The City
Segovia, which is located about an hour north of Madrid, is another city that you should not forget to pay a visit to. It is separated from Madrid by the mountain range of Sierra Guadarrama and it has a population hovering around the number of 55,000. It is a very popular site for tourists, this lovely and romantic Castilian city, which was added to the World Heritage list in 1985. The city centre is surrounded by beautifully conserved old city walls and its ancient Roman aqueduct is an important piece of Spanish architecture. It is 813 meters long and consists of 166 arches. The famous stone fortification called the Alcázar is located in Segovia as well. This amazing medieval castle has housed many Castilian monarchs, especially during the Middle Ages it was a popular residence to them. Furthermore, during that time it functioned as a key fortification in the protection of the Kingdom of Castile. Its appearance is reminiscent of the logo of Disney, but also of the bow of a ship. Another very popular site of attraction in Segovia is the 16th century Gothic Cathedral, by the architect Juan Gil de Hontanon. It overlooks Plaza Mayor and dominates the skyline of the city. The building of this construction started in 1525, but it was not actually finished until 1768. The Cathedral is open to visitors every day from 9:00 to 18:00. The Casa de los Picos is also well worth paying a visit to, just like the San Martin church and the San Esteban church. Whereas the city in the 15th century was well-known for its production of wool, nowadays it thrives on tourism and agriculture. Segovia is gastronomically significant as well. You can enjoy tapas and chocolate con churros. And the roasted suckling pig (cochinillo), for example, is a dish that you must try. There are a number of restaurants at the Plaza Mayor that serve this specialty of Segovia. At these restaurants the prices are only slightly higher and the quality is really good.
How to arrive in Segovia
If you fly to Madrid:
From Barajas Airport to Madrid centre:
Option 1:
Subway: Take the express subway line # 8 to Nuevos Minsterios and change to line # 6 to Príncipe Pío, which is right next to the bus station (Subway map: http://www.metromadrid.es/redmetro/visor/plano.asp). The ride might take 30 minutes and it costs €1. The subway rides 6:05 AM through 1:30 AM.
When you leave the subway station, ask for the bus station “La Sepulvedana” (it is right there. Address: Paseo de la Florida, # 11; tel.: 915598955). It is expensive (around 40 or 50 euros from Terminal 4, and 30 or 40 euros from other terminals).
From Madrid centre to Segovia:
Bus company “La Sepulvedana” (Address: Paseo de la Florida, # 11; tel.: +34 91 5598955 http://www.lasepulvedana.es).
The ride costs 6 €, and it takes one hour.
The first bus leaves Madrid at 6:00 Monday – Friday, and at 8:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
Get off at the last stop: Segovia.
NOTE: There are trains from Madrid to Segovia, but they are slow (120 minutes), and they leave every 2 hours. The first train leaves Madrid at 6:00 (Saturdays and Sundays at 8:00), and the last train leaves at 20:00. If you are interested on this option, please let us know your travel plans and we will give you all the details.
Going straight from Barajas Airport to Segovia:
SLI can arrange a pick-up service for you from the airport to your final destination in Segovia. If you are interested on this service, let us know your travel plans (date, time of arrival and terminal), and we will tell you the price.
If you fly to Valladolid:
From Villanubla airport to Valladolid centre:
Valladolid Airport is located in the municipality of Villanubla, ten kilometres from the provincial capital, Valladolid.
From the airport you have to go to the bus station of Valladolid. For that you have two options:
Option 1: Take a taxi to the bus station at Valladolid (20 € approx.)
Option 2: Take a bus from the airport to the bus station in Valladolid (Slow! A 30 min.
ride for 10 kms…!!!).
From Valladolid centre to Segovia:
Take a bus to Segovia (bus company: Linecar: www.linecar.es). The ride takes almost 1 hour and forty five minutes (it is slow, because it stops in many villages).
The first bus leaves Valladolid at 6:44 Monday – Saturday, and at 9:00 on Sunday and holidays.
Note: There are also trains from Valladolid to Segovia. If you are interested in this option, please let us know your travel plans and we will give you all the details.
If you want to go straight form Villanubla Airport to Segovia:
The school can arrange a pick-up service for you from the airport to your final destination in Segovia. If you are interested in this, let us know your travel plans (date, time of arrival and terminal), and we will tell you the price.
If you arrive in Spain by bus, train, car…
Get in contact with our school and let us know about your travel plans. We will give you all the details about how to get to Segovia.
