There are not many structures existing today that can claim to have been built by the Devil himself. Segovia’s aqueduct is one such structure built apparently as a result of a wager between a lazy serving girl and the Devil. The Devil supposedly lost the bet. To some, this might just be just a myth created during the dark ages to explain the existence of structures that seem beyond human ability. Whether a legend or a historic monument from Roman times, the aqueduct has resulted Segovia being placed on the world map as a must visit while in Spain. This is my one-day itinerary for Segovia where I cover the must-sees and must-dos while you are in Segovia.

Getting to Segovia from Madrid

Segovia, like Toledo, makes for a perfect day trip from Madrid being just 27 minutes away from Madrid’s Chamartín railway station. The tickets are cheap at approximately 30 € per pax for return tickets. We booked the 8.55am train out and the 7.15pm train back. As advised in my earlier post for Toledo, you may consider booking an earlier train back to minimise the need to wait for your train when done for the day. As to how to book train tickets, I have a section dealing with this in my Toledo post. Please do check it out, if needed.

A word of caution is in order. Do bear in mind that Segovia Guiomar station is not the station closest to Segovia. Instead, it is a separate station servicing the high-speed rail. It is not within walking distance to town. You can either catch a bus (bus timings are posted on the signboards outside the station doors across the road) or a taxi for 11 €. The taxi may make sense if you are travelling in a group or don’t mind sharing a taxi with fellow travellers.

What to see while in Segovia

Aqueduct

Both bus and taxi will drop you off at the Aqueduct.

Take in the views from ground level before making your way up a flight of stairs hidden just behind the Aqueduct. This will bring you right up giving you a good view of not only the Aqueduct itself but also the surrounding town and countryside.

Convento de Corpus Christi

This convent is conveniently located in town along the route towards the other attractions. You may consider popping by for a quick visit. The entrance fee is nominal. What you may notice is that the church-synagogue share some resemblance with the Sinagoga de Santa María La Blanca in Toledo. While I did not manage to try the sweets made by the nuns living there, I hear they are pretty good. So, if you are not in a rush, consider dropping by for about 15-20 minutes.

Do keep your eye out for some rather unique buildings when heading over to the convent like the Casa De Los Picos with its interesting façade and also Plaza de Medina del Campo which makes a decent photograph:

 

Plaza Major

The main square in Segovia and a good place to take a rest while people watching. My girlfriend decided to go for a melon Popsicle during our break. She didn’t like it:

Catedral de Segovia

The Cathedral of Segovia is just beside Plaza Major. Unlike the Cathedral in Toledo, I don’t remember paying a fee to visit although there is a ticket booth right at the entrance. It might be the case that I had managed to sneak in without having to pay. Or it might be the case that admission fees had been waived as renovation works were being carried out with sections of the Cathedral cordoned off.

Comparing this with the one in Toledo, this appears to be more modest but still impressive. I found its arches really beautiful:

 

Restaurante Jose Maria

I normally don’t include restaurants in my itineraries but roasted suckling pigs (Cochinillo) can be arguably be considered as an “attraction” in Segovia.

Having done my research, I stumbled on this restaurant with pretty decent reviews. The restaurant will begin sitting customers just after noon and the place will start filling up at around 12.45pm to 1pm. So, if you intend to beat the crowd, head there before 12.30pm.

The price of one portion is 27€ and is sufficient to be shared by two. We also ordered a salad to share and the Iberian ham croquettes that was recommended by the waiter.

Alcazar de Segovia

Having missed the Alcazar in Toledo, we made it a point to at least visit this while in Segovia. There are two separate tickets. One for the palace itself and one for the tower. We decided to just go for the palace tour.

As with all such visits, it will typically involve a walk through of the different palace rooms with the occasion information panel explaining what the room was used for previously:

 

There are occasional gems to be discovered in such tours and it so happens that the Alcazar in Segovia has a couple of them.

What I found interesting during my visit was this room with wood carvings of persons along the walls. They gave me the impression that they too are sitting in the room and watching over the proceedings in the hall:

The view from the castle was also fantastic with an unobstructed view of the Spanish countryside:

Mirador de la Pradera de San Marcos

As we are about done with our itinerary, I decided to make a detour down the hill to see the castle from another angle. We headed downhill. The walk was pretty easy as there were proper steps built along the side of the hill. We followed a path towards a viewing point called Mirador de la Pradera de San Marcos.

The bad news is that the viewing point is not much of a viewing point at all and is being obstructed by trees. That said, the path we were on is the same path leading to the church we saw earlier while at the Alcazar and is a good alternative.

One blessing in disguise is us discovering a pretty decent restaurant by the church called Restaurante San Marcos. The place specialises in seafood. While it might be a bit expensive if you were to order a main while there, their tapas were fantastic and makes for an excellent snack with a pint or two.

** This itinerary is quite relaxed. You can expect to finish it by approximately around 3-4pm. You can either add other attractions to it and so maximise your visit or slowly make your way back to the Aqueduct for your transport to the station. There are cafes along the way so feel free to stop for a cup of coffee or a pint and take it easy. After all, you are on a holiday!