# Segovia

Segovia is a city in Castile and León in northern Spain, with a population of 51,000 in 2023. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the top sights being the Roman aqueduct, the cathedral, and the Disneyesque castle. It's 90 km north of Madrid and most visitors come on a day-trip, but it's worth staying longer, especially to enjoy the evenings after the tourist hordes depart.

## Understand

Segovia is at an altitude of 1005 m, astride the ancient trade and pilgrimage route from Madrid struggling north up the gradient onto the meseta central, the plateau around Valladolid. It can be bitter cold, whenever it's not scorching hot. In the first century AD the Romans established a town on an easily-fortified outcrop, and built the magnificent aqueduct to bring in water across the valley below. Thereafter the area became depopulated, until 1085 AD when the Moors were ousted at Toledo, and it was settled by Christians from further north. They were quick to build stout city walls against any reprisal.
Medieval Segovia flourished as a textile town, specialising in Segovienne flannel for upholstery, and its wealth funded the splendid religious and secular buildings you see today. Isabella I spent her teens here and in 1474 was proclaimed queen in the church of San Miguel. Like much of Spain, Segovia slumped in the 17th century and only recovered from the 19th / 20th. It established mixed industries and above all tourism, coming within easy reach of Madrid once modern roads and automobile engines made light work of the gradient.
Tourist information is available from kiosks in Plaza Azoguejo west side of the aqueduct (M-F 09:30-14:00, 16:00-18:00, Sa 09:30-18:00, Su 09:30-15:00) and Plaza Socorro by the cathedral (daily 10:00-14:00).

## Get in

    Caminante, son tus huellas el camino y nada más; caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.
    Wayfarer, only your footprints are the path, and nothing more; wayfarer, there is no path, you make the path as you walk.
       - Antonio Machado

### By plane

Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) has excellent connections across Europe and beyond. Take the Metro downtown for buses and trains towards Segovia.

### By train

40.9101-4.094921 Segovia-Guiomar has trains every 30-60 min from Madrid Chamartin, taking 30 min nonstop. These continue to Valladolid (30 min), and some go further to Palencia, León, Oviedo and Gijón, or to Salamanca. Guiomar station is 5 km south of town. Take Bus 11 to Plaza Artilleria beneath the Aqueduct, or Bus 12 to the main bus station, both running every 20 min.
40.9342-4.11362 Estacion de Trenes is the old station, shown simply as "Segovia" on timetables. It's only 1 km from the centre, but has only two regional trains per day, taking two hours to trundle here from Madrid Chamartin. Bus 8 runs past the railway station to town centre.

### By bus

Buses from Madrid Moncloa run once or twice an hour, taking 80 min. They also run from Avila (one hour) and Salamanca (3 hr 30 min). The bus line is Llorente / Avanza.
40.9451-4.12213 Segovia bus station is on Paseo de Ezequiel Gonzalez, 300 m south of the Aqueduct.

## Get around

The walled Old Town is easily accessible on foot. Most of it is pedestrianised, and no traffic passes beneath the Aqueduct, which thus divides the city. At the foot of the Aqueduct east side in Plaza Artilleria is an underground parking lot. Bus 9 starts from here to make a circuit of Old Town, daily every 30 min from 11:00 to 19:30, fare €1. West side is Plaza del Azoguejo with a tourist info centre.
Taxis wait by the plazas below the aqueduct and at Guiomar railway station.

