Choose your Own Adventure: Transport in Segovia
For a city of about 50,000 people, you wouldn’t expect a robust transportation network to be something at the disposal of Segovians and tourists alike. Much to our delight, it has been a pleasure moving around this beautiful city with ease, allowing us to see more and do more. For the truly adventurous, there’s even the option to see the city from above via hot air balloon! This post contains a wide breadth of information, so feel free to scroll to the appropriate section in order to find the details you need for planning your time in Segovia (aka: choose your own adventure!). For more information on getting to and from Segovia, see our next post.
Section guide:
Segovia on the Map: the old city and the new city
Suggestions for walking the old city
Using the Efficient Municipal Bus System
Making Sense of Other Bus Lines to Nearby Towns
Segovia on the Map
From Madrid, Segovia is a short 27 minute ride on the highspeed rail. Whizzing you through a mountain at 155 MPH, you barely have time to get settled before you arrive in this picturesque mountain town. Centrally located in Spain, you can easily use Segovia as your home base or choose to stop in for a day-trip from Madrid. You can read more about the history of Segovia and how it became a place of prominence on the map in our blog post “Segovia, Spain Overview.” Once in Segovia, there are two obvious portions of the city: the old town and new town. While most tourists spend their time in the old town where all of the main attractions are located, there may be a time when getting to Nueva Segovia is helpful. There’s a large grocery store and shopping mall, for example. Google Maps can show you when and where to catch the bus to get to that part of town. Luckily the bus runs at least every hour from the aqueduct for just a few cents.
Walking the Old City
You can be sure that you’ll get your steps in while in Segovia. Around every corner there is something visually appealing drawing you further in to the town. Let yourself get lost. You will always end up back at one of the known attractions. However, for those who need a little guidance, here’s a suggested path that will help you hit all the main sites. Start at the aqueduct, head up Calle Juan Bravo to the Plaza Mayor and Cathedral, and then continue along the same street to the Alcazar.
(One quick note about street signs…It is typical for the names of the streets to be found on plaques located on the the sides of buildings that sit along intersecting streets)
You’ll know you’re on the right path if you’ve found yourself within a throng of tourists. We recommend using this audio walking tour, which will also take you along this same route but provides a wonderful overview of everything you see along the way.
Using the Municipal Bus System
For those of us not from a big city where public transportation is a way of life, navigating a municipal bus system may seem daunting. There may be many lines to choose from with schedules that change by the day (typically week/weekend schedules) and limited ways to pay for your ride. Luckily, the combination of Google Maps with Segovia’s easy to use bus system make for a dream experience, especially for those of us who advocate for better transportation in small town USA.
Keep an eye out for the many blue buses with the Segovia name and seal along with the corresponding bus stops. You can tell which bus lines serve the stop by the numbers indicated on the sign. Check your Google Maps directions for the name of the stop to look for and the number of the bus you want to catch.
The bus stop sign shows which bus lines are served at this stop as well as the timetables and the name of the stop (i.e. in this case the stop name is “Centro”.
While there are many stops around town, there are two places where many journeys stop and end - next to the aqueduct and at the “Centro” bus stop.
Since the use of coin money is ubiquitous in the European Union, its easy to always have the right fare for hopping on the bus. At the time of writing this post, the fare was about 0.50 euros, which includes unlimited transfers within an hour of your first payment. If you’re choosing to stay in Segovia for a longer period of time, we highly recommend purchasing a bus pass. These can be purchased on the bus or at the “Estacion de Autobuses" (bus station). It is 2 euros for the card plus 5 pre-loaded euros for your fares. If you end up using all 5 euros, you can top-off your card on your next bus ride by handing the driver your card plus another 5 euros. Impressively, the driver will keep on moving while getting your card re-loaded! If you return your card at the end of your time in Segovia, you can get a refund for the initial 2 euros.
Making Sense of Other Bus Lines
Back in the States, our home was conveniently located in front of an Asheville city bus stop. As a result, it’s no wonder that one of our son’s first words was Bus… Or “biiiiz!” as he calls them… Since our time began here in Segovia, the alert to the presence of a “biiiiz!” in our near proximity has become part of our daily soundtrack!
You’ll notice that there are many other types of biiiiiz around town other than the blue municipal busses. You’ll recognize these sleek luxury buses by their tinted windows, extended length, and even the addition to second deck of passengers sometimes. These are the buses to utilize when organizing your day-trip outside of down.
One of the primary advantages in choosing Segovia as your home base, are the many stunning small towns that are just a short bus ride away. Using one of two bus lines from Segovia can help you get there quickly and cheaply - LineCar or Avanza. Both of these bus lines depart from the Estacion de Autobuses. From there you can find postings of their schedules and the ticket purchase information. We found that going in person and looking at the printed schedules for LineCar was easier than using their website. Luckily, there are frequent departures so if you check the schedule in the morning, you’re sure to find a trip for that day. For LineCar, you purchase your ticket from the driver on the bus. With Avanza, there is a ticket office inside the bus station. (Photo of people in line for Avanza, Photo of sign to purchase ticket on bus for LineCar)
As a note, one place worth your time in particular is the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Idelfonso. Built in the 1720’s, it was the favorite site of King Felipe V. Be sure to visit on a sunny day in order to enjoy the beautiful gardens. Entry is free on Wednesdays and Sundays from 3-6 pm. While you’re there, you can also stop at the Royal Glass Factory. We enjoyed learning from fellow blogger, “Viajar y Otras Pasiones” about transport to La Granja for our first visit to the site. They even suggest taking the bike or walking path that goes all the way from Segovia (about 11km)!
