The city of Segovia, which since 1985 proudly boasts the designation of Mankind Patronage City, has one of the most strikingly beautiful historic districts in Spain. Segovia province borders on the provinces of Madrid, Valladolid, Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara and Ávila, and the capital city is located at the junction of the Eresma and Clamores rivers. Once inhabited by the Iberians, the Arevaco tribe, the Vacceos and the Celts, the city fell into the hands of the Romans in 80 b.C. During the XV and XVI centuries, the city developed into a centre for cloth manufacturing and during this prosperous period many of its grandest palaces were built. However, the city's economy began to slack after the war of succession against Charles I, but again began to grow after the Spanish King Charles III founded the Academy of the Artillery there in the XVIII century. The town is laid out on a medieval plan with narrow pedestrian streets running through the neighborhoods which even today bear the signs of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures which have thrived here. Population: 56,858

Tourist Information: Patronato Provincial de Turismo, Plaza Mayor, 6 ( 921 466 070). Open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 15:00. Tourist Office Junta de Castilla & León, Plaza Mayor, 10 ( 921 460 334). Open daily from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. Visitors Center, Plaza del Azoguejo, 1 ( 921 46 67 20 / 21). Open daily from 10:00 to 20:00. More information at www.segoviaturismo.es

Weather: Winters are cold and summers warm in the city, with an average precipitation around the year. This is the current weather:

Telephones: Segovia code number is 923, even necessary for local calls. For international calls dial 00 plus the country code you wish to call. Public telephones works with coins and prepaid cards on sale at newsagents. For telephone information dial 11888 or 11822.

Train Station: Renfe Station, Obispo Quesada, 1 ( 902 240 202). Regional services Segovia-Madrid at 5:55 and each hour from 6:55 to 20:55, Madrid Atocha-Segovia at 6:02 and every 2 hours from 8:01 to 20:01 (2 hour trip; price 5.65 €). Segovia-Guiomar AVE Station, 4 km from the city center, besides AP-61 & SG-20 roads. High speed Avant trains Segovia-Madrid Chamartin Monday to Friday at 7:00, 8:10, 9:40, 14:30, 17:00 & 19:45 and weekends at 9:40, 11:25, 13:00, 17:00, 19:05 & 20:50; Madrid Chamartin-Segovia Monday to Friday at 7:10, 8:50, 10:35, 15:30, 18:50 & 21:00 and weekends at 10:35, 12:10, 13:50, 17:50, 20:00 & 21:40 (35 minute trip, one way 20.40 €, return ticket 32.70 €). Local bus number 11 to plaza de la Artillería & number 12 to Ezequiel González.

Bus Station: Paseo de Ezequiel González, 20 ( 921 427 706). Coaches to Madrid every 15-30 minutes from 6:00 to 21:30. Direct coaches to Valladolid, Cuéllar, Salamanca & Avila.

Public Transport: Eight lines of local buses ( 921 462 727) cover the whole city, with a night service between San Lorenzo & Paseo del Salon each hour from 23:30 to 5:30 from San Lorenzo and from 23:00 to 6:00 from Paseo del Salon. Single ticket costs 0.80 € (0.49 € with bonobus) and night & holiday ticket 0.82 €. Transport Card is recharged with 5 € multiples, with a cost of 0.23 € for every trip from Monday to Saturday from 7:30 to 9:30, 0.49 € during the rest of the day and 0.82 € on Sunday and bank days. Tourist Buses make a round trip with origin in acueduct, offering 6 languages audioguides at 5.20 € adults and 3.90 € youngsters under 13.

Taxis: Daily fare applies Monday to Saturday from 7:00 to 23:00, with a start fare of 2.37 € and 0.74 € each kilometre. Night fare applies Monday to Saturday from 23:00 to 7:00 and 24 hours Sunday and bank days, with a start fare of 3.56 € and 1.11 € each kilometre. Suitcase supplement is 0.38 €, daily waiting hour 16.40 € and night waiting hour 24.61 €. RadioTaxi, 921 445 000.

Vehicles: Parking inside San Millán & Santo Tomas areas, as well as old district is controlled by parking meters known as ORA, which work from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 20:00 and Saturday from 9:30 to 14:00. Price is 0.30 €, 0.60 €, 1 € y 1.40 € for 30, 60, 90 & 120 minutes parking time.

Bicycles: BICIo ( 921 46 67 21) is a public bike rental service offered by Segovia's city council. It works from March to October Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 21:00 & weekends from 9:00 to 21:00. There're 200 bicycles (some of them provided with an electric engine) in eight depots around the city: Acueducto, Plaza Mayor, Bus Station, AVE Station, Alcázar, Nueva Segovia, La Albuera & San Lorenzo-Vía Roma. Above 18 y.o. users (14 if accompanied by their parents) must be provided with a mobile phone and subscribe first in the Visitor Center or in the information points at Bus Station, AVE Station or Rotonda del Pastor. Bicycles are unlock with a sms from the mobile phone pointing the bike and lock id. & pin number. A day rental cost 3 €; 2 days 4 €; 3 or 4 days 5 €, 1 week 6 €; 2 weeks 10 €; 1 month 15 € & the whole season 30 €.

