Avila and Segovia Day Trip from Madrid

Madrid, Spain

Soak up Spain's sensational history on a day trip to Avila and Segovia. With the option to indulge in a gastronomic lunch, this trip is a feast for all the senses!

On your day trip from Madrid, you'll stop at hilltop Los Cuatro Postes to admire superb panoramic views before visiting Avila's San Vicente Basilica. Tour also includes a visit to Avila's cathedral.

Ancient hill-top Avila has been declared a Unesco "Heritage of Mankind" city, and is famous for its intact city walls and 90 towers dating back to the 11th century. The city was the birthplace of the mystic writer Saint Teresa of Jesus (1515-82) and is an important pilgrimage site.

Next, it's on to Segovia to see one of the best Roman-era monuments on the Iberian Peninsula - Segovia's incredible aqueduct. Built in the time of Augustus, the aqueduct has 118 arches and is 10 miles (16 kilometers) long, although just a fraction of its length remains visible today.

Segovia is also famous for its Alcazar, a beautiful 11th-century medieval fort that inspired the design of the Disney castle. Step back in time and imagine the medieval tournaments that once took place and the heroic knights who fought here.

On this day trip you have the option of including a tourist-style lunch or superb gastronomic lunch featuring local Segovian specialties.

USD $85.55

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Mindy O	April 2012
The tour was not well planned. There were too many tours going on at the same time in Avila and Segovia. Too much wait time to see the various exhibits. No time was given to explore the towns on own.

Review by: Russell F	April 2012
It was confused and confusing at the start (gathering on Plaza de Espagna), but after that the trip went smoothly. Knowledgeable guide who provided commentary most of the time (as opposed to guides who just sit silently for most of the bus ride and walking around). Good effort to provide equal commentary in English and Spanish. (I understand both.) Smooth entry to attractions. Aside from the beginning, my only complaint was that the price seems a little high compared to other options. But for those things, I would give this tour five start--the sights, and especially the Alzazar in Segovia, were terrific, even in the pouring rain!

Review by: Joseph D	April 2012
We truly enjoyed this day trip from Madrid. Avila and Segovia are 2 magnificent places to visit._br/_ The only glitch was that our voucher stated that we should be in the meeting area at 8:45am and we didn't leave until 9:45am. It's not easy waiting for an hour in a small travel agency office that does not even have a rest room for their clients!

Review by: Doreen S. B	April 2012
I really enjoyed the trip thoroughly, but I do wish the guide had spoken in just a little more english. He spoke in both but more in spanish than english.

Review by: Martin B	April 2012
It was great to be able to see the sights on this trip, but the setup left very little time to explored before we were mashed back into the bus to take off for the next destination. The guide spoke in both Spanish and English, and although my Spanish is poor, at best, I could understand enough to see his English translation were a joke. He also had a seriously irritating habit of repeating what he said over and over, usually at least twice if not 3-4 times. I got the distinct impression that his grasp of English was a bit sketchy. That said, he was an affable man - just not all that good when it came to translation.

Review by: Kestutis M	April 2012
Our tour to Segovia and Avila was a delightful excursion from Madrid. The castle in Segovia is impressive and worth seeing. Our guide was excellent.

Review by: Simeon W	April 2012
What a great time! Really enjoyed the sights and the guide was very knowledgable and accomodating. Excellent!

Review by: Sharon N	March 2012
Coach was comfortable and well-appointed. The guide was knowledgable and pleasant. The meal was a mixed bag-good on either end (soup,salad and dessert were good while the meat was questionable-what was it?). Over all, I enjoyed the day out of Madrid and definitely recommend Avila and Segovia for a day trip.

Review by: Diane B	March 2012
This was a great trip! There is a lot of walking, but it is well worth the effort!

Review by: Marilyn S	March 2012
Great tour guide.

Review by: JULIAN W	March 2012
Well organised trip with plenty of time for photos and informative guide. Segovia is a very pretty place. There were 2 drop-off points on the return in Madrid, either outside their office at Plaza de Espana or on Gran Via.

