Ávila and Segovia from Madrid: Budget Day Trip

What you'll see

Ávila and Segovia are just over an hour from Madrid and can be linked in a single day. This trip is the budget version of that getaway: it focuses on the heritage you can see from the street, with an official guide to explain it, without the cost of entries into the monuments.

• Walls of Ávila: the most complete medieval fortifications in Spain, walked from the outside during the city's walking tour.
• Ávila's old town: the Plaza Mayor, the area around the Cathedral and the streets within the walls, with a stop for the included drink and tapa.
• Aqueduct of Segovia: the city's great Roman work, viewed from the Azoguejo square with the guide's explanations.
• Segovia's old town: the walking tour covers the central streets up to the area around the Cathedral and the Alcázar, both seen from the outside.

How it works

You are met by the Fun and Tickets team at calle San Bernardo, 7, in central Madrid. Arrive about 15 minutes early for check-in. Departure is by air-conditioned coach.

The first stop is Ávila. There you take a walking tour with an official guide along the outside of the walls and the historic centre, with a break where a drink and a tapa are included. Then the coach continues to Segovia, where another walking tour covers the centre and stops at the Roman aqueduct.

It's important to be clear on the format: the monuments are seen from the outside. There are no entries to the Cathedral or the Alcázar of Segovia, or the Basilica of San Vicente, and you don't climb the walls. The full day lasts around 9 hours including travel, returning to the departure point in Madrid.

Who I'd recommend it to

• If you want to see Ávila and Segovia with the smallest possible spend.
• If you're happy to see the walls and the aqueduct from outside, with a guide explaining them.
• If you'd rather not drive or organise transport to link the two cities.
• If you already know you'll come back another time, at a calmer pace, to go inside the monuments.

Who I would NOT recommend it to

• If you were expecting to enter the Cathedral, the Alcázar or climb the wall. This trip is exteriors only; for the entries there is the version with tickets included.
• If mobility is an issue. The walking tours go through historic centres with slopes and cobblestones.
• If you want to wander without rushing. It's two cities in 9 hours; the pace is brisk.
• If you want a fuller or more tailored experience. A private tour or the version with tickets offer more.