Medical Assistance: Santo Tomas Health Center, Santo Tomás, 9 ( 921 419 330). General Hospital, Carretera de Ávila ( 921 419 100). Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia Hospital, Doctor Velasco, 21 ( 921 460 112). Policlinic San Agustin, San Agustín, 13 ( 921 419 100). Juan Bravo Dental Clinic, Juan Bravo, 20 ( 921 463 393).

Pharmacies: Atienza Pharmacy, José Zorrilla, 117. Doctor Ramos Pharmacy, Carretera Villacastín, 10 (in front of rail station). Piñuela Martín Pharmacy, Vicente Aleixandre, 3 (Nueva Segovia). Rujas Gómez Pharmacy, Larga, 5 (next to Coronel Rexach).

Casa Cándido

Emergencies: All the emergencies: 112; Medical Service: 061; National Police: 091. Local Police: 921 431 212; Firemen: 921 422 222; Red Cross: 921 440 202 / 921 440 702.

Restaurants: Casa Cándido, Azoguejo, 5. One of the most famous restaurant in Spain. Convento de Mínimos, Valdeláguila, 3. Spectacular restaurant in an old convent. Casa Vicente, Colón, 1. Roasted specials. Cueva de San Esteban, Valdeláguila, 15. Restaurant in an ancient building. Di-Vino, Valdeláguila, 7. Everything about wine. Duque, Cervantes, 12. One of the most important master-chefs from Segovia. La Judería, Judería Vieja, 5. Castilian traditional kitchen and sefardíes plates. Maracaibo-Casa Silvano, Ezequiel Solana, 25. Kitchen of vanguard. Lago, Av. Juan de Borbón y Battemberg, 47. A garden restaurant for every kind of celebrations.

Pubs & Clubs: Canavan's, Plaza de la Rubio, 2. Irish pub. Casino de la Unión, Juan Bravo, 30. A chat in good atmosphere. Chupitos, Mahonías (Paseo de Ezequiel González). Young atmosphere. Bar Komarka, Escuderos, 23. Mojitos specialty. Laberinto del Menorá, San Frutos, 21. Pub with a good atmosphere. El Callejón, Herrería, 6. Spanish music bar. Compás, Santo Tomás, 1. Cocktais & nice music. Campus, Mahonías (Paseo de Ezequiel González). University atmosphere. Alcatraz, Nieves, 44. The best music of the city. Kanadá, Carretas (barrio de San Millán). Live music. Yellow Art Club/Vertical, Fernández Ladreda, 25. House club.

Gay venues: Amarote, Escuderos, 5. Gay pub.

Times changes, timetables and prices vary continuously, attractions that were once interesting are no longer so a year later, and others that were not even mentioned become a must in no time. For this reason, at infoidiomas.com we are always updating and we would be grateful if our clients would tell us about details and information that has become obsolete. We will acknowledge them by publishing their names in future editions.

Roman Aqueduct ROMANS OR THE DEVIL HIMSELF? It is commonly believed that the Aqueduct of Segovia was built by the devil himself for a young Segovian girl who was tired of walking down to the city's fountains for water and who was willing to do almost anything in order to avoid the hard work. One day the devil offered to build her a bridge in exhange for her soul, and she agreed providing that he could have it built in a single night. Apparently, the devil nearly completed the task, but when the first rays of the sun appeared over the horizon he still had one more stone to put into place. There are those who say that the holes in the stones are really the devil's fingerprints.

A complete tour of Segovia should begin in Azoguejo Square, a key nexus in Segovia's communication network. From this square you can get an impressive view of the Roman Aqueduct, the most emblematic monument in the city. The aqueduct was built by the Romans in the I century a.C. in order to bring water to the city from Fuenfría, a natural spring 17 km away. Made up of 163 granite arches which reach a height of 29 metres above the ground, the Aqueduct spans over 700 metres from side to side over the city of Segovia. Over the course of time and especially in the last few years, the Aqueduct has really suffered from the traffic, which thankfully has now been restricted in the immediate area. From Azoguejo you should take the Calle Real, a long commericial street which is actually two: the Calle Cervantes and the Calle Juan Bravo. A walk along here affords the best views of Segovia's historical district, including architectural wonders from the XV to the XX century and all the city's historical periods in between.

The first stop on the Calle Real is the Mirador de la Canaleja, a vantage point from which you can overlook San Millán and this neighborhood's romanesque temple. Located just before you get to the San Martín gate and the Casa de los Picos [House of Pointed Spires], you can also see the Guadarrama mountain range and the silhouetter of Mujer Muerta Mountain [Dead Woman]. Just after the Mirador is the Casa de los Picos, which sports a unique diamond-shaped pointed-spire façade of granite ( during the winter months Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00, weekends from 12:00 to 14:00 and 19:00 to 21:00, and during the summer months daily from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 19:00 to 21:00; visitors have access to the Exhibit Hall and the patio; free). Continuing along the Calle Juan Bravo to the tiny Plaza del Platero Oquendo, you'll find the Conde Alpuente Palace, which dates from the XV century. There is a narrow alleyway leading to La Alhóndiga, a building used by the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabela, as a grain storage facility; this building's façade is decorated with the shields of the city's nobility and today is the seat of the City Archives ( from 6:00 to 21:00). Returning to the Calle Real, you'll get to San Martín, a three-nave church with a domed tower over the central crossing and one of the largest porticos of a romanesque church in Spain ( church museum from 12:00 to 13:00).