## See

* A total solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 Aug 2026, starting at 20:31 and lasting one minute. The chances of a clear sky are 80%, but you need to find a spot with a clear view to the northwest horizon, where the sun will be setting.
* 40.948-4.11771 Segovia Aqueduct was built around 100 AD to supply the Roman fort and settlement. It gathered water from Rio Frio in the mountains 17 km south, flowing to the south edge of town to be stored and filtered. From there it turns and makes its spectacular leap across the valley, 28.5 m above Plazas Artilleria and del Azoguejo, to enter the Old Town. You can't walk on the structure, the best vantage point is at the head of the stairway into Old Town at Postigo del Consuelo. It's often floodlit at night.
* Old Town is easiest reached by walking from Plaza del Azoguejo up Calle Cervantes. Halfway up, Casa de los Picos ("House of the Points") is a 15th-century mansion with a facade studded with granite pyramids, and now an art college.
* City walls make a ring of 2250 m around the old town, erected in the 11th / 12th century and reinforced thereafter. They've been lost to the east approaching from the aqueduct but are substantial elsewhere. To the north they're broached by the gates of San Cebrián and Santiago, and to the south by the gate of San Andrés.
* 40.951-4.11742 Museo Zuloaga, Plaza Colmenares 4, ☏ +34 921 463348. Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-19:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Paintings and ceramics by Daniel Zuloaga (1852-1921), in an old church. Adult €1. (updated Nov 2024)
* Fundación Torreón de Lozoya is an art museum in a tower at Plaza San Martin 5, open Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-20:00, Su 10:00-14:00.
* Iglesia de San Martín just west of the tower was founded in 1177.
* 40.950181-4.1256233 Segovia Cathedral, Marqués del Arco 1, ☏ +34 921 462205. Nov-Mar 09:00-17:30, Apr-Oct 09:00-21:30. Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y de San Frutos was built in Gothic style between 1525 and 1577, when that style had gone out of fashion elsewhere. Its predecessor had stood on the Alcazar but was wrecked in a siege, with the font, choir and cloister recycled here. The spire got blasted in a thunderstorm and was replaced in 1614. Buried here are St Fructus (d 715), and his brothers St Valentín and St Engracia, hermits all. Adult €4, tower €7. (updated Nov 2024)
* Plaza Mayor is the main square just east of the cathedral.
* Palacio Episcopal is the Bishop's Palace, 100 m north of the cathedral at Plaza San Esteban 13. It has a collection of religious art and is included on the cathedral ticket, same hours.
* Iglesia de San Esteban is just north of the Bishop's Palace. It was built in the 13th century in Romanesque style, but suffered a fire in the 19th and was patched up in neo-Gothic, not very successfully. The grand campanile is 50 m tall but there's no access to this.
* Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad is 100 m east of the Bishop's Palace. It's 12th century Romanesque.
* Centro Didáctico de la Judería, La Judería Vieja 12 (100 m east of cathedral), ☏ +34 921 462396. W-Sa 10:00-13:00, 16:00-18:00, Su-Tu 10:00-14:00. The Jewish quarter is the atmospheric block of narrow streets just south of the cathedral, and this museum is in the former house of Rabbi Abraham Señor. As in the rest of Spain, they were persecuted then expelled in 1492. Adult €3. (updated Nov 2024)
* Casa Museo Antonio Machado, Los Desamparados 5 (100 m north of cathedral), ☏ +34 921 460377. W-Sa 11:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00, Su-Tu 11:00-14:00. The poet Machado (1875 – 1939) moved here in 1919 and was professor of French. He fled to France at the outbreak of the Civil War but died a few weeks later. Visit by guided tour. Adult €5. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9503-4.1294 Museo de Segovia, Socorro 11, ☏ +34 921 460615, museo.segovia@jcyl.es. Su 10:00-14:00; Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00 plus (Oct-Jun) 16:00-19:00 and (Jul-Sep) 17:00-20:00. Artefacts, models, and art related to the history, culture and lifestyle of the city and region. Permanent exhibition €1, temporary €0.60. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9526-4.13265 Alcázar, Plaza Reina Victoria Eugenia, ☏ +34 921 210515. Daily Apr-Oct 10:00-20:00, Nov-Mar 10:00-18:00. Dramatically sited at the west edge of the crag of Old Town, this was built around the 11th century, with the current facade added by Phillip II. The interior is decorated in a hotchpotch of Romanesque, Gothic, Mudejar, and Renaissance. It's variously hosted the royal court of the Trastamara Dynasty, Isabella the Catholic, the wedding of Phillip II, and the Spanish Artillery Academy. The ticket includes the Palace, Artillery Museum and Tower of Juan II. The resemblance of its witches-hat towers to Disney Castle is no accident, and scenes from Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight were filmed here. Adult €10. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9544-4.12856 Real Casa de Moneda, La Moneda, ☏ +34 921 475109. W-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00, Su 10:00-14:00. The 15th century Royal Mint, now a museum of coinage and minting. Adult €5. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9557-4.13237 Iglesia de la Vera Cruz was founded in 1208 by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, who later merged with the Knights of St John. It's by the road up the hill to Zamarramala.
* 40.956-4.12628 Monastery of Santa María del Parral, Parral 2, ☏ +34 921 431298. W-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Hieronymite monastery founded in 1447 and still active. Saturday morning you can join a guided tour (Spanish only) and attend mass. Adult €5. (updated Nov 2024)
* Iglesia de San Millán is 12th century Romanesque. It's 100 m north of the bus station on Av Acueducto, open daily 09:30-11:00, 19:30-20:30.
* Iglesia de San Clemente is another 100 m north, at Av Acueducto 21. It too is 12th / 13th century Romanesque.
* Iglesia de San Justo is just south of the aqueduct near Hotel Eurostars.
* Jardín Botánico is just a bosky park not a botanic garden. It's on C Murillo, 500 m southeast of the bus station, open daily 11:00-21:30.