Review by: Ian C	March 2012
The excursion to Avila and Segovia were good day trips from Madrid. I think we spent ample time in both Avila and Segovia to get an appreciation for what makes each place unique and interesting. One request I would have is to allow for more personal time in Segovia (we had 1 hour personal time, but can easily be filled with souvenir shopping and your own exploration). Also, it would be ideal for the tour to invest in headsets so everyone can hear what the tour guide is saying. At times, the group can grow large and surroundings noisy, so that not everyone in the party can hear what is being said of the place. Otherwise, it was a good tour and I'd recommend visiting these two places. BTW, get the roasted pig when you go to Segovia - they're known for that.

Review by: Ryoko T	March 2012
The tour itinerary was just right for a day trip. It really was a worthwhile. The tour guide lady was very nice and knowledgeable. But it seemed she explained more in Spanish than in English. For example, she explained about something in Spanish for 2 minutes then explained it in English for 10 seconds. I hope I didn't miss anything too interesting! But overall, it really was a nice short but full-on trip.

Review by: Naomi R	March 2012
The tour was advertised as an opportunity to see and learn about Segovia's aqua duct, the Alcazar and the wall surrounding Avila. We spent more time learning about several churches and a cathederal making the other attractions rushed with limited information. We felt we would have enjoyed it more had we done the sites on our own.

Review by: Sheila W	March 2012
Fab trip, well organized, spanish and english spoken, very interesting places to visit, if you were to do it on your own you would not get through thefull schedual plus get told all the facts and stories about the visit. EXCELLENT.

Review by: Daria	March 2012
The actual trip delivered as the itinerary promised. Would be better if we were given much more time at each stop.

Review by: Valerie M	March 2012
Tour was great. Got to see a lot in a short amount of time. Tour guide was good but basically told us the facts and nothing more.

Review by: Jenron	February 2012
This was a super fun trip and all the reviews we read are absolutely on target with the tour we received. Avail was nice but rushed you get to the church right by mass starts to see it all lit up but you have to rush out. No real time to shop unless you just quickly break off and catch back up. It was cool to see Saint Theresa's finger. The city is very hilly so wear comfortable shoes because it is a hike, and it is very cold up in the mountains no matter how warm Madrid is so take a coat you will need it. Segovia is amazing you have time to shop or get lunch but not both. My husband and I opted out of the lunch package and it allowed us a little bit of time to shop prior to the 2 pm roll up the street siesta time where everything closes. Which was when we took the castle tour it was beautiful. Then a long hilly, walk back to the coach on cobblestone pavers at a very rapid pace, we are mid 30's and found the walk difficult so be ready.

Review by: Carmen S	February 2012
Both Avila and Segovia are beautiful cities. Our tour guide,Loli,was fabulous, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The walking tour enhance so much the experience. Beautiful sights with an enjoyable stroll. The typical lunch was excellent! I would go back!!

Review by: sue	February 2012
Our tour was wonderful. Our guide was very knowledgeable. (I wish I would have gotten her name). We did not do the lunch with the group but found a wonderful place to eat and joined the group for a great afternoon. I would highly recommend this tour.

Review by: Cynthia G	February 2012
This was absolutely great! I just wished we had been advised on the weather...

Review by: Dong L	January 2012
The tour is great - convenient, and especially important with English spoken tour guide, though it seems more Spanish story was given than English. Probably a tour booklet to inform the tourists where to go, what to see and the time expectation is better. We tried to chase the guide always because there seemed too many to cover in too short time. Suggest 2-day tour :-)

Review by: Bonnie B	January 2012
Day was lovely, everything as advertised. Avila is a bit "holy" for my taste, but Segovia is great. Really nice way to spend the day out of the city

Review by: DGilman	January 2012
Guide was very knowledgeable. Excellent tour.

Review by: Matthew B	January 2012
Fantastic spots to visit, a must-do if you have the time. Local tour partner was efficient and had nice, clean tour bus. Only wish was that they had split Spanish- and English-speaking groups so that we had more time with the tour guide to appreciate the sites.

Review by: Marcos E	January 2012
The full day visit to Avila and Segovia was excellent. Food was great and guide did a good job too.

Review by: Geraldine L	December 2011
Excellent guide. Breathtaking views.