Plaza Mayor of Segovia

The Calle Juan Bravo takes you to the Plaza del Corpus, where the Corpus Christi Convent is located. The Convent is a former synogogue which in 1899 burnt down in a fire and was only reconstructed at the end of the last century ( Tuesday from 16:00 to 19:00, Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00; free). From her you can go down the Calle Isabel la Católica until you reach the Plaza Mayor, where it is well worth a stop at one or more of the coffee shops under the Plaza's arches. Back in 1532, the Plaza became larger because San Miguel Church, formerly located in the middle of the Plaza Mayor, collapsed and was reconstructed to one side. Isabel, the Catholic Queen, had been crowned Queen of Castille in San Miguel in 1474 when it was a romanesque style church, though when it was reconstructed later it was built in Gothic style using the materials from the old building. The completion of the Segovia City Hall Building and the Juan Bravo Theatre, in 1917, gave the Plaza Mayor the look it has today.

Segovia's Cathedral

The area surrounding the Plaza Mayor is well-stocked with different noble buildings and palaces that make a nice atmosphere for a stroll up towards the Cathedral. Segovia's Cathedral has been called the "Lady of Cathedrals," as its harmonious design and grandiose spaces make it a marvel. Designed by Juan Gil de Hontañón and built between 1525 and 1577, it is a good example of late gothic Spanish architecture. It has three naves with side chapels along them, an impressive central nave crossing, and a semicircular transept with an ambulatory. The Cathedral's interior has a number of unique features: stained glass windows dating from the XVI century, a XIV century main altarpiece dedicated to Our Lady of Peace, a wooden choir seating structure from the end of the XV century, baroque organs, wrought iron gating, and a neoclassic decorative structure behind the choir which holds an urn containing a relic of San Frutos. The gothic cloister, which was built in 1470, belonged to the old romanesque cathedral which the gothic one replaced ( until 26th October from 9:30 to 18:30, from 26th October until March from 9:30 to 17:30; 3 €, organized groups and retired people 2 €, free on Sundays from 9:30 to 13:15; on Sunday during free entrance the Cathedral Museum and Cloister are closed).

Alcázar

Heading towards the Plaza de la Merced, you'll walk righ past the Marqués del Arco Palace, a XVI century building noted for its Renaissance patio, and past the last remaining buildings of the city's Jewish quarter and the Corral del Mudo. San Andrés, a romanesque church, is located in the Plaza de la Merced, whose vegetation and shade make it one of the city's most inviting places. Past the park you'll see the Alcázar, a military fortress erected atop an outcrop of rock between the Eresma and Clamores rivers. Though its earliest origins are unknown, there is documented evidence from 1122 that indicates it may have be used as a fortress during Roman times. The Alcázar's strategic location made it a favourite refuge for the Kings of Castille during the Middle Ages. The building´s current structure is due to construction dating from the period mid-way between romanesque and gothic, though it also has some cisternian features. The Torre del Homenaje [Homage Tower], with its canon-shaped roof slope, is one of the most outstanding parts of the building; this tower was used as a weapons depot. Besides being a fortress and royal residence, the Alcázar also served as a prison, as the seat of the Real Colegio de Artillería, and since 1898 as the Main Military Archives. Currently, the Alcázar de Segovia Patronage Society runs the museum ( daily October to March from 10:00 to 18:00, April to September 10:00 to 19:00; adults 4 €, students 2 €, 3rd Tuesday every month free for EU citizens).

At only 11 km from Segovia, surrounded by the Guadarrama Mountain Range, is the Real Sitio de La Granja de San Ildefonso. In an attempt to imitate the Palace of Versailles, Spanish king Phillip V built this royal residence for his own retirement after 1724; his successor, Alphonse XIII, used it as a summer retreat. The palace is decorated with fresco-covered valuted ceilings, valuable paintings, tapestries and XVIII and XIX century furnishings ( bus operated by La Sepulvedana leave from the Segovia bus station; April to September from Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00. and from October to March from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 15:00 to 17:00 and on Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00; 4.50 €, guided tour 5 €, children under 16, 2.50 €). You should spend some time visiting La Granja's gardens, which are full of monuments, mythological sculptures, and fountains, and even a labyrinth ( gardens open daily in October and March 10:00 to 18:30, in April from 10:00 to 19:00, and from November to February from 10:00 to 18:00, in May, June and September from 10:00 to 20:00, and in July and August 10:00 to 21:00; free entrance until 15:00, adults 3.40 €, children under 16, 1.70 €; on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, four different sets of fountains operate from 17:30, though the four fountains chosen alternate from day to day). The Office of Tourism at La Granja is located on the Paseo del Pocillo ( 921 470 018), and is open on Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 to 15:00 and from Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00.