Segovia: The Roman Aqueduct, the Roast Pig, and Why You Should Stay Overnight

Segovia is only 90 kilometres from Madrid and only 28 minutes on the high-speed train from Chamartín station, which makes it the most popular day trip from the capital and also the most crowded between 11am and 4pm on weekends. Arriving by the first fast train and staying overnight fixes both problems. The day-trippers leave by mid-afternoon and the evening light on the aqueduct is the specific experience most photographs miss.

The Roman Aqueduct

The aqueduct was built in the first century AD from unmortared granite blocks - 20,000 of them, no mortar, held in place by gravity and precise engineering for nearly 2,000 years. The main section runs through the Plaza del Azoguejo at 15 metres tall. What most visitors miss: there’s a staircase up to a viewpoint on the eastern side that puts you at the level of the arches rather than below them. The engineering is more striking from there than from the square. The staircase is marked and costs nothing.

Walk under the aqueduct itself. The scale is different from below than from across the square.

The Alcázar

The Alcázar fortress has been variously a Moorish fort, royal palace, state prison, and military academy. The connection to Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle is repeated so often it has become part of the mythology; whether it’s true or not is less interesting than the building itself. The tower climb (€2.50 extra on top of the €8 admission) takes you up a narrow staircase to a panoramic view over the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores rivers and across the surrounding Castilian plain. Arrive at opening (10am) to beat the midday crowds.

The Cathedral

The Segovia Cathedral was completed in the 1500s and is the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain - which makes it simultaneously the youngest Gothic cathedral in the country and among the most complete. The interior has choir stalls worth examining, a collection of Flemish tapestries in the cloister museum, and a notable 16th-century retablo. Entry around €4.

The Suckling Pig

Cochinillo asado is Segovia’s signature dish and every restaurant in town serves it. The animals are slaughtered under 21 days old; the skin crisps to an extreme crackle that cannot be achieved at other ages. The traditional demonstration of tenderness involves cutting the pig with the edge of a ceramic plate and then smashing the plate on the floor. This is theatre, but the dish is genuinely excellent.

Mesón de Cándido by the aqueduct has been feeding visitors since 1905. José María on Calle Cronista Lecea is arguably better value and locals rate it more highly. Both require reservations at weekends. The menú del día (starter, main, dessert, wine) at bars around Plaza Mayor costs €12-15 and is the budget option.

Staying

Parador de Segovia above the city has panoramic views - it’s a modern building rather than a converted historic one, which disappoints some visitors, but the views are exceptional and there’s a pool in summer. From €120-200. Hostal La Moraleja near Plaza Mayor is clean, well-located, and around €50-70 for a double.

The high-speed train from Madrid Chamartín takes 28 minutes. The last fast train back runs around 9pm; check before lingering over dinner.