Review by: Andres C	December 2011
it´s okay,,,but the guide were such in a hurry to finish her job...she doesn´t care to head count, like what happened to me, they left me out in the cathedral, looking for them... it´s a good thing i followed my basic instinct, to follow the way to the alcazar. i felt hopeless then to just take the public bus back to madrid. it´s terrible. for a professional guide it´s a must to head count after each venue. i think she must remember the basic rule, never to leave anybody.

Review by: Amee S	December 2011
Our trip to Avila and Segovia was really a wonderful experience. Our tour guide Anna was knowledgeable and shared lots of information with us. We really enjoyed.

Review by: Artit N	December 2011
Actually, I could not remember anything about Avila because it was just a brief visit. The tour was mainly for Segovia which was excellent. All of my 5 stars rating was for Segovia. The guide was also excellent.

Review by: David F	December 2011
Less of a tour and more like a drive-by of Avila. We didnt get to spend any time visiting the two things that make Avila significant - the city wall and the first gothic cathedral in Spain. The tour was basically getting dropped off and then walking quickly across the enclosed city and back on the bus. Segovia was better, but skip the lunch. It was low quality and takes too much time from the overly tight schedule. If the tour left Madrid an hour earlier I think we could have seen a lot more. Not up to the standars we have had on other guided tours.

Review by: thetraveler67	December 2011
Segovia should not be missed it is a great city with great history!

Review by: Lito G	November 2011
Our tour guide,Carmen,was very knowledgeable,accommodating,and very patient in pointing out each important spot as we were leaving Madrid until we reached our destinations.Avila and Segovia are beautiful towns definitely worth exploring-it was like being part of the Medieval times.If you want to see 18th century places,this is a must tour!Such an educational tour for the whole family!

Review by: Michael B	November 2011
I really enjoyed this tour and loved my guide Carmen. I definitely enjoyed finding my own restaurant and a Menu Del dia for only 10 euros vs the pre-paid lunch option. Segovia is a must see.

Review by: Ka C	November 2011
Avila and Segovia are beautiful so that made up for it. However, we just didn't have enough time in each place to take pictures, etc and really enjoy the places.

Review by: Lea M D	November 2011
The trip itself was beautiful and the guide was very knowledgeable. However, there was so much to pack into 1 day that we felt rushed the entire time. While we had enough time in Avila (it is a small city), the Segovia time was quite short.

Review by: doris s	November 2011
It was a worderfull tour , my mom was happy to see and undertand the tour guide

Review by: Agnello F	November 2011
Tour that should be undertaken by everyone visiting Madrid especially with tour guide like the one given to us who had through knowledge of the land and what she was talking about. I only wished she was less serious and added a little bit of sense of humur in her explanation.

Review by: John W, United States of America	July 2010
Great tour - really enjoyed Segovia. The guide was a little lenghty in details of the church. Prepare people that it is a lot of walking. Wish we could have had a little down time to shop.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
This was an excellent tour. This guide was very thorough and clear and was very easy to understand.

Review by: PADMAJA N, India	July 2010
We enjoyed the trip.It was very well arranged and the tour guide was very good.Well worth it.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
The trip was amazing and our tour guide did a great job in both Spanish and English. A pretty good value for the money.

Review by: Claudia B, Germany	June 2010
Excellent!

Review by: TERRY Z, United States of America	June 2010
Really needed more time in both cities. Would have loved a 5 minute stop at 4 columns to get a photo of the walled city of Avila - but the bus would not accomodate

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
highly recommended. Please make a note that is a lot of walking and and up and down steps. In all the other cities in Europe the tour guides and the tourists were given radios so, when you were walking you could listened to the guide.

Review by: John W, Australia	June 2010
Both of these old towns are very beautiful and give you a different perspective of the region outside of Madrid. It's also great to learn about the history of Spain. You get plenty of free time in Segovia to have lunch and wander around.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
Very interesting day. Very comfortable service. Very knowledgeable guide -- Maria.

Review by: Alejandro S, Puerto Rico	May 2010
Good.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
Absolutely beautiful. I was there 1 week ago, and the scenery was just breathtaking. Our guide was Sofia and she was amazing.

Review by: Tiran L, Israel	May 2010
it was highly recommended very good segovian meal