), there will be buses waiting to pick you up. The bus timings are synchronized with the train arrival so you don’t need to be worried about missing the bus. Again, the bus driver doesn’t accept higher denomination currency (anything above 10 euro), so carry coins. The ride costs 2 euro per person (at the time of this writing, June 2017) and hardly takes 15 mins to get to the city center. The return journey is quite similar, there are buses running every 30 mins from the city to the train station.


Read Also: About the fairytale city of Bruges


 

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain
You will be greeted by gorgeous architecture and view as soon as you get down from the bus.
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain
Taking a break. 🙂
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid Spain
Open cafes on the street are what we love the most about Europe
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain
Exploring the city.

 

Things to do in Segovia:

Aqueduct of Segovia:

Visit the magnificent arches of the aqueduct. You are definitely bound to be thoroughly awe-struck by the inspiring engineering. Even though you won’t be able to see the actual aqueduct (it’s concealed underneath), the incredible stonework has stood the test of time. As there are no inscriptions, the date of construction cannot be definitively determined and it was thought to have been constructed during the 1st century AD. The aqueduct once transported water from the nearby river, situated in the mountains 17 km from the city. It runs 15 km (9.3 mi) before arriving in the city.


Read Also: How to spend a day in Hallstatt, a charming little lake village in Austria


 

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Aqueduct 1
Aqueduct of Segovia. The architecture will surely amaze you.
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Aqueduct 2
And the views are mindblowing
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain
Like this one. 🙂
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Aqueduct
The air is always filled with amazing Spanish Music.

Plaza Mayor and Segovia Cathedral:

This is the main square and there are many restaurants and bars around this place. Grab some lunch, a drink, find outside seating, make yourself comfortable and watch the buzzing square and the people walking through it. The location is dominated by the Segovia Cathedral and its mind-blowing architecture is a must-see for anyone visiting Segovia. It was built in the mid 16th century in Gothic style and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.


Read Also: More about the amazing architecture of Rome


 

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Plaza Mayor - Segovia Cathedral 4
Segovia Cathedral. We for sure haven’t seen such breathtaking architecture before.
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Plaza Mayor - Segovia Cathedral 3
It’s beyond words.
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - City View 10
Plaza Mayor surrounded by cobbled stone alleyways.
 
 

Alcázar of Segovia:

Even though not as grand and stupendous as Neuschwanstein castle, the Alcázar of Segovia definitely counts as a fairy tale castle and is a world heritage site. The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College, and a military academy since then. There is an entry fee of 5.50 euro to visit the castle and 2.50 euro to visit the Juan tower. If you are not interested in visiting castles, you can prefer to skip the tour but do not miss the Juan tower. Its 152 winding steps are a bit of work to climb but the views from the top are just amazing. You can see the whole city and its natural surroundings.


Read Also:


 

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 12
Front view of Alcázar of Segovia
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 1
Inside the museum of Alcázar of Segovia
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 2
Alcázar of Segovia
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 3
Full wall painting inside the Alcázar of Segovia
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 4
Views are just gorgeous
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 5
From the top of Juan tower
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain
View of the city from the top of Juan tower
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 14
Backside view of Alcázar of Segovia
Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain - Alcázar of Segovia - Castle 11
That’s us. 🙂

 

What to eat in Segovia:

Segovia is very famous for its Lemon cake and we had the best lemon cake at Pasteleria Limon y Menta. The same place also sells a variety of Popsicle and we thoroughly enjoyed the frozen Mojito bar. Just like Madrid and for that matter any city in Spain, tapas are available in the main square and just pick a restaurant that suits your requirements and budget. Segovia is very famous for Cochinillo Asado or Roast Suckling Pig cooked in a special oven. But unfortunately, we can’t recommend a place to try as we are vegetarians. However, a little bit of research showed that Meson de Candido, José María Restaurante, and Meson Don Jimeno are some of the restaurants where you can devour the Cochinillo Asado.

 

Leaving you with some gorgeous views of Segovia.

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, a medieval city, Madrid, Spain

Day trip from Madrid to Segovia, Spain

 

Planning a trip to Europe? Have you considered a road trip through Tuscany or the Scottish Highlands?

Or have you thought about combining your Spain trip with Morocco? Check out our articles on Marrakech, Fez and Chefchaouen.

 

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