Avila and Segovia day tour

• Bus tours
• Tours from Madrid

Day trip to Avila and Segovia from Madrid

On this day trip to Avila and Segovia from Madrid, discover two cities full of history and declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Guided tour in Avila

The first part of the tour will take place in the medieval city of Avila, only 100 km from Madrid. Before arriving at this location, we will have a panoramic view of the city and its famous wall via the Four Columns lookout.

This wall, which dates back to the 11th century, is a belt of rock more than 2 km long that features 90 towers and nine entrance gates. Upon approaching the wall, we will also appreciate its height (up to 12 metres), its width (up to 3 metres) and the magnificent state of this fortress, which has remained almost intact since its construction. Therefore it is considered the best-preserved medieval wall enclosure in the world.

After inspecting the walls, many other surprises await us during our guided visit to Avila. Some even support the fortification itself, as is the case of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, begun in the roman style and finished with gothic forms.

The tour will also take us to the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), where the town hall is located. But before that, we will walk by many stately palaces that have born witness to and serve as evidence of a glorious past.

Avila’s most illustrious person is Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), and part of our tour will bring us to her. We will get to know the life of this nun and will visit the Church of San Juan and the Church of the Santa, raised over the familial home of Saint Teresa, whose dormitory is preserved as a chapel.

The excursion through Avila ends with a visit to the Basilica de San Vincente, a church built in the Roman style in the 12th century. It is declared a National Heritage site, and is considered one of the greatest buildings of its age in all of Spain. The most highlighted element in its interior is its polychromatic Stone cenotaph, in a perfect state of conservation, recognized as one of the most important works of Roman sculpture in Spain.

After the itinerary through Avila, we will continue the excursion in neighbouring Segovia, where we will arrive after about an hour’s journey.

Guided tour in Segovia

Immediately upon arriving in Segovia, we will see its famous aqueduct, which served to transport water from the Guadarrama Mountain Range to Segovia, a 15 km distance. Built during the Roman occupation of Spain in the 2nd century, its most visible part is 800 metres long and 28 metres high at its most elevated point. You will be impressed to see that the aqueduct stands strong with rock upon rock, without any type of mortar to hold it together.

After admiring this spectacular work of architecture, we will relax and have time to eat. For that we have multiple options: a menu that includes the typical Granja beans as the first dish, roast suckling pig as the second and Segovia punch cake, the area’s typical dessert, with ice cream and coffee. Another option is to choose a simpler menu, compose of beans and a good beef stew.
If you prefer, you can eat on your own, going to any of the restaurants surrounding the aqueduct, such as the famed Mesón Cándido or Casa Duque.
Once you have regained strength, we will return to the guided visit of Segovia by going to its Plaza Mayor (Main Square), where we’ll find the town hall, the Church of San Miguel (where Queen Isabel the Catholic was crowned), and the Cathedral of Santa Maria.

We will even enter the Cathedral, which was built between the 16th and 18th centuries and represents the finest example of gothic architecture in Spain.
We will finish our excursion in Segovia by visiting the city’s other grand symbol, the Alcazar, a construction that was the residence of many kings of Castile and whose rooms we will be able to tour during our guided visit.

It is a walk through history that will take us through rooms like the Throne Room, the Room of Kings, the Armory or the Royal Chamber.
In this way, the Alcazar becomes the ideal place to conclude the excursion to Avila and Segovia from Madrid. Along the way we have experienced the most genuine medieval atmosphere, which will be etched in our memory stone by stone.