Castles · Tour
El Escorial and Segovia with a Host-Driver, Tickets Optional
Two UNESCO sites in a day, in a private vehicle, with a host-driver rather than a licensed monument guide. That distinction decides what this booking is.
The host handles the road, the context and the local advice, introduces each place, and then leaves you to visit it independently. Admission tickets are optional and bought separately. If what you want is a driver, flexibility and time on your own inside the monuments, this is the cheaper and more elastic way to do it. If you want somebody licensed talking you through the Royal Pantheon, the tours with official guides are a different product.
At El Escorial the host sets out the building before you go in on your own terms.
Segovia begins with a drive round the outside, which is the only way to see all three landmarks in one frame: the Alcázar on its rock, the cathedral tower, and the aqueduct running across the town. Then the old town on foot, with time for the Alcázar and the Cathedral at whatever pace suits you.
The day is built for people who would rather have the vehicle and the freedom than the fixed itinerary of a coach.
What's included
- Bottled water in the vehicle
- Flexibility for additional stops/photos
- Friendly host-driver (non-licensed guide) accompanying you all day
- Private transportation in a premium van/SUV with driver
Itinerary
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Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial
The Royal Monastery of El Escorial, built in the 16th century by Philip II as a royal palace, a monastery and a royal pantheon, and on the UNESCO list. The halls, the basilica, and the Royal Pantheon where the kings of Spain are buried. The Library holds old manuscripts under a painted vault, and the monks' quarters show the other half of what the building was for: a working religious house inside a palace.
Extra fee
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Segovia
After El Escorial the route continues to Segovia, starting with a drive round the outside of the town. From the higher ground the three landmarks line up at once: the Alcázar on its rock, the cathedral tower, and the Roman aqueduct crossing the horizon. It is the best introduction to a place where the layers of history are stacked in plain sight.
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Real Alcazar de Segovia
The Alcázar of Segovia sits on a cliff at the end of the old town and is one of the most recognisable castles in Spain. Its towers and halls are said to have inspired Walt Disney. Inside are the Throne Room and the Hall of Kings, and the tower can be climbed for the view over the Castilian plain. Kings, queens and sieges: the history here is not decorative.
Extra fee
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Segovia Cathedral
The Catedral de Santa María, called the Lady of the Cathedrals, stands over the main square. It is late Gothic, the last of its kind built in Spain, with high columns, carved altarpieces and stained glass that colours the stone. The bishops, kings and craftsmen who built it are the story behind it.
Extra fee
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Acueduct of Segovia
The old town of Segovia on foot: narrow medieval streets, noble houses and Romanesque churches, in a city shaped in turn by Celts, Romans, Moors and Castilian kings. The walk ends at the Roman aqueduct, over 160 arches standing for nearly 2,000 years with no mortar holding the granite together, only the fit of the stones.
Not included
- Entry tickets to El Escorial, Alcázar, or Segovia Cathedral (optional, own expense)
- Official licensed guide
- Meals and personal expenses (host can recommend restaurants)
- Gratuities for the host-driver (optional).
Good to know
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Licensed tour guide can be requested at an additional cost.
- Entrance tickets can be provided on request.
- Up to 6 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, fr, es.
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