Segovia

Segovia

Our next day trip was to the mountain town of Segovia. On the high-speed train, it only took us about 30 minutes to arrive. The train station is a bit out of town, sitting somewhat awkwardly in the middle of a field, so from there you grab a bus and head into town.

The first thing that greets you is one of the things Segovia is famous for: the Roman Aqueduct. Built in the late 1st or early 2nd century CE, it carried water from the nearby mountains into the city for nearly 2,000 years. What makes it especially remarkable is that it was constructed without mortar. The massive granite blocks are held together purely by precise engineering and gravity. It’s incredibly well preserved, and honestly, it feels surreal to be standing next to something that old that still looks so intact.

We walked through the old part of town within the medieval walls, wandered briefly into the newer sections, and then made our way back through the narrow alleys of the former Jewish Quarter.

We grabbed empanadas for lunch and ate them in the shadow of the cathedral, Segovia Cathedral. Built between the 16th and 18th centuries, it’s one of the last Gothic cathedrals constructed in Europe. It’s sometimes called the “Lady of Cathedrals” because of its design and position overlooking the city.

After lunch, we headed to the Alcázar of Segovia. This castle is rumored to have inspired Walt Disney’s vision for Sleeping Beauty’s castle, and once you see it, that rumor feels very believable. Its shape is especially unique, with the front jutting out like the bow of a ship over the valley below.

The Alcázar has a long history as both a royal palace and a military fortress. It was originally built in the 12th century on the site of a Roman fort, and it later became one of the preferred residences of Castilian monarchs. In 1862, a devastating fire destroyed much of the interior and roof. The castle was restored in the late 19th century in a more romanticized, neo-medieval style, which is largely what you see today.

Our tour took us through several rooms, including halls lined with suits of armor, a throne room, a dining hall, and the Hall of Kings, which features statues of Spanish monarchs along with their coats of arms and brief histories. We also saw the armory, which houses an impressive collection of medieval weapons.

We then climbed to the top of the tower, which was absolutely worth it. The views stretch out over historic Segovia and the surrounding valley, and you really get a sense of how strategically positioned the city is.

After leaving the castle, we headed north out of the medieval walls and down a steep path into the valley below. We walked along the Eresma River for a bit, then backtracked and made our way to the Pradera de San Marcos, a beautiful meadow with one of the best views of the Alcázar. From there, the castle looks even more like a ship, perched dramatically above the landscape.

Behind the meadow sits the Church of San Marcos, a Romanesque church dating to the 12th century. A bit farther out is the Church of the Vera Cruz, built around 1208 by the Knights Templar. Its 12-sided (dodecagonal) structure is unusual and symbolic, possibly inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. 

Rather than head back along the river, we kept going west and visited another church at the base of a granite cliff, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fuencisla. This sanctuary dates to the 16th century and is dedicated to the patron saint of Segovia. We were able to go inside, and it was quiet and peaceful—a perfect place to pause for a moment.

As we left, we noticed a path climbing back up the ridge where Segovia sits, near the front of the Alcázar. Of course, we had to explore it, and it led us to another breathtaking viewpoint.

From there, we needed to head back to the train station, so we followed Google Maps down into the valley and up the other side along a road on the southern perimeter of town back toward the aqueduct. We were in a bit of a hurry, which was too bad, because the valley between the road and medieval Segovia was lush and green, with a well-maintained walking trail winding through it. There were multiple access points leading both up to the road and back into the old city. It looked enchanting, and I would have loved to spend more time there, but due to time restraints and not wanting to get stuck in a potential dead end in the valley, we just enjoyed the views from above.

I was trying to describe this area to a friend who had studied here in 1998, but she said she always went by the river and didn’t recognize what I was describing. That sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole.

It turns out this area is part of the Valle del Clamores, near what’s known as the Puente del Piojo. In medieval times, a road ran through here, but over the years it became neglected and overgrown, essentially turning into a forgotten backyard of the city. In the early 2000s, Segovia undertook a major restoration project, cleaning it up, landscaping it, and adding trails, benches, and access points. Today it’s a well-used green space that feels both natural and thoughtfully designed. Brilliant.

That discovery led me to another realization. It’s kind of wild how much Spain has changed in a relatively short time. Following the end of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in 1975, Spain transitioned rapidly into a democracy, joined the European Economic Community (now the EU) in 1986, and underwent massive economic and infrastructure development. Social changes came quickly too. For example, until the mid-1970s, married women in Spain still needed their husband’s permission for certain legal and financial activities, including travel. The pace of modernization over the past 50 years has been remarkable.

I digress. Thirty minutes and a whole lot of Googling later, we were back in Madrid.

We ended the day at a French-style set menu restaurant—steak frites, salad, and a trio of desserts—and then walked through the now-familiar neighborhood back to our hotel, surrounded by a couple thousand other people enjoying Madrid at midnight.