This itinerary links the two UNESCO World Heritage cities northwest of Madrid in a linear route that does not require doubling back to the capital. The Avant handles the first leg to Segovia; an Avanza regional coach connects Segovia to Ávila across the high Castilian plateau in approximately 1 hour 15 minutes; a Media Distancia train returns to Madrid from Ávila. Three nights, two cities, no car.
Book everything before race week. Avant at renfe.com; Avanza bus at avanzabus.com or Segovia bus station (Paseo Ezequiel González); return from Ávila at renfe.com.
Both Segovia (1,000m) and Ávila (1,131m) are at altitude. Late April mornings are cold (6--10°C); afternoons reach 15--18°C. Pack a proper layer.
Night One: Segovia
Renfe Avant from Madrid Chamartín to Segovia-Guiomar: 28 minutes. Shuttle bus to Plaza del Azoguejo at the base of the Roman Aqueduct: 15 minutes.
The Aqueduct: 813 metres of granite arches rising to 28.5 metres, built without mortar in the 1st or early 2nd century AD, still carrying water until 1905. The plaza at its base is flat and pedestrianised. Walk from here along the Calle Real to the Cathedral (the last Gothic cathedral in Spain, begun 1525) and the Plaza Mayor.
The Alcázar on the western prow of the ridge is a ten-minute walk from the Plaza Mayor on flat-to-gently-sloping streets.
Dinner: Cochinillo asado at Mesón de Cándido beside the Aqueduct. Book in advance.
Stay: Hotel Eurostars Plaza Acueducto in the historic centre.
La Granja option: The royal palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso (11km from Segovia) runs its famous fountain shows in late April - check patrimonionacional.es for the current season's start date.
Nights Two and Three: Ávila
Avanza coach from Segovia bus station to Ávila: approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. Several departures daily; buy at avanzabus.com. Ávila bus station is a flat ten-minute walk from the Puerta del Alcázar.
The Paseo del Rastro - the flat gravel path tracing the outer base of the medieval walls - is the post-marathon recovery walk. The ramparts rise above; the Amblés Valley opens below. Level throughout.
Day Two in Ávila: the Cathedral (the apse is built into the city wall; heavy Romanesque-transitional Gothic interior), the Basílica de San Vicente outside the walls (12th-century Romanesque martyrdom church), and the Yemas de Santa Teresa from La Flor de Castilla on the Plaza de la Santa.
Stay: Parador de Ávila, a 15th-century palace embedded in the city walls, with a garden terrace facing the Amblés Valley and a dining room serving the chuletón de Ávila.
Getting Back
Renfe Media Distancia from Ávila to Madrid Chamartín: 1 hour 30 minutes. Book at renfe.com.