Where should I stay in Segovia?

Stay inside the walled old town, between Plaza Mayor and the Aqueduct. This stretch runs about 800 meters along Calle Real, Segovia's main pedestrian street. Segovia Cathedral (begun 1525) sits near the midpoint. The Alcázar, dating to 1200, is a 12-minute walk west. The old town perches on a narrow limestone ridge above the Eresma and Clamores valleys. At night, after day-trippers catch the last bus to Madrid around 7 PM, the stone streets go quiet. The Aqueduct's 167 arches glow amber under floodlights, and you might have Plaza del Azoguejo to yourself by 10 PM. Hotels inside the walls run €80-140 ($92-162) for a double in a converted medieval building. Hotel Infanta Isabel faces Plaza Mayor, rooms from around €95 ($110). Expect small rooms, thick stone walls, and uneven air conditioning in structures from the 1400s. Worth it, when the alternative is a 20-minute bus ride from a chain hotel near Segovia-Guiomar.

Plaza del Azoguejo, at the base of the Aqueduct, is where the old city meets the commercial lower town. Tour buses pull up throughout the day, but the noise fades by 9 PM. Mesón de Cándido has served cochinillo asado here since 1884. The kitchen plates the whole pig on a clay dish and splits it with the edge of a plate instead of a knife. Hotels on the Azoguejo side run €60-100 ($69-115) and tend to have bigger rooms and elevators, which matters when you're hauling a suitcase up 80 meters of elevation on granite cobblestones. At the opposite end of the ridge, the Judería near the Alcázar is the quieter pick. Fewer tour groups, narrower streets, and guesthouses in the €65-90 ($75-104) range. Vera Cruz Church, consecrated in 1208, sits across the Eresma valley about 15 minutes downhill. The Judería's trade-off is a 12-minute walk back to the Aqueduct and the bus connections.

The Parador de Segovia sits 3 km outside the walls on a hillside with views of the entire skyline. At €160-220 ($185-254) per night, you're paying for the panorama and then spending €8-12 per taxi back to town every time you want dinner. Without a car, the 3-km return trip after 10 PM means a taxi or a long walk along an unlit road. Mind you, the Parador terrace at sunset is worth the €6 glass of Ribera del Duero, even if you sleep elsewhere. The area around Segovia-Guiomar AVE station, about 5 km south, has chain hotels in the €55-80 ($63-92) range. The bus runs every 15-20 minutes and takes 20 minutes to reach the old town. Skip this area unless you need to catch the 7:30 AM train to Madrid Chamartín.

Segovia rewards an overnight stay more than most day-trip cities. About 2 million visitors pass through each year, but the vast majority leave by early evening. An overnight lets you see the Aqueduct at 7 AM, when low sun hits the granite blocks and Plaza del Azoguejo is empty except for a couple of locals. Book at least 3 weeks ahead for Friday-Saturday nights between May and October. Winter rates drop 30-40% across most properties, and the Sierra de Guadarrama behind the Alcázar carries snow from December through March. On a clear morning, the snowline is visible from Plaza Mayor. June afternoons currently reach about 24°C, but temperatures drop to 10-12°C after dark. Pack a layer for the evening walk back from dinner on Calle Juan Bravo.