Segovia had been on my journey bucket record since I first noticed photos in my highschool Spanish 4 class. I even discovered a poster of the Segovia fort 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 an enthralling 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 simple 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 fort, and a jaw-dropping cathedral. My eight-year-old beloved all of the issues to do in Seville with children and rated it her favourite cease on our whole journey to Spain.
Getting to Segovia
By Car
Getting to Segovia is admittedly fairly straightforward. If you’ve gotten a automobile, it’s a one-hour drive up the freeway. Plentiful parking is obtainable on the prepare station and close to the Roman Aqueduct. From there you’ll be able to simply stroll into city.
By Train
One of the best methods to get to Segovia on a day journey from Madrid is on the high-speed AVE prepare, which is simply 27 minutes from Madrid’s Chamartin station. The trains are spotless and really snug. If you’re planning to take a Segovia day journey from Madrid, you’ll be able to simply present up and attempt to purchase a ticket, however many trains do promote out so it’s safer to purchase tickets prematurely.
f you’ve gotten any hassle buying prepare tickets instantly from the USA, I have a tendency to make use of RailEurope when buying prepare tickets in Europe for simplicity. I believe it’s price shopping for prematurely if your plans for the peace of thoughts of a assured seat.
Just understand that there are a number of prepare stations in Madrid and your prepare 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 observe to your prepare.
You will arrive at a really clear and trendy prepare 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 brief, cheap bus journey 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 strategy 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 prepare.) 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 one of the best issues to do in Segovia is go to the Alcazar. It is claimed that the Alcazar de Segovia, together with the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, had been inspirations for Cinderella’s fort 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 fort. 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 chances are you’ll know, she went on to turn into a major determine in Spanish historical past. Before leaving on our journey, my daughter had learn a e-book about Isabella and noticed her as a robust lady and chief. On the journey, she grew to become conscious of her bloodier aspect and needed to reconcile her uniting the nation with the atrocities dedicated in opposition to Jews and Muslims in the course of the Spanish Inquisition.
After serving as a palace, the Alcazar later grew to become a jail after which a navy academy. Today, it’s a museum that’s open to the general public. Inside the fort, you can find the armor of medieval knights, stained glass home windows, lovely tapestries, and carved engravings of Spanish rulers. Â
If you’re up for the climb, you’ll be able to mount 152 stairs of the Tower of Juan II for a sweeping view of the hillside or a gorgeous view over the city and cathedral. After taking time to discover the fort, we took a 15-20 minute stroll down into city. Â
Eat Roast Suckling Pig
The entire city is known for its roast suckling pig, however maybe none greater than Meson de Candido, which serves the pig entire and cooks it so tender they lower it with a plate. Before visiting Spain, we watch On the Road Again on PBS with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow. It was a terrific introduction to Spanish delicacies and even received our daughter enthusiastic about attempting new meals. When I noticed the episode in Segovia, I knew we needed to go to this restaurant and take a look at the roast suckling pig.
Meson de Candido sits within the shadows of the aqueduct with a gorgeous outside 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 children will marvel at! I do know you’ll be able to see Roman ruins all through Europe, however this was essentially the most spectacular outdoors of Rome. In truth, 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 by way of city to go to the retailers 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 if you happen to get an early begin, you’ll be able to go to each within the morning earlier than lunch. However, I loved visiting within the afternoon when most of the retailers on the town had 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 middle 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 by way of the Jewish Quarter
After the cathedral, we went to discover La Juderia, the outdated Jewish quarter, since we had been looking for out the small remnants of the Jewish group and Jewish historical past all through our time in Spain. The slim, crooked streets on this quarter are very charming and we noticed a number of Jewish retailers and eating places.
We had been completely happy to lastly encounter a Jewish Educational Center with multimedia shows exhibiting 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 retailers on the town for some compulsory pig-related souvenirs and stopped at a bakery for a number of scrumptious snacks. At the top of the day, we caught a bus again to the prepare 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 if you happen to choose. While many individuals take aspect journeys from Madrid to Toledo, I don’t assume as many find out about Segovia. Maybe that may 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 gotten extra time to spend in Segovia, many individuals take pleasure in taking a scorching air balloon journey, however we determined to do this after we had been in Ronda in Andalucia. You may also take a day journey that features Avila and Segovia.
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