In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The train from Madrid Chamartín to Segovia-Guiomar takes about 30 minutes, first train 06:20, but Guiomar is 6 km from the Aqueduct: take bus 11 or a taxi. The Avanza coach from Moncloa takes about an hour and stops 300 m from the Aqueduct. The Aqueduct is free to see, the Alcázar is €7 (€10 with the tower) and the Cathedral is €4; the Alcázar’s Tuesday 14:00 to 16:00 free window is for EU citizens only. Or book a tour: Segovia and Toledo, Alcazar and Cathedralad is from €40.60 for 12 hours, Avila and Segovia with tickets to monumentsad is from €79 with entries included, and on the ground a guided walking tour with Cathedral and Alcázar entryad is from €27; a tour removes the 6 km between the station and the Aqueduct (GetYourGuide).
Getting there
| Option | Time | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Train, Madrid Chamartín to Segovia-Guiomar | About 30 minutes | First train 06:20; fares on Renfe. Guiomar is 6 km from the Aqueduct and open 06:00 to 22:30 |
| Avanza coach, Moncloa to Segovia | About 1 hour | Stops 300 m from the Aqueduct; timetable and fares on avanzabus.com |
| Day tour | 9 to 12 hours | From €40ad, usually with Ávila or Toledo |
Renfe’s Madrid to Segovia page gives the 06:20 from Chamartín as the first train, and says an AVE or long-distance ticket includes one free Cercanías ride. The Tourist Travel Pass does not cover these trains.
From Guiomar, the Alcázar’s own page lists urban bus 11 to the Aqueduct, bus 12 to the centre, the metropolitan bus M9 and 24-hour taxis. There is a second, old Segovia station with two regional trains a day, which is slow and not the one to use.
Tours from Madrid
Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult. Several listings sell entries as an option, so check the option you pick includes them.
| Tour | Length | From | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Segovia and Toledo Tour, Alcazar, and Cathedralad (10,636 reviews) | 12 hours | €40.60 | Two cities in one day; Alcázar entry is in the listing |
| Toledo & Segovia Tour w/ Cathedral, Alcazar & Lunchad (7,207 reviews) | 11 hours | €39.15 | The same two cities with lunch |
| Avila and Segovia Day Trip with Tickets to Monumentsad (5,271 reviews) | 9 hours | €79 | Entrance fees are in the listing |
| Segovia & Avila Day Trip with Optional Ticketsad (2,237 reviews) | 9 hours | €40 | Tickets are an option |
| Avila and Segovia Full-Day Tourad (1,309 reviews) | 9 hours | €51 | The two cities without tickets in the headline price |
| Avila & Segovia Day Tour with Monument Ticketsad (953 reviews) | 9 hours | €43.80 | Monument tickets in the title |
| Segovia Tour with Cathedral and Alcazar Entryad (299 reviews) | 5 hours | €42 | Segovia alone |
On the ground in Segovia, Segovia: Guided Walking Tour with Cathedral & Alcázar Entryad is from €27 for 2½ hours (268 reviews), and Segovia: Guided Walking Tour with Alcázar Entryad is from €21 for 2 hours (93 reviews). They suit a train day.
Tickets and prices
Prices are the operators’ own.
| Where | Adult | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aqueduct | Free | An open-air Roman monument seen from the street |
| Alcázar, Palace and Museum | €7 | €10 with the Torre de Juan II; guided visit in Spanish €10.50, with the tower €13.50 |
| Cathedral | €4 | Includes the Episcopal Palace; €3 reduced; free under 8 and for Segovians |
The Alcázar sells tickets at entradas.alcazardesegovia.com and recommends buying ahead, especially at weekends and on holidays, because the tickets with the tower sell out first. Entry on the day is also at the box office. The Alcázar’s free window is Tuesday 14:00 to 16:00, for citizens of the European Union only, at the box office, subject to capacity and not on public holidays.
The Cathedral’s hours and prices page has a guided Cathedral visit at €6, a guided tower visit at €7 and a pack of both at €10.
