Alcazar, the Fairy Tale Castle of Segovia, Spain
Segovia is located north west of Madrid and is usually considered as day trip from Madrid. But we made the road trip to Segovia from Avila. The distance of 68km from Avila to Segovia was easily covered in an hour.
I have grown up kids but they never cease to be amazed by castles and the stories revolving around them. Prior to this we had been to Moorish castles and Pena Palace in Sintra during our tour of Portugal.
Alcazar, the Fairy Tale Castle of Segovia, Spain
Alcazar Segovia in UNESCO List
Along with 2nd century aqueduct of Segovia and 16th century Gothic Cathedral, this 11th century Alcazar of Segovia too is included in UNESCO Heritage list.
Alcazar means a Castle! Here this is Segovia Palace, or fortress of Moorish origin, or Castle of Segovia. We included in the itinerary just for the kids. I too find a special charm around these fortified historical structures.
This medieval stone fortress is located on top of Guadarrama Mountains.
One fact common to all castles is they are built on hill tops.
History of Alcazar of Segovia
Alcazar de Segovia is famous to be known as an inspiration for Cinderella Castle by Walt Disney, just like how he drew the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle from the Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen, Germany. The memories of fairy tale days rekindled, my daughters tried to place imaginary figures there!
Castle of Alcazar of Segovia was not a castle always!
You may find it hard to believe that the first documented record of this castle mentions it to be wooden fort built over the old Roman foundations.
It did serve the purpose as royal palace once, after that it became a state prison. I don’t understand that – criminals imprisoned in the huge rooms of a castle?
Anyways, later it got converted to Royal Artillery College; the corridors there filled with hustle and bustle of students – that made some sense.
Later used as military academy. So we got to see huge rooms stuffed with some military equipment.
The castle of Alcazar of Segovia got burnt down in 1832, after that it was rebuilt using old sketches as reference.
Now it has been converted into a museum.
What you read in the previous para is about the list of its occupancy from 1120AD, which is the year it was made, till today. Prior to that, historical records mention that there existed an Arab Fort built by Berber dynasty, which was built on Roman ruins of a fort.
Alfonso VIII and his wife, Eleanor of England, made this Alcazar their principal residence. Major work was carried out to erect the magnificent stone fortification.
Approach to Alcazar of Segovia
The route uphill to Alcazar, the fairy tale castle of Segovia can easily take 20 to 30 minutes by walk, some claim to have done it in 15 minutes.
We took the easy way out and hired a taxi for 5 Euros. (We planned to come downhill walking, so why cross the path twice by walk.) The taxi transported us back to 12th century and we stood there mesmerized looking at the old mighty walls of the medieval castle.
Doesn’t the turret top look like witch’s hat?
It has all the elements that an ideal castle has: a drawbridge, a tower, turrets and spires!
Inside Alcazar de Segovia
Tickets purchased, we finally stepped into the castle.
Inside there are 2 parts to the castle. One has the courtyard with a pit, a lifting bridge and two round turrets with spires. The second part has a chapel, Gallery room, the Pine Cone room and Queen’s chamber.
The tour time of entire castle can be anywhere more than one hour depending on your pace. There are 4 floors with attics and basement; all are not open to public though.
Ceiling of Monarch’s Room
One particular room of this iconic medieval fortress of Segovia that I had photographed a lot is the ceiling of Monarch’s room. It has such a unique ceiling. The patterns are mind blowing, words fail to describe the beauty in the designs.
The room has hexagons and golden rhombuses in the ceiling and a peculiar frieze with 52 colored and images of people who mattered in the history of Segovia.
Throne Room has a Mudejar dome (kind of architecture) and Gothic- Mudejar plaster works. The walls are covered with velvet and series of portraits of different kings.
Garden in Alcazar Fairy Tale Castle of Segovia Spain
The gardens too looked well manicured with interesting patterns. The views of plains of Segovia seemed perfect!
