Studying in Spain – Journal 22: Day Trip to Segovia Part 2
Catedral de Segovia
The Catedral de Segovia, or Segovia Cathedral in English, is a Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral in the city center of Segovia. It is right next to Plaza Mayor and the building is massive. The cathedral is dedicated to Virgin Mary and was built between the years 1525-1577.
The full name of the cathedral in Spanish officially is “Santa Catedral de Nuestra señora de la Asunción y de San Frutos”, which in English means “The Holy Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Assumption and Saint Frutos”.
There is a tower un the cathedral that you could go up to and see the city, though the tickets for the tower and the cathedral were sold separately. A ticket for an adult for visiting the cathedral cost 3€, and for students under the age 24 with an ID, a ticket would cost 2.5 €.
They only offer guided tours to visit the tower, and the scheduled hours could be found on their official website: http://catedralsegovia.es/en. The website is bilingual in English and Spanish. Adult tickets cost 7€ and the Segovia Cathedral offers a 2€ discount to students under 24 years old with a student ID.
Alcázar de Segovia
After visiting the cathedral, we headed to the next must-go tourist attraction site: Alcázar de Segovia. The Alcázar de Segovia, or Segovia Fortress in English, is medieval castle in the city center of Segovia, and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The castle was first built as a fortress, but it has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then. It is now a museum and a military archives building.
The castle was probably bigger and taller than any castle I’ve ever seen. The castle was built on the top of a hill and you could see the city through almost any window that you could find in the castle. The castle was much greater than what I would have expected to be a building of a city this small. I have never seen a castle on a hill before, and I certainly thought that the building was magnificent and not to be missed if you happen to be visiting Segovia.
The City of Segovia
Segovia is a city particularly suitable for a one-day trip, as the city isn’t big and visiting most of the famous tourist attractions would take only a couple of hours. As a small city, the streets weren’t crowded with tourists when we visited the city, and most tourist attractions were within walking distance in the city center.
What I didn’t get a chance to try was Segovia’s famous “Cochinillo Asado”, which means roast suckling pig in English. I don’t eat pork so I passed on this must-try experience, but from what I’ve heard from friends who’ve tried it, it really is something not to be missed if you are visiting Segovia.
The night view of Segovia was also spectacular, as we walked back to the bus station in the evening, we could see the city light reflecting on the buildings. The walls seemed golden as the warm light reflected on the stone wall, making it a perfect sight to see for the end of our trip.
