Segovia Day Trip from Madrid

Segovia packs three world-class sights into a small, walkable hilltop town, and it makes a perfect day out from Madrid. The first is the Roman aqueduct, one of the best-preserved Roman monuments anywhere: a double tier of granite arches, built without mortar around two thousand years ago, that marches across the Plaza del Azoguejo at the foot of the old town and stands almost thirty metres high at its tallest point. It carried water to the city until modern times, and walking beneath it, or climbing the steps beside it for a view along its length, is unforgettable. From the aqueduct, the main street climbs through the old town, past Romanesque churches and the Casa de los Picos with its studded façade, to the Plaza Mayor and the cathedral. Begun in the 1520s, Segovia Cathedral is the last great Gothic cathedral built in Spain, a soaring, honey-coloured structure nicknamed the Lady of Cathedrals for its elegance. Beyond it, at the very tip of the rocky spur where two rivers meet, stands the Alcázar, a royal castle with slate-capped turrets that looks like the model for every fairy-tale castle ever drawn. Inside are richly decorated halls, including a ceiling with carved figures of Castilian monarchs, an armoury, and the tower of John II, whose long climb ends with sweeping views over the Castilian plain and the Guadarrama mountains. Segovia was one of the great cities of medieval Castile, and Isabella was proclaimed queen here in 1474. The whole old town and aqueduct are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Getting there: high-speed trains from Madrid's Chamartín station reach Segovia in under half an hour, though the high-speed station is outside the town, so allow time for the connecting bus to the aqueduct. Direct buses from Moncloa take a little over an hour but drop you much closer to the centre. Organised day trips, bookable through the link here, take care of transport and usually include guided visits and entry to the Alcázar and cathedral; some combine Segovia with Ávila and its complete medieval walls, or with Toledo, though the latter makes for a long day.

Visiting well: start at the aqueduct, walk up through the old town to the cathedral, and finish at the Alcázar, ideally with time to climb the tower, which is ticketed separately and involves a narrow spiral staircase. Then walk down to the riverside path below the Alcázar for the view of the castle on its rock, or take a taxi to the viewpoint on the far side of the valley. Segovia sits high on the edge of the mountains and can be noticeably colder than Madrid, so bring a layer in spring and autumn. Weekends are busy with Madrid day-trippers; weekdays are calmer.

Lunch is part of the ritual. Segovia is famous for cochinillo, roast suckling pig, so tender that in the traditional restaurants it is carved with the edge of a plate. The historic restaurants around the aqueduct serve it, along with judiones, a stew of giant white beans from nearby La Granja, and ponche segoviano, a marzipan-covered cake. Book lunch ahead at weekends. Families love the Alcázar most — it is the closest thing in Spain to a real storybook castle — and couples should stay for the late afternoon, when the sun sets behind the castle and the aqueduct is floodlit. Nearby, the royal palace and gardens of La Granja de San Ildefonso make a fine addition for those with a car or a longer day.