Alcazar Castle of Segovia: Tickets and Timings
Opening timings
1 April to 30 September – From 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
1 October to 31 March- Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Summer opening hours – Monday to Thursday: from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The monument is closed on 1st and 6th January, 25th June and 25th December.
Afternoons of 24th and 31st December.
Alcazar of Segovia Tickets
General entrance ticket: 3.50 €
Reduced price entry: 2.30 €
Free entry: Children under 6 years old and every Tuesday for citizens of the EU
Tower of Juan II –
Ticket – 1 €
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I’m just like your kids, I love castles too!
This place looks a stunner, I’ll have to get there myself one day!
The town looks really to be a place frozen in medieval times. I am sure you could expect a knight in shining armour to emerge from the shadows anytime! The intricate art on the ceiling of the Monarch’s room is really exquisite.
These castles never cease to amaze me. The gardens contrasting against the cold stone. The worn interiors, all of it! Amazing
Wow- Segovia looks stunnng! Madrid is on our “places to visit” list and now Segovia will definitely be added as a stop when we go to Madrid. Thanks for the info! ?
This does look way more nice than Alcatraz! I went last summer and it has nothing to do with it… this is GORGEOUS ! Incredible spot, would love to get to Spain to visit it for sure!
Love castles and I actually never heard about this one, but I love the garden. Thank you for sharing such a great post! 🙂
I’ve been to Madrid, but never to Segovia. It looks lovely, and I will consider including it on my next trip to Spain. Thx for the heads-up!
How beautiful it is ,Alcazar of Segovia !
mindblowing pictures of the intricately done ceiling,the interiors ,the neately done garden so lush green !
Really awesome !!
Wonderful images. The Alcázar of Segovia is a palace and a fortress of Spanish kings in the in the historic district of Segovia city, Spain.
Beautiful images and narration Indrani. That maze looks interesting. One could get lost in it I guess.
This brings back memories. I was in Segovia on a VERY cold day back in 2010. I loved the aqueduct. I didn’t visit the castle, opting for a warm place to give my aching bones some much needed heat. This is a good reason to go back. Thanks for linking up this week. #TPThursday
Great photos and I also liked that room that caught your photographer’s eye! What an amazing history and you’ve given us such a great tour!
Sure is like a fairy tale. Amazing 😀
I am so excited about this post! I loved the Alcazar and the city of Segovia. We almost didn’t go because the day we had plans ended up being a holiday (we didn’t know). On top of that, the weather forecast looked bad. But we ended up going and had a fabulous time.
Thank you for the wonderful virtual tour with beautiful photographs!
Wow..what a beautiful place it is!!!!
Wow….magnificent. A totally different era.
That’s a lot from Spain. Wonderful Pictures!
wow…lovely place…liked that maze garden 🙂
Wow, this castle is gorgeous. I would love to explore it on my own. Your photos will do for now. Lovely tour and images. Happy Tuesday, enjoy your day!
Very beautiful castle and like u said, the interior and ceiling parts were mind-blowing! You also got great views from the top and nice garden work
Such an interesting place this is!
The garden is really very well maintained with some great designs!
Wow… awesome visuals!
so exciting are the pictures
Perfecto ! The images are beautiful, I so love the ceiling in the Monarch’s room. I’m sure you had a great time 🙂
Beautiful pictures Indrani. You have got lots from Spain. Very informative.
Wow – love those gardens! What great shots.
Superb craftsmanship
I have a Spanish sister-in-law and visiting Spain has been on the cards for a long time now. Your posts are making it all the more tempting 🙂
It did serve the purpose as royal palace once, after that it became a state prison. I don’t understand that – criminals imprisoned in the huge rooms of a castle? Anyways, later it got converted to Royal Artilery College; the corridors there filled with hustle and bustle of students – that made some sense. These days it is used as military academy. Interesting story . Indrani ji your pictures are perfect always and gives an idea to know and to understand all the related things about that place .
Such a beautiful creation! Nice post, Indrani.
Beautiful images, especially the maze, love it.