Segovia is a walled hilltop city in central Spain, about 90 km (55 miles) northwest of Madrid. It’s best known for its soaring Roman aqueduct and 12th-century castle. Since this part of Castile sits in a dry, continental climate, summers can get hot. By midday in July or August, temperatures regularly climb past 30°C.
If you’re wondering what to do in Segovia in summer, the trick is knowing when to do it. Keep reading to learn how to both stay cool and enjoy the city.
What are Segovia’s main attractions?
Segovia’s old town is small enough to see in a day and features almost all of the popular sightseeing spots. Some of the most famous include:
• The Aqueduct: a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman aqueduct, and one of the best preserved in the world. It’s the first thing most visitors see and a symbol of the city.
• The Alcázar: a turreted castle at the western end of the old town, said to have inspired Walt Disney.
• Segovia Cathedral: the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain, with a bell tower you can climb for views over the whole city.
• The Jewish Quarter, or Judería: a former Jewish neighborhood dating to the 12th century, with narrow streets that are some of the oldest in Segovia.
• The city walls: medieval walls that still ring most of the old town.
Beat the crowds in the morning
As previously mentioned, the Roman Aqueduct is the first thing most visitors see in Segovia, and it looks best in the morning. Early light catches the granite blocks, and the Plaza del Azoguejo is quiet and still, save for a few cafés setting out their morning tables. Grab a coffee, find a seat facing the arches, and let the square wake up around you.
From there, the old town climbs gently uphill toward the Alcázar, the fairy-tale castle said to have inspired Walt Disney’s version of Cinderella’s home. Get there before noon for shorter lines. The armory, throne room and richly painted wooden ceilings are worth the visit, and the climb up the castle’s main tower rewards you with great views.
Spend the hottest hours inside
Once the heat sets in, head indoors. Segovia Cathedral stays cool even in August, and there’s a lot to do. Wander the quiet cloister, step into the small museum of tapestries and religious art tucked beside it and take in the ornate chapels lining the nave.
The Esteban Vicente Museum of Contemporary Art, housed in a former royal palace, offers a small collection built around the Segovia-born painter and his contemporaries. Since it’s easy to see properly in under an hour, it leaves the rest of the afternoon free.
A long, slow lunch fits the city’s rhythm. Look for a menu del día, a fixed-price lunch menu, at one of the family-run spots around Calle Real or tucked into the Judería’s side streets. It’s the easiest way to eat well and locally.
But if you really want to enjoy the Spanish sunshine, it’s easy to find a spot in the shade to pass the afternoon with friends.
Where to cool off when the sun is highest
The old town sits between two rivers, the Eresma and the Clamores, and the paths along them stay cooler than the streets above. The walk below the Alcázar walls is one of the best-kept cooling secrets on a summer day.
The Mirador de la Pradera de San Marcos, just across the river from the Alcázar, is a good spot to stop and relax. It’s free, shaded and gives you the best views of the castle. For something more active, the municipal outdoor pools draw locals looking for a break from the heat.
Evenings are for the Plaza Mayor
Once the heat breaks, Segovia’s terraces fill up fast. The Plaza Mayor, framed by the cathedral on one side, is the natural center of an evening out.
Segovia’s food culture leans into its traditions. Cochinillo, or roast suckling pig, is the dish the city is best known for. A slice of ponche segoviano, a marzipan-and-custard cake, is a fitting way to close out a summer dinner.
It’s the payoff for the slow afternoon: a table outside, the cathedral lit up above the square, and nowhere else you need to be.
The fiestas that mark summer in Segovia
Segovia’s biggest party of the year happens right at the start of summer. The Fiestas de San Juan y San Pedro take over the city for a week around the summer solstice in late June. Expect concerts in the main squares, parades through the old town and fireworks over the Aqueduct.
After that, summer has a steady rhythm of smaller festivals. Folk Segovia brings folk music, parades and record fairs to the Plaza de San Martín, while SegoJazz and the weekly concerts on the city walls, Los Martes en la Muralla, keep the courtyards and squares busy through August.
Make time for a short trip to La Granja de San Ildefonso
Just outside Segovia sits La Granja de San Ildefonso, a Bourbon palace often described as Spain’s answer to Versailles. Its gardens hold 26 monumental fountains, still run by a system built in the 18th century.
The fountains operate only on select days throughout the summer, usually tied to feast days in May, July and August, so it’s worth checking the calendar before you go. Even on a quiet day, the gardens are worth the short bus ride from Segovia for a quick day trip.
Why Segovia is worth the heat
Summer in Segovia works because of its rhythm: early starts, shaded afternoons and evenings that stretch well past dinner. Fight that, and the heat wins. Work with it, and the city opens up.
That’s also why part of IE University Summer School takes place right here, at our Segovia location. Studying in a city with a Roman aqueduct, a castle that inspired a Disney film, local fiestas and rich food means that all of this is a short walk from class.
