7 days in Spain itinerary: Madrid and Segovia

This 7 days in Spain itinerary is focused on the capital city Madrid and a historic province in Spain’s north-east, Segovia. For a quick introduction to Spain’s history, political setup and geography, click on this link and spare five minutes to read my article.

Is this itinerary right for you?

This itinerary is meant for history, culinary, archeology and shopping enthusiasts. Mountain lovers would find bonus joy in Segovia. There is no beach or adventure trails though.

Is Segovia a province or a city?

Segovia is a city in the Segovia province in the Castile y Leon autonomous community of Spain. So yes, there is a Segovia province and also a Segovia city.

Are Madrid and Segovia safe?

Spain shares land borders with France, Andorra, Portugal and Gibraltar. To the south, beyond a narrow strait, is Morocco. However, Madrid and the province(and city) of Segovia is landlocked and doesn’t share border with any country.

Both the cities are extremely safe. Spain is also LGBTQ+ friendly. People are liberal minded. In my experience, the locals were friendly and loud, much like Indians.

Petty thefts like pickpocketing in crowded public squares is probably the biggest nuisance in Madrid. But that doesn’t mean nothing else can happen, so letting your guards down is not permissible. Just use common sense and listen to your gut feeling.

IMPORTANT

Details on the individual sites, with their historical backgrounds and my own experiences have been documented as separate articles. Please click on the respective links if you wish to read more. Remember this ‘7 days in Spain itinerary’ is mainly written for history buffs and culinary enthusiasts.

7 days in Spain itinerary:

Day 1: Fly to Madrid. Take rest.

• Reach Madrid in the afternoon, check-in to your hotel, have lunch and take rest.
• In the evening if you have any energy left, visit the Retiro Park. (I flew from Mumbai and it was a long journey. If you will be flying from say, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul or any place closer to Madrid than Mumbai, you might have energy left.)
• Have dinner at your hotel and sleep well.

Day 2: Museum hopping, shopping and tapas.

• Have an early breakfast in your hotel and set off for the golden triangle—a tour of the three most important museums in Madrid (Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofia). This can easily be self-organized.
• Have a late lunch at restaurant Villa Magna.
• Post lunch go on a shopping spree at El Corte Ingles, Spain’s only departmental store chain.
• Check out all the high street and luxury fashion brand outlets like Loewe, Purificacion Garcia, Carolina Herrera at Calle de Serrano. Destination Madrid has branded itself to be ‘the best shop in the world’, so if you do have enough time, and dime, to shop, Madrid is a good place to splurge.
• Have a tapas dinner at Platea, Madrid’s biggest gastronomy centre.

Day 3: Spend the day sightseeing in Madrid and catch a cultural show.

• Have breakfast at your hotel and set out to tour the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home turf of football club Real Madrid.
• Visit the literal centre of Madrid, Puerta del Sol. Have lunch at restaurant Puertal Sol. If the weather is comfortable, choose the terrace seats.
• In the evening, visit the Royal Palace of Madrid, West Europe’s biggest palace.
• Have tapas food for just €1 at Mercado San Miguel.
• Roam around in Plaza Mayor of Madrid, a 15^th century city square that reeks with history.
• Catch a flamenco show while enjoying a tapas dinner.

Day 4: Pick up gifts for friends and family, at lunch sample an authentic Spanish meal and leave for Segovia.

• Have breakfast and check out of the hotel in Madrid. Leave for luxury shopping at Las Rozas Village, but for reasonable prices visit The Style Outlets, located just around the corner near Las Rozas. I would really campaign for the latter as they cater to frugal shoppers like me. The Style Outlets is the place to pick up gifts for your friends and family— trust me the prices are very reasonable. (Alternatively, you can try to arrange a visit to Santona Palace if shopping doesn’t interest you.)
• Have a quintessential Spanish lunch at Patio de Leones in Madrid.
• Leave for Segovia town (in Segovia province).
• Arrive at Segovia town, check-in to your hotel and rest.
• Have dinner at El Fogon Sefardi, a restaurant housed in a 15^th century building in the Jewish quarter of Segovia town.

Day 5: Visit Medieval destinations on a daytrip in Segovia province, have lunch in Segovia city’s oldest restaurant, continue sightseeing within the town on foot and cook your own dinner in a Spanish kitchen.

