Last bank holiday weekend we headed to Madrid to visit family and visited the mountain town of Segovia. Madrid in the summer is very hot – well into the thirties and higher, so heading to the mountains is a great idea as the temperatures are much cooler. The easiest route from Madrid to Segovia is via a toll road, although it is worth going the mountain route at least one way, for the views. It takes just over an hour. We parked in an underground car park in the center of the town which was pretty reasonable as it was around 10 euros for around 5 hours.

In Segovia there is a Roman aqueduct, a Gothic cathedral and a Medieval castle, Alcazar. We ate lunch facing the aqueduct before walking through the town to the castle.

The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but has also been a royal palace, a state prison and a military academy. It is currently a museum, filled with cannons and swords which kept my boys interested. The castle costs around 5 euros per adult and 3.5 euros for children. You can pay extra to go up a tower, but we chose not to do this.

Alcázar itself is like a fairytale castle with turrets galore and it is said that it inspired Walt Disney’s sleeping beauties castle.

There are some beautiful views and as I mentioned earlier the boys enjoyed looking at the cannons.

We then wandered back through the town before purchasing ice creams to keep the kids happy.

If your are looking to escape the heat of Madrid in the summer then Segovia is a beautiful place to visit, with enough to keep the children entertained. As and adult you will just be happy wandering around and taking in the views.

Have you visited Madrid in the summer? Where would you recommend?