What to see
Segovia was inscribed by UNESCO in 1985 with its Roman aqueduct. The old town is a ridge, with the Aqueduct at one end and the Alcázar at the other, so the walk runs up through the town and back down. Guided day trips run 9 hours with Ávila and 5 hours for Segovia alone.
The Aqueduct
Free · open air
The Roman aqueduct crosses the town square on tall granite arches. It needs no ticket and no time slot, so see it first if you arrive by coach and last if you arrive by train.
The Roman aqueduct crossing Segovia, seen from the old town. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The Alcázar
€7 · €10 with the tower · open every day, 10:00 to 18:00 until 31 March, 10:00 to 19:30 from 1 April to 31 October
The Alcázar is a fortress-palace on a rock above the meeting of two rivers, and its Torre del Homenaje is often compared to a ship’s prow. The Palace and Museum take 40 to 45 minutes; the Torre de Juan II is 152 spiral steps and up to 25 minutes, with no under-age solo visitors. The box office and entry stop 30 minutes before closing. On 6 November it opens 11:30 to 18:00, on 24 and 31 December 10:00 to 14:30, and on 25 December it is closed.
The Alcázar of Segovia on its rock, with the Cathedral tower at right. Photo: Rafa Esteve, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Cathedral
€4 · Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 18:30, Sunday 13:30 to 18:30
The Cathedral stands in the old town’s main square, and the ticket includes the Episcopal Palace. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. It is an active cathedral, so dress modestly. The guided tower visit runs daily at 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30.
Segovia Cathedral and its bell tower, with the Sierra de Guadarrama behind. Photo: Carlos Delgado, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The rest of the old town
The Alcázar’s own page names the Romanesque churches and convents, the canons’ quarter, the Jewish quarter, and the green belt below the walls along the Eresma and Clamores rivers as the other things to walk through. The local dishes it lists are roast suckling pig (cochinillo), roast lamb, judiones de La Granja beans, garlic soup and ponche segoviano cake.
Planning the day
- Choose the station. The coach arrives near the Aqueduct; the train arrives 6 km away.
- Book the Alcázar with the tower online, as those tickets sell out first.
- Walk up from the Aqueduct through the old town to the Alcázar, with the Cathedral on the way.
- Tuesday has the Alcázar’s EU-only free window from 14:00 to 16:00.
- Sunday the Cathedral opens at 13:30.
- Pair it with Ávila on a tour or Toledo on the 12-hour tour; on your own, one city is a day.
Segovia is one of the day trips from Madrid. Madrid airport to the city and Madrid public transport cover the first and last day, El Escorial is the other trip out of the Sierra side of Madrid, and what to book before you go to Madrid lists the sights that need tickets. Where to stay in Madrid compares the areas.
Common questions
How do you get from Madrid to Segovia?
By Renfe AVE or Avant from Chamartín to Segovia-Guiomar in about 30 minutes, first train 06:20, or by Avanza coach from the Moncloa interchange in about an hour, which drops you 300 m from the Aqueduct. Guiomar station is 6 km from the old town.
How do you get from Segovia-Guiomar station to the Aqueduct?
By urban bus 11, which goes to the Aqueduct, or bus 12 to the centre, or by taxi. The station is 6 km from the old town.
How much does it cost to see Segovia?
The Aqueduct is a street monument and costs nothing. The Alcázar is €7, or €10 with the tower of Juan II, and the Cathedral is €4. Together that is €11, or €14 with the tower.
Is the Alcázar of Segovia free?
On Tuesdays from 14:00 to 16:00 the Palace and Museum are free for citizens of the European Union, bought at the box office only, subject to capacity, and not on public holidays. Visitors from the UK, US, Canada and Australia pay.
Is it better to go to Segovia by train or on a tour?
The train is about 30 minutes and leaves the day to you, but the station is 6 km out. Tours run 9 to 12 hours and usually pair Segovia with Ávila or Toledo, from €40; a walking tour on the ground with the Alcázar entry is from €21.
