Day 15 ·
Segovia and Toledo in a single day
Madrid · Spain · 3 min read
A twelve-hour day trip from Madrid: the Roman aqueduct and the Alcázar of Segovia in the morning, Toledo's Primate Cathedral and Jewish quarter in the afternoon, on a tour in Spanish.
- 1
Meeting point at Las Ventas
Calle de Julio Camba 13, next to the bullring. Check-in at 7:20 and departure right at 7:30: there is no second bus. Look for the coach and the IBE Tours sign.
- 2
Aqueduct of Segovia
Forty-five minutes under the arches and along the aqueduct. Arriving at 8:30 on a Sunday puts you ahead of the buses that leave Madrid later.
Our guide 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. Read the full guide - 3
Segovia Cathedral
A walk up through the old town with the guide. It dates from the 16th century and is the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain.
Our guide Worth it for its proportions and for the cloister rescued from the old cathedral. If you arrive expecting Toledo's drama, it will feel restrained. Read the full guide - 4
Alcázar of Segovia
Entry included in the tour. The Hall of Kings is the best part of the interior. The Tower of John II (156 steps) was optional in our plan.
Our guide The outside, perched on the rock, is one of the prettiest in Europe. Inside, almost everything is a 19th-century reconstruction, but the Hall of Kings and the view from the tower make it worth it. Read the full guide - 5
Primate Cathedral of Toledo
A 75-minute guided visit, included: the altarpiece of the main chapel, the Transparente, the sacristy with El Greco's El Expolio and the Arfe monstrance. On Sundays it opens to visitors at 14:00.
Our guide Worth it, as long as you know that from 11:00 to 17:00 it is full of day trips. The cathedral is the one thing not to skip; the sword street, you can. Read the full guide - 6
Jewish quarter and Synagogue of El Tránsito
On Sundays El Tránsito closes at 15:00, so we saw it from the outside. Look for the band of Hebrew inscriptions on the facade.
- 7
Mosque of Cristo de la Luz
From the year 999, the oldest building still standing in Toledo. It is small, about 8 by 8 meters, with a Christian apse added later.
- 8
Alcántara Bridge
From the east end of the bridge, with the Alcázar up top and the cathedral tower, you see the whole city above the Tagus. Free and pedestrian.
For our last full day in Madrid we did two UNESCO World Heritage cities on a single day trip: Segovia in the morning and Toledo in the afternoon. We booked the tour on GetYourGuide with the operator IBE Tours, in Spanish, with entry to the Alcázar of Segovia and the guided visit to Toledo Cathedral included.
Why we planned it this way
We picked the 7:30 departure because it starts with Segovia. The aqueduct has no opening hours and no ticket office, and seeing it at 8:30 on a Sunday, before the mid-morning buses arrive, was the best way to have it with fewer people. Next come the cathedral and the Alcázar, which opens at 10:00, so we arrived in its first hour.
Toledo in the afternoon makes sense because of one detail: on Sundays the Primate Cathedral is closed to visitors in the morning and opens at 14:00. The bus arrived right at that time. The downside is that the Synagogue of El Tránsito closes at 15:00 on Sundays, and we accepted that: we saw it from the outside.
We paid for the cathedral option and not the cheapest one, which only includes the Alcázar. In 2026 the cathedral marks its 800th anniversary, and the guided visit inside was one of the reasons for the day.
What to know before you go
We went to bed early the night before on purpose. Back in Madrid, a light dinner near the hotel and then packing: the AVE to Valencia left the next day at 11:30 from Chamartín, not Atocha.
What we booked and tasted
Madrid: Segovia and Toledo Tour, Alcazar, and Cathedral
- Air-conditioned coach transport from Madrid
- Entry to the Alcázar of Segovia
- Entry and guided visit to Toledo Cathedral (on the cathedral option)
- Guide in Spanish and headsets
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
On our own it would have been two separate trips out of Madrid and several tickets to book for a Sunday. The tour took care of the transport and the tickets, and all we had to do was walk.
See the tourGetYourGuideCochinillo asado in Segovia
Order Cochinillo asado or, if there is none, lechazo
It is Segovia's dish. Mesón de Cándido, at the foot of the aqueduct, was our first choice; the laminated menus on the streets around the Alcázar were not.
La Casa del Abuelo
Order Gambas al ajillo, pan con tomate and a cold beer
It was our plan A for a light dinner after twelve hours on a tour: quick, close to Sol and open since 1906. Plan B was a board of Iberian cured meats at any tavern near the hotel.
Ópera Las Ventas
Line 5 from Ópera to Sol and line 2 to Las Ventas. Take the Calle Julio Camba exit. A 10-ride Multi card (€12.20) covers the round trip. We took the 6:12 metro to get to check-in with time to spare.
Madrid Segovia
On the tour coach.
Segovia Toledo
Leaves Segovia around 12:50.
Toledo Madrid (Las Ventas)
Leaves around 18:30 and arrives at Las Ventas around 19:30. From there, metro back to Ópera.
What we learned
Tips
- If you book this tour, the 7:30 departure goes to Segovia first. The 8:30 one starts with Toledo, according to the listing.
- In Castile, May mornings start at 12–14 °C and afternoons reach 20–26 °C. Dress in layers and bring a light jacket.
- Shoulders must be covered in Toledo Cathedral. A scarf or that same jacket will do.
- For marzipan, buy at Confitería Santo Tomé (since 1856) or at a convent's turntable window, not the plastic boxes in the shops downtown.
Do
- Get everything ready the night before: comfortable shoes, water and layers. It is about 13 kilometers on foot.
- Fill your water bottle in Madrid; there are few chances during the tour.
- When you get to Segovia, ask the guide how much free time there is for lunch.
Don’t
- Don't buy "Toledo steel" swords in the shops on the main street: almost all are factory replicas.
- Don't count on getting into the Synagogue of El Tránsito on a Sunday afternoon: it closes at 15:00.
- Don't be late to Las Ventas. If you miss the 7:30 bus, you miss the day.