Old Castile: aqueducts and city walls

Route description

From Madrid, head north-west across the Sierra de Guadarrama to Segovia, where the Roman aqueduct, built of granite blocks held without mortar, is 28 m high where it crosses the old town. Segovia also has a Gothic cathedral and the Alcázar castle at the tip of the old town.

From Segovia, a road across the high plain leads to Ávila, whose medieval walls, with dozens of towers, are the most complete in Spain; part of them can be walked. The town is also linked to Saint Teresa, with churches and convents in her name.

The route ends in Salamanca, a university town of golden sandstone, with the Plaza Mayor, two cathedrals side by side and the university façade where visitors search for a small carved frog. The old town is best explored on foot.

The motorway spurs to Segovia and Ávila are tolled, while the old national roads are free. Winters on this high plateau are cold and summers hot, so spring and autumn are the best seasons.