How to Spend a Weekend in Segovia

Segovia is a small city with big heritage. The soaring aqueduct is undoubtedly its most famous landmark and it is probably the most important Roman monument surviving in the heart of a modern city. However, this is not the only jewel of the city. Segovia's Alcazar looks like a fairy tale castle, in fact, it is said that Walt Disney was inspired by it to create Sleeping Beauty's Disneyland castle.

Would you like to join me in a walk around this magical and stunning city?

El Acueducto is an 894m-long engineering wonder. Built in the 1st century AD, not a single drop of mortar was used to hold more than 20,000 granite blocks together. Seems impossible, right? That's why we are still amazed by it today.

Looking at this place, I feel that Rapunzel could have been trapped in one of these towers. This fairy tale looking fortress was originally built in Roman times and rebuilt in the 14th century. The place was destroyed in the 19th century so what we see today is a reconstruction of the original. The name Alcazar comes from he Arabic al-qasr which means fortress.

Other places worth visiting in Segovia's Unesco World Heritage old town are the Gothic cathedral and San Millán, the most important Romanesque church.

The region of Segovia has so much more to offer. Once you are done with the city, there are a few other places where you must stop. First and foremost is the Royal Palace of la Granja de San Ildefonso which we visited on last week's post.

In this little town you can also find a great place to stay: El Parador de la Granja. This beautiful hotel is in the Top 10 Paradores list for good reason. It is housed in the Casa de los Infantes, built by king Charles III in the 18th century as a home for the infantes Gabriel and Antonio. Even though Segovia has it's own Parador, this one is far more charming and it's only 10 km away from the city.

In the Parador restaurant you can try dishes from the local cuisine like the famous judiones de La Granja (broad beans from La Granja) or suckling pig and lamb slowly roasted in a wood-burning oven.

Royal Glass Factory and Museum of La Granja is another must in this town. Here you can discover the evolution and methods of working this material over the centuries. The factory was established in 1727 by king Philip V to make lamps, windows and mirrors for the Royal Palace.

Last but not least we have the Royal Palace of Riofrio. This palace was used by the Bourbon dynasty as a hunting pavilion and a place to rest and relax. Here you can visit the Hunting Museum and see great examples of tapestry and sumptuous 19th century furniture. It is 10 km from Segovia and 20 km from La Granja de San Ildefonso.

Segovia is a great day trip from Madrid or weekend getaway if you want to visit nearby areas too. Full of Spanish history, there's no shortage of things to learn here.

PRACTICAL INFO

• The most famous restaurants in Segovia are Conde Duque and Meson de Candido. They are said to serve the best cochinillo (roasted suckling pig) in town. Make reservations ahead.
• You can get to Segovia from Madrid by bus, train -the high speed train takes only 30 minutes- or drive for one hour.
• On Sunday mornings you can enter the Cathedral for free, otherwise it's 3€.
• Entrance to the Alcazar is 8€.

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