Aqueduct of Segovia

Tickets and tours: all the options

There is nothing to buy for the aqueduct itself: it is a public monument standing over a city square, free to see from every side by day or night. Tickets only come into play for the sights around it, chiefly the Alcazar, the cathedral and the stretch of city wall that can be walked, each sold separately at its own door.

What GetYourGuide sells is the trip from Madrid. The common format is a guided day out by coach or minibus that starts at the aqueduct, walks up through the old town past the cathedral and ends inside the Alcazar; entry to the castle is often included, lunch is extra. Some versions add Avila or Toledo, which makes for a long day with little time in each city. The other option is a private tour with a driver and guide, which costs more but lets you set the pace and stop for roast suckling pig, the local speciality, when it suits you.

If you are comfortable on trains, going independently is easy and cheaper: the fast train takes half an hour and the old town is compact. A guide adds most inside the Alcazar and the cathedral rather than at the aqueduct, where the tourist office on the square has maps and background. For a first trip the group day tour is the sensible choice; travellers with more time can do it alone.

A short history

Rome built the aqueduct to bring water from the Rio Frio in the Sierra de Guadarrama, about 17 km away, to the town on its rocky ridge. A lost bronze inscription, reconstructed by Geza Alfoldy from the holes that fixed its letters, pointed to Emperor Domitian and a date near AD 98, but evidence published in 2016 suggests completion after AD 112, under Trajan or early in Hadrian's reign. In 1072 Moorish forces destroyed part of the arcade, and 36 arches were rebuilt under the Catholic Monarchs in the 15th century. The aqueduct supplied Segovia until 1973. Together with the old town it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Getting there

From Madrid the fastest route is the high-speed train from Chamartin to Segovia-Guiomar, which takes about half an hour. Guiomar station lies some 5 km outside the city; urban bus 11 meets the trains and drops you by the aqueduct in about 15 minutes, and taxis wait outside. Frequent buses from the Moncloa interchange in Madrid take around an hour and a quarter to Segovia bus station, a ten-minute walk from Plaza del Azoguejo. From Madrid-Barajas airport, allow roughly two hours by public transport. Drivers take the AP-6 and AP-61 toll motorways; use the public car parks on the edge of the centre, as traffic is restricted in the old town.

Rules and what to bring

The arches are a protected monument: do not climb the pillars, sit on the lower stones or scratch them, and keep out of any fenced areas at the base. Flying drones over the city centre is not allowed without a permit. Segovia stands at about 1,000 metres, so summer evenings turn cool and the wind across the square is bitter in winter; bring a warm layer. Cafes, restaurants and toilets are easy to find around the Azoguejo and the streets above it.

When to go

Because the aqueduct is outdoors and free, timing is about light and crowds. Coach tours from Madrid arrive from about 10 am and gather in Plaza del Azoguejo, which stays busiest until early afternoon, especially at weekends and on Spanish public holidays. Come before 9.30 am for an empty square and soft light on the granite, or stay into the evening, when the floodlit arches look their best and the day-trippers have gone.

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable months. Summer days are hot but dry, and the city is noticeably cooler than Madrid. Winter brings frost and occasional snow, which makes for striking photographs but icy steps up to the Postigo. Allow half an hour to an hour for the aqueduct itself, or a full day if you add the old town, the cathedral and the Alcazar. Staying the night lets you see the arches both at dawn and lit after dark.