• Have an early breakfast and leave for the 13^th century ruins of Cistercian Monastery of Santa Maria de la Sierra. If you are interested in textile, check out the workshop and collections at Abbatte.
• Visit picturesque Pedraza, one of Europe’s best preserved medieval village.
• Return to Segovia town and have lunch at Meson de Candido, a restaurant from the 19^th century, popular for their roast suckling pig.
• Roam around in the town’s aqueduct area and once done, visit Santa Iglesia Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion y de San Frutos, the cathedral located in Segovia town’s Plaza Mayor.
• Visit the Alcazar of Segovia in the evening.
• Get your hands dirty in a cooking class. The chef of restaurant Kuma hosts such sessions.

Day 6: Visit the town of Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, followed by a tour of a century old winery and end your trip by dining in a Michelin Star restaurant in Segovia town.

• Have an early breakfast and leave for Real Sitio de San Ildefonso. Here, visit the Royal Glass Factory of La Granja.
• Next, check out the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso. Take special note of the gardens.
• Have lunch at Parador de La Granja, a restaurant housed in an 18^th century palace.
• If wines interest you, set off for a long roadtrip to Bodegas Zarraguilla, a hundred year old winery in a tiny village in Segovia province.
• Return to Segovia town and have dinner at Villena, a Michelin Star restaurant.

Day 7: Have breakfast and check out of the hotel. Head to Madrid to catch your flight home. Your 7 days in Spain itinerary ends here!

Accommodation

Hotel Miguel Angel, Madrid

Conveniently located near the three museums Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofia (popularly known as the golden triangle of Madrid), Hotel Miguel Angel is comfortable and is committed to environmental sustainability. Mine was a ‘Standard Room’. Usual amenities were all there in place and working. The bed and wardrobe were super-large. The other furniture seemed a bit worn out. The floor was not carpeted.

The room was spacious but I didn’t have any view from the window at all. It was blocked by a building (might be another part of this hotel) so even the natural light was not sufficient.

The hotel has four restaurants, a nice lobby, a spa and fitness centre. Sadly, I didn’t have the luxury of time to explore the wellness hubs, except the M29 Restaurant for a dinner and the Arco Buffet Restaurant for breakfast everyday.

Hotel Palacio San Facundo, Segovia town

Housed in a 16^th century building, I hear this is one of the best hotels in the town. There is no attached restaurant, spa or gym but there is a central cloister in the middle of the building with natural light streaming in, where breakfast is served every morning. I particularly liked this architectural feature.

My room was on the ground floor. It was equipped with the usual amenities but the size of the room was small. The solo window opened to the cloister, a common area. Because of this, I had to keep the window shut all the time. There was no natural light and the room certainly lacked warmth in its décor. No issues with the washroom though.

Transport

Taxis are extremely expensive. Most of the time I travelled in private vehicles, but Madrid has good intra-city public transport system. There are trains that connect Madrid to Segovia in less than an hour. Buses take a little more time but services are good between the two cities. There are also direct buses from Madrid to La Granja de San Ildefonso.

However, a private vehicle is the only way to visit Pedraza and Bodegas Zarraguilla.

Language

In Madrid most of the people associated with the travel industry do understand English. In Segovia town, chances are much less. Father in even smaller towns, like Pedraza and San Ildefonso, it is almost non-existent. Learning a few Spanish phrases would go a long way. Outside Madrid, asking direction to local people is almost impossible without elementary knowledge of Spanish.

Time of Travel

My travel spanned between last week of October and first week of November. The evenings and nights in Madrid were comfortably cold. The days were pleasant, without the need of warm clothing.

All the towns in Segovia province that I visited(Segovia, San Ildefonso, Pedraza) were very cold and windy. Also, it was intermittently rainy in Segovia. The dampness dipped the mercury even more. Rain was always in small spells.

Final Note

Please increase the number of days allotted if you have the time, or else feel free to drop some sites/experiences to make the trip more comfortable and better suited to your interests. I hope you have read the individual articles on the destinations.

Happy travels!

Have you been to Spain? Are you interested in this one week in Spain itinerary focused on Madrid and Segovia? Comment below and start the conversation!

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Disclaimer: Tania was hosted by Spain Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the post are of her own.

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