Segovia walking tour & city guide

The aqueduct

The Roman aqueduct, built around the end of the 1st century AD, strides across the Plaza del Azoguejo on more than 160 arches of granite blocks held together without mortar. At its highest point it stands about 28 metres tall. Steps beside it lead up to a viewpoint at the level of the channel that once carried water into the city.

From the cathedral to the Alcázar

From the aqueduct, Calle Real winds up through the old town past Romanesque churches, mansions and the Casa de los Picos, whose façade is covered in pointed stones, to the Plaza Mayor. Above the square rises the cathedral, one of the last Gothic cathedrals built in Spain and nicknamed the Lady of Cathedrals.

At the far end of the ridge, the Alcázar rises like a ship's prow above two rivers, with slate-roofed towers often said to have inspired Disney's castles. Its royal halls and the climb up the Tower of Juan II give wide views over the Castilian plains and the Guadarrama mountains.

Visiting tips

Segovia is one of the most popular day trips from Madrid, and the old town is small enough to walk end to end in about 20 minutes. A path around the base of the ridge gives views of the Alcázar from below. Winters are cold and can bring snow, which makes the old town especially pretty.