Segovia · Spain
Aqueduct of Segovia
A practical guide to the Roman aqueduct in Segovia: how much time to give it, when to get there ahead of the buses from Madrid, where to take the best photos, what to look for in the stones and which traps to avoid.
Worth every minute, but it isn't a museum: it's a Roman structure in the middle of the city. Walk along it and climb up to the Postigo, don't stop at the photo from the Azoguejo.
The Aqueduct of Segovia is one of the best-preserved Roman aqueducts in the world and the symbol of the city, which carries it on its coat of arms. It brought water from the springs of the Río Frío, in the Sierra de Guadarrama, about 17 kilometers away. In Plaza del Azoguejo you see its tallest stretch: some 167 arches and more than 800 meters in view, without a drop of mortar.
Our visit
It was the first stop on our Segovia and Toledo tour. The bus left Madrid at 7:30, and at 8:30 on a Sunday we were standing under the arches, with 45 minutes to explore before walking up with the guide toward the cathedral. We picked that departure precisely to get there before the mid-morning buses.
Our notes were clear: don’t settle for the postcard photo. Walk along it, watch the arches grow taller as the ground drops, and look at it from above at the Postigo.
A little history
Nobody knows who built it. In 1992 the epigraphist Géza Alföldy read the lost inscription from the holes left by the bronze letters, and it turned out to be a notice of a restoration in the time of Trajan (98–117), paid for by two magistrates of Segovia. Studies from 2016 suggest the original work may have been finished after the year 112.
In 1072, during a siege by the taifa king of Toledo, 36 arches fell. For four centuries the gap was patched with wood, until between 1484 and 1489 the prior Pedro de Mesa rebuilt them in stone with the support of Queen Isabella. The aqueduct carried water until 1973. In the 20th century, car exhaust started to damage the granite, which is why the square is pedestrian today.
Local legend says the devil built it in one night in exchange for the soul of a water carrier, and that the rooster crowed before the last stone. That’s why people still call it the Devil’s Bridge.
How it fits into your day
From the aqueduct you walk up to the cathedral and the Alcázar. See our day 15 for how Segovia and Toledo fit into a single day.
What to see, in order
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The arches over Plaza del Azoguejo
The tallest stretch, about 28.5 meters high with two tiers of arches. Stand at the foot of the central pier and look up.
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The blocks without mortar
About 24,000 granite blocks from the Guadarrama, some weighing up to two tons, with no cement or clamps. The cut of the stone and gravity hold them up.
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The niches on the central pier
There are two niches up top. One holds the Virgen de la Fuencisla, patron saint of Segovia, right where legend says the devil didn't manage to set the last stone.
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The lost inscription
Above the central arches there's a line of holes. Bronze letters used to sit there; in 1992 Géza Alföldy reconstructed the text from the position of the holes.
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The 36 rebuilt arches
On the Calle San Juan side, the lower arches closest to the city have a different color and different carving. They collapsed in 1072 and were rebuilt in stone between 1484 and 1489.
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The channel on top
At the very top runs the channel that carried water for almost nineteen centuries.
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The Mirador del Postigo
Take the stairs on the east side of the square. From the top you see the aqueduct in profile crossing the city. In the morning the east side is better.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- Getting there at 8:30 on a Sunday, as we did with the tour, puts you ahead of the mid-morning wave of buses.
- The good light is early, or from 18:00 to 19:00 in May. At midday the contrast is harsh.
- For the classic photo you need a wide-angle lens. If you don't have one, move: from Calle San Juan you get the aqueduct lengthwise.
- It's lit up at night.
Do
- Touch the stones and walk at least a hundred meters along the arches.
- Bring water: the morning sun in Castile is dry.
- If you want cochinillo (roast suckling pig), Mesón de Cándido is at the foot of the aqueduct and José María is on Calle Cronista Lecea.
Don’t
- Don't accept the "free introduction" from someone with a badge who walks up to you in the square: at the end they ask for €10–20 per person.
- Don't sit down at the restaurants on the square with laminated menus in five languages, or at the ones copying Cándido.
- Don't hand your phone to a stranger who offers to take your picture.
- Don't buy "Roman" replicas on Calle Cervantes; the better shops are farther up, near the cathedral.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need to see the Aqueduct of Segovia?
Twenty minutes to see it and take photos. Forty-five to walk along it and climb to the Mirador del Postigo.
Does it cost anything to see the aqueduct?
No. It's free and always open. Only the interpretation center charges, about €3.
When was it built?
Between the late first century and the early second century AD. A restoration inscription mentions the emperor Trajan.
Can you see Segovia in a day from Madrid?
Yes. We combined it with Toledo on a twelve-hour tour: Segovia in the morning and Toledo in the afternoon.
How long did it stay in use?
It carried water to the fountains of Segovia until 1973.