If you go: Segovia practicalities

 

Segovia would be the perfect daytrip from Madrid, if it weren't for the hassle of buying a ticket for the superfast train service which makes the journey in a quarter of a time. As it was, we didn't leave Madrid until after noon, arriving in Segovia nearly two hours later.

Luckily the city is compact and it's easy to navigate between the three big sights (the Roman aqueduct, cathedral and castle). The aqueduct is free to view and climb alongside, while we were charged €2 each to visit the cathedral and €6 each for our visit to the castle (in September 2010). We felt we had seen all the town's highlights in the four hours or so we had before heading back to Madrid.

There are two train stations in Segovia, the original one for the slower trains which is closer to the old town (but still a 20-minute walk) and the new station much away, for the faster trains. There is a completely new town being built around this new station as Segovia transforms itself into a bedroom community for Madrid, although at the time of our visit it was largely a wasteland of empty lots, lonely streetlamps and redundant roundabouts.

To or from either station you'll want to flag down a bus for connections with the old town (line 8 from the old train station and line 11 in order to reach the new train station). Buses stop almost right under the Roman aqueduct, so you can't get lost. A single trip on the bus cost 88 euro cents at the time. Although the bus back to the new train station in time to catch the 6.20pm train was standing-room only, the queue for tickets at the station was very short because most everyone already had their return tickets.

At the time a single ticket on the slow train from Madrid's Chamartin station to Segovia cost €6.55. By comparison, a single ticket on the superfast AVE train cost €10. The extra cost was worth it given the speed and comfort. The AVE train is much like flying, starting with the security checks and X-rays. The train itself is white and sleek inside and out. The pristine condition of the carriages with their white lino floors and the strong whiff of lemon cleaner put me in the mind of a hospital.

We had lots of legroom and reclining seats even in 2nd class. We coasted along and almost immediately entered a tunnel. Instead of winding through the mountain passes, we shot through tunnels under the mountains. There was no telling the speed we were travelling, except that the lights in the tunnels zipped past awfully fast. We merged into a lovely valley filled with a reservoir at the foot of jagged mountains, then it was right back into another tunnel.

On exiting that tunnel, we spotted the skyscrapers of Madrid and less than a half hour of leaving Segovia we had pulled back into Madrid Charmartin station.

Unfortunately because we had a picnic lunch on the train, I don't have any dining recommendations for Segovia. Click back though and I'll tell you all about a gourmet diner in Madrid which dished up the best onion rings I've had on this side of the pond!