Segovia Day Trip from Madrid: Aqueduct, Alcázar & Cochinillo Lunch

Segovia is the best day trip from Madrid — a perfectly preserved medieval city just 90 kilometres north containing two of Spain's most spectacular monuments and one of the country's most satisfying lunch traditions. The Roman aqueduct of Segovia, built in the 1st century AD and still standing in its full 167-arch glory through the city centre, is one of the best-preserved Roman engineering feats anywhere in Europe — and it's free to walk beneath. The Alcázar of Segovia, a fairy-tale castle perched on a rocky promontory where two rivers meet, supposedly inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. The high-speed Renfe Avant train takes just 28 minutes from Madrid Chamartín, making the logistics effortless. But the real reason Segovians are proud of their city is the food: cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig), cooked in wood-fired ovens and carved with the edge of a plate to demonstrate tenderness, is the dish for which Segovia is famous throughout Spain. Restaurante José María and Mesón de Cándido are the two legendary addresses. Visit on a weekday in spring or autumn — summer weekends can be crowded.