### Further out

* 40.8975-4.0045839 Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, ☏ +34 921 470019. Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. This was a monastery farm until 1719, then Philip V acquired it and built a summer palace when his Valsain palace burned down. As a Bourbon he was much influenced by Versailles, and what started as a modest rural retreat burgeoned into a bling palace and political power centre. The village of San Ildefonso swelled with it, with barracks, lodgings for courtiers, a church, and an entire glass factory to produce the necessary amount of glass. La Granja fell out of fashion in the 1880s and suffered a fire in 1918. It's surrounded by vast gardens in 18th-century French manner. Adult €9, conc €4. (updated Nov 2024)

## Do

* Theatre: Teatro Juan Bravo is on Plaza Mayor.
    Teatro Paladio Arte is 500 m southwest of town at Camino la Piedad 8.
* Cinema: Cine Artesiete is 5 km southeast towards the ring road at Dámaso Alonso 54.
* Swimming: Piscina José Carlos Casado is an indoor pool 500 m southeast of the bus station on C Celinda.
    Piscina Municipal is an outdoor pool 4 km southeast at Palazuelos 7.
* Golf: La Faisanera GC is 7 km southeast, off CL-601.
* Football: Gimnástica Segoviana CF play soccer in Primera Federación, the third tier. Their home ground La Albuera (capacity 6000) is 2 km southeast of the centre on Los Tejedores.
* Hike: Camino de Madrid is a pilgrimage trail from that city to Segovia (reached on Day 4) and Sahagún (Day 13), where it joins the main trail from the French border to Santiago de la Compostela.
* Ski: Puerto de Navacerrada and Valdesqui are two small resorts 30 km south on CL-601 past La Granja.
* Semana Santa - Holy Week in the run-up to Easter - involves religious processions and pageantry.
* Hay Festival is a literary festival in mid September.
* Festival of San Frutos is held on 25 October each year. He's the patron saint of hernias so bring yours along to join the big parade.

## Buy

* Supermarkets are strung along Paseo Conde de Sepúlveda to the southeast, and a few more stand on C Riaza heading northeast.
* Local goods are leather and ceramics: botijos are water jugs, and porrones are wine dispensers with long spouts. It's your business what you actually put in them.

## Eat

    Local favourites are slow-roast suckling pig (cochinillo), roast lamb, veal & beef, sausages, fish (notably verdel, smoked mackerel), judiones bean stew, and salads. Typical desserts are ponche segoviano and natillas.

### Budget

* Cafeteria Orly, Bajada del Carmen 2, ☏ +34 921 461318. M W-F 08:00-23:00, Sa Su 12:00-00:00. Bar & coffee shop, mixed reviews. (updated Nov 2024)
* La Almuzara is a vegetarian / vegan place at Marqués del Arco 3, just north of the cathedral. It's open W-Su 12:00-16:00, 20:00-00:00.
* Confiteria El Alcazar, 13 Plaza Mayor, ☏ +34 921 462118. Daily 10:00-19:00. Sweet sweet sweets, famously surly service. (updated Nov 2024)
* Tapas: lots and lots of places.

