Segovia and Ávila private day trip from Madrid

Segovia and Ávila are both UNESCO World Heritage cities, about an hour apart, and almost impossible to combine in one day by public transport. With a private car, they make one of the most satisfying days out from Madrid: Roman engineering, a castle from a storybook and some of the best-preserved medieval walls in Europe.

The road north climbs through the pine forests of the Guadarrama mountains before descending to Segovia. The first sight stops most people in their tracks: the Roman aqueduct striding across the Plaza del Azoguejo, its granite arches fitted without mortar and rising to about 28 metres. From there, the old town climbs to the Plaza Mayor and the cathedral, one of the last great Gothic cathedrals built in Spain, and continues to the Alcázar at the tip of the rock. Before or after visiting, your driver can take you below the walls to the Fuencisla area, where the castle's silhouette rises like the prow of a ship.

Lunch in Segovia is a tradition in itself. The city is famous for roast suckling pig; roast lamb, Castilian soups and grilled dishes are equally typical, so there is something for every preference.

In the afternoon, you cross the plateau to Ávila. Its Romanesque walls, built mainly in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, run for around two and a half kilometres with dozens of towers and nine gates. The Cuatro Postes viewpoint, just outside town, shows them whole; then you can walk a section of the wall and the quiet streets of the city of Saint Teresa.

Compare this trip with others in our guide to day trips from Madrid, or see the Madrid destination guide. This is one of our day trips, arranged on request; availability and price are confirmed by the team after reviewing your dates.