The Avant covers the distance in 28 minutes, burrowing under the granite mass of the Sierra de Guadarrama. At Segovia-Guiomar station, a shuttle bus (timed to arriving trains) reaches the Plaza del Azoguejo at the base of the Roman Aqueduct in 15 minutes. In late April, Segovia sits at 1,000 metres: mornings are cool (8--12°C), afternoons warm (16--20°C), and the air has the hard clarity of high-altitude spring.
Getting There
Renfe Avant from Madrid Chamartín to Segovia-Guiomar: 28 minutes. Reserved-seat service - book in advance at renfe.com. The shuttle bus from the station to Plaza del Azoguejo runs to coincide with arriving trains. Book the return at the same time.
The Roman Aqueduct
The Aqueduct of Segovia is one of the best-preserved Roman engineering structures in the world. Built in the 1st or early 2nd century AD without mortar - the granite blocks hold by friction and geometry alone - the visible section runs 813 metres through the city on 167 arches, rising to 28.5 metres at the Plaza del Azoguejo. It was still carrying water to Segovia until 1905.
The plaza at its base is wide, flat, and pedestrianised. Walk from here along the Calle Real toward the Cathedral - level ground for most of the route, with a gentle slope approaching the Plaza Mayor.
The Cathedral and Plaza Mayor
The Cathedral of Segovia is the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain, begun in 1525. Large, light-filled, and under-visited relative to the Aqueduct - the nave is accessible without crowds. The cloisters, rebuilt from an earlier cathedral destroyed in the Comuneros revolt of 1520, are flat and calm.
The Plaza Mayor adjoins the Cathedral: a colonnaded square of cafés at exactly the right altitude for sitting in the late-April sun.
The Alcázar
The Alcázar sits on the western prow of the ridge where the Eresma and Clamores rivers meet below two cliffs. The exterior with its spires is the famous image; the ground-floor rooms are accessible without the 152-step tower climb. Ten minutes' walk on flat-to-gentle streets from the Plaza Mayor.
Where to Eat
Mesón de Cándido beside the Aqueduct has served cochinillo asado since 1786. Roast suckling pig, traditionally carved at the table with the edge of a plate to demonstrate its tenderness. Book in advance; ground-floor dining room, flat throughout. The cochinillo is the lunch.
Getting Back
Shuttle buses from Plaza del Azoguejo to Segovia-Guiomar run to coincide with departures. Avant returns to Madrid Chamartín throughout the afternoon and evening.
La Granja note: The royal palace and gardens of La Granja de San Ildefonso, 11 kilometres from Segovia, run their famous Juegos de Agua fountain shows in late April - check current dates at patrimonionacional.es. Accessible by taxi from Segovia.