Segovia

Segovia from Madrid, and why to stay for the floodlit aqueduct

A day trip from Madrid covers Segovia's aqueduct, Plaza Mayor, the cathedral and the Alcázar, with cochinillo for lunch and the walk down to Vera Cruz for the classic view. Stay the night to see the aqueduct floodlit and add La Granja de San Ildefonso's palace and fountain gardens next morning.

Arrive mid-morning on the fast train and take bus 11 from Guiomar to Plaza Artillería, right under the arches. Climb the steps beside the aqueduct to the Postigo del Consuelo for the classic view, then walk up Calle Cervantes past the granite points of the Casa de los Picos to Plaza Mayor. Look inside the cathedral before lunch.

Book a table for a late lunch of cochinillo, then walk it off by heading west through the lanes to the Alcázar and climbing its tower for the view across the plain to the Guadarrama. In the late afternoon take the path down to the Templar church of Vera Cruz, whose twelve sides look straight back at the Alcázar on its rock; this is the photograph everyone wants.

After dark, return to the aqueduct to see it floodlit, and finish with tapas around Plaza Mayor. Next morning, take a bus out to La Granja de San Ildefonso for the royal palace and its fountain gardens before heading back to Madrid.

Cochinillo, judiones and ponche segoviano

Order cochinillo, suckling pig roasted in a wood-fired oven until the skin crackles, at Mesón de Cándido by the aqueduct or one of the old asadores around Plaza Mayor. Lechazo, roast lamb, comes from the same ovens, and ponche segoviano, a marzipan-topped sponge, is the dessert to finish.

Segovia's restaurants are built around the wood-fired oven. Cochinillo, a suckling pig only a few weeks old, roasts slowly until the skin crackles like toffee and the meat underneath can be divided with the edge of a plate. Mesón de Cándido, in the shadow of the aqueduct on Plaza del Azoguejo, made that plate-carving ritual famous, and the old asadores around Plaza Mayor follow suit. Lechazo, roast milk-fed lamb, comes out of the same ovens and is the answer if a whole piglet feels like too much.

Judiones de La Granja are giant white beans from the royal estate a few kilometres away, stewed slowly with chorizo and pork on cold days. For dessert, ponche segoviano is a sponge layered with custard, soaked in syrup and capped with marzipan, sold at the pastry shops on Plaza Mayor; Confitería El Alcázar is the traditional address, though its staff are famously brusque. Natillas, a soft egg custard, is the lighter choice.

Plaza Mayor is also lined with tapas bars for a cheaper evening, and La Almuzara near the cathedral cooks vegetarian food. Segovia has no wine region of its own, but Ribera del Duero and Rueda are close, so lists lean on their reds and crisp whites.

Mild summer nights, cold winters and fiestas in Segovia

Late spring, summer and October are the pleasant seasons in Segovia. July days reach about 30°C but nights drop to 15°C, a relief after Madrid, and October brings 18°C afternoons and autumn colour. Winters at about 1,000 m are cold, with frost at night and the odd snowfall on the aqueduct.

Segovia has a true inland climate. January averages a top of 8°C with frost at night, and a few days each winter bring snow to the Guadarrama and sometimes to the aqueduct itself. May is the wettest month at about 66 mm, though the showers pass quickly. Summer days reach around 30°C in July, but nights drop to 15°C, a real relief after Madrid. October brings 18°C afternoons, autumn colour along the Eresma and a second rainy spell.

Festivals begin early in the year. In early February the village of Zamarramala, just across the valley, celebrates Santa Águeda, when the women take over as mayors for the day in traditional dress. The city's own fiestas of San Juan and San Pedro fill the end of June with concerts and fireworks, and Holy Week brings processions through the old town.

In summer, the pine forests of Valsaín and the gardens of La Granja, both on the slopes of the Guadarrama, give shaded walks when the plain is baking.