### Mid-range

* Mesón de Cándido, Plaza Azoguejo 5 (beneath Aqueduct), ☏ +34 921 425911. Daily 13:00-16:30, 20:00-22:30. Renowned meson with traditional fare. (updated Nov 2024)
* Casa Duque, Cervantes 12 (near Casa de los Picos), ☏ +34 921 462487. Daily 12:30-23:00. Rich selection of traditional Castilian fare. (updated Nov 2024)
* La Taurina is at Plaza Mayor 8, open daily 09:00-00:00.
* Restaurante Jose Maria, Cronista Lecea 11 (50 m east of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 921 466017. Daily 10:00-00:00. An excellent meson, booking essential. (updated Nov 2024)
* El Sitio, Infanta Isabel 9 (50 southeast of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 921 460996. M-F 09:00-00:00, Sa Su 10:00-14:00. Great tapas bar downstairs and restaurant upstairs. (updated Nov 2024)
* El Fogón Sefardí, La Judería Vieja 17 (just east of cathedral), ☏ +34 921 466250. Daily 13:30-17:00, 18:30-00:00. Splendid trad fare. (updated Nov 2024)

### Splurge

* Parador de Segovia restaurant is excellent, see below.
* 40.9639-4.13661 La Postal, Sacramento 22, Zamarramala, ☏ +34 921 120329. Su-Th 13:00-18:00, F Sa 13:00-00:00. On the hill 2 km north, this serves decent trad fare but you're mostly paying for the view of Segovia. Try to get seated in the old railway dining car. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.8331-4.16242 La Venta Vieja, Highway N603, km 80, Ortigosa Del Monte (10 km southwest of Segovia), ☏ +34 921 489164. W-Su 09:00-17:30. Good meson off A6 if you want to eat before reaching Segovia. (updated Nov 2024)

## Drink

* Bars: lots and lots. Plaza Mayor alone has Bar Rubi, Jeyma, Jota and Santana.
* Wine: Segovia is not itself within any Castile and León Denominación de Origen, but is close to several including Ribera del Duero, Arlanza and Rueda. The closest vineyard to town is Bodega y Viñedos Agejas 15 km north. Most production is red wine from the Tempranillo grape. Second-rank stuff is table wine, perfectly adequate for washing down a kebab or soaking your shirt if you mishandle the porron. Third-rank material goes into distillation.

## Sleep

* Hostal Plaza, Cronista Lecea 11 (50 m east of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 921 460303. Tatty exterior but clean, comfortable rooms, it's more like a small hotel and doesn't have a dorm. The same group also runs Hostel Juan Bravo and Hotel Av de Sotillo. Double (room only) €40. (updated Nov 2024)
* Hotel Infanta Isabel, Plaza Mayor 12, ☏ +34 921 461300. Charming hotel right on the main square. B&B double €100. (updated Nov 2024)
* La Casa Mudéjar, Isabel la Católica 8 (behind Infanta Isabel), ☏ +34 921 466250. Clean spacious place just off main square. B&B double €100. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9525-4.12531 Hotel Exe Casa de Los Linares, Dr Valasco 9, ☏ +34 921 414810. Pleasant hotel in the old town, many rooms have cathedral view. B&B double €100. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9487-4.12182 Hotel Real Segovia, Juan Bravo 30, ☏ +34 921 462623. Fine hotel in a 19th century merchant's house. B&B double €100. (updated Nov 2024)
* Hotel Eurostars Plaza Acueducto, Av Padre Claret 2, ☏ +34 921 413403. Modern chain hotel next to the aqueduct, some street noise, parking available. B&B double €90. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9439-4.12073 Hotel AR Los Arcos, Paseo Ezequiel González 26 (by bus station), ☏ +34 921 437462. Simple place 10 min walk from old town. B&B double €80. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9432-4.11054 Hotel San Antonio El Real, San Antonio El Real 8, ☏ +34 921 413455. Atmospheric hotel in a former monastery. B&B double €90. (updated Nov 2024)
* 40.9605-4.11045 Parador de Segovia, Ctra de Valladolid, ☏ +34 921 443737. Parador in a modern building on the hillside 4 km north of centre, so you get great views and free parking but need a car / taxi to reach the sights. Comfort, service and catering good but no more than that, for what you're paying. It feels a bit like a teacher training college. B&B double €100. (updated Nov 2024)

## Connect

As of Nov 2024, Segovia and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers.

## Go next

* Ávila 70 km west is a charming walled old city. Another 100 km northwest brings you to Salamanca.
* Other fascinating old cities of Castile and León include Valladolid, Burgos, and León.
* El Escorial is easily reached off the road south to Madrid.
* Reaching Barcelona, the Med coast or Andalusia will involve travelling via Madrid.
* Useful to know: Masterton in New Zealand is the antipodes of Segovia, as far away on Earth as you can get. Don't miss the museum of sheep-sheering.