Things to Do in Segovia in May

The classic Segovia walk starts at the Plaza del Azoguejo, where the Aqueduct's 167 arches reach 28.5 meters at their tallest point. From there, the Calle Real climbs through the old town past the Plaza Mayor to the Alcázar at the western tip of the ridge. The full route covers about 2 kilometers and takes 90 minutes without stops. Along the way, you pass the 12th-century Iglesia de San Martín and the late Gothic Cathedral. The final stretch opens to views of the Eresma valley below.

The Alcázar's keep offers the highest viewpoint in the city. The climb is 152 narrow stone steps in a tight spiral staircase with no elevator. At the top, the view stretches south to the Sierra de Guadarrama, north across the flat Castilian meseta, and east along the full roofline of the old town. The staircase narrows to about 70 centimeters in places, so passing other climbers takes some patience. You can feel the wind from the Guadarrama picking up as you near the top.

For 5 days in mid-May, Titirimundi fills the old town's plazas with puppet theatre from over 20 countries. About half the shows are free and outdoors, concentrated in the Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral atrium, and the Barrio de la Judería. Indoor paid performances at the Teatro Juan Bravo and smaller venues tend to sell out within days of the schedule's release. Shadow puppetry, marionettes, object theatre, and experimental visual performance all feature.

Booking tipCheck the Titirimundi website for the schedule release, usually 3-4 weeks before the festival. Free outdoor shows need no ticket, but arrive 20-30 minutes early for popular plazas like the Plaza Mayor.

This riverside trail follows the Eresma from below the Alcázar through a valley of poplar and oak forest. The 12-kilometer route passes the Monasterio de Santa María del Parral, the Convento de los Carmelitas where San Juan de la Cruz is buried, and the 16th-century Casa de la Moneda, Spain's first mechanized royal mint. The path is flat to gently rolling, well-marked, and shaded for most of its length. You'll hear the river the whole way.

The 18th-century royal palace sits 11 kilometers southeast of Segovia in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama. The formal gardens cover 146 hectares and hold 26 monumental fountains, though the fountains typically remain dry until May 30 at the earliest. Even without the water displays, the gardens are worth the trip. The parterre layouts, the clipped hornbeam allées, and the 40-meter Cascada Nueva staircase are all modeled on Versailles. Inside the palace, the Flemish tapestry collection holds over 100 pieces.

Segovia has more Romanesque churches per square kilometer than almost anywhere in Spain. The key stops include San Martín (12th century, with its atrium of paired columns on the Plaza de Medina del Campo), San Millán, San Esteban with its 56-meter bell tower, and the Iglesia de la Vera Cruz, a 13th-century round church attributed to the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, about 15 minutes on foot outside the walls. Allow 3-4 hours for the full circuit.