The 90 minute drive from the Madrid airport to Segovia was very scenic – just thirty minutes from the airport the road became more rural, culminating with a twisty road climb through forest up to 1800m!
In Segovia we got a spot in the free parking lot just a few blocks from our hotel. Check in was easy, and front desk gave us a map with recommended routes and points of interest. With our luggage in the room we headed out to explore the town. Our first stop was Iglesia de San Martín – we didn’t go in but the outside was quite photogenic.
Continuing down the street, we caught our first glimpse of the famous aqueduct. Built in the first century and in use until 1973, this structure is one of the best-preserved Roman aqueduct bridges in the world with 167 arches still standing today. It once transported water to the city’s citizens from over 9 miles away!
From there, we wandered into the main square and stopped at Bar Rubi for drinks overlooking the Catedral de Segovia. A red for me (Murón Roble tempranillo) and a white for Eric (ERRE verdejo). And, being Spain, the whole bill was 12€ – including jamon and bread tapas. Once we figured out the cathedral was closed to visitors (due to a special event) we got another round. The guy keeping tourists out in favor of parishioners let me sneak in for a minute to take a peek – pretty inside and typical gothic but nothing unique compared to other spots we’ve seen in our travels. We really enjoyed people watching in the square, especially all of the older folks making their way to the special mass.
Having an hour or so to kill before dinner we walked across town to the Alcázar de Segovia, just in time for sunset.
We arrived at El Sitio to a packed downstairs (tapas area) and were very thankful for a Monday reservation made by our hotel! Waitstaff ushered us upstairs and the service was friendly and helpful. We ordered four items and after a few minutes, one waiter asked if they could downgrade two items (croquettes and morcilla) to half rationes (portions) because it would be too much food. We happily agreed. We paired everything with a cava which went perfectly with each course, especially the butter beans and smoked sausage which was a standout. The last dish, a veal cutlet with fries was also tasty and we left too full for dessert.
We walked back toward the cathedral to see if it was lit up but it was dark, so we headed down to the aqueduct for more night photos, then back to the room, tired, full and happy.
After breakfast in the room, we walked to the end of the aqueduct and got a peek inside the cisterns.
We collected our bags and took one last photo of the cathedral before heading north to Valladolid.
Many people visit Segovia as a daytrip from Madrid, but we really enjoyed our evening in the city, so I’m glad we decided to spend the night.