Segovia - The best places in Spain

The Royal Palace of San Ildefonso (popularly known as La Granja de San Ildefonso) is a magnificent palace located in San Ildefonso, a small town of Segovia. This palace is famous for its wide gardens with fountains and statues, which are visited by many tourists both in summer and winter.

San Ildefonso is 90km away from Madrid. To arrive there you can go from Madrid by car (1 hour trip aprox.) or from Segovia, which is really close to the palace.

The Royal Palace of San Ildefonso

The Royal Palace of San Ildefonso is a group of buildings that includes the palace, a church, a square and some other buildings. It is surrounded by the town at the entrance of the palace and, behind it, it is placed the gardens with its fountains and statues.

Talking about its history, the palace was rebuilt in 1700 by Carlos II, after several fires. Some years later, in 1724, Felipe V lived there twenty years of his life and improved a lot the gardens and fountains, which currently are the most famous part of San Ildefonso.

Visiting the interior of the palace can cost between 4 and 9€. However, to visit the gardens and its fountains is free. (Many people go there only to see the gardens).

The gardens

The gardens of San Ildefonso have an XVIII style and were designed by René Carlier. They consist on a combination of forest areas with paths, statues and fountains inside them.

To visit the gardens is free, and it is a perfect place to stay one day resting, taking photons and enjoying the nature.

The fountains

Inside the gardens, the most popular elements are the fountains. They are placed all in the gardens and some of them have marble statues of gods as Apollo and Neptune. Also, you will find some waterfalls, bridges and many more.

In total, there are eleven fountains: Carrera de caballos (Horse race) , La cascada (The cascade), El canastillo (The basket), Las ocho calles (The eight streets), Las ranas (the frogs), Los baños de Diana (Diana baths), La Fama (The fame), La selva (The forest), Los dragones (The dragons) and Las Tazas (The cups).

San Ildefonso: The town

San Ildefonso Town is by the entrance of the palace. Although is a small town, is the perfect place to park your car, to rest, to take a coffee and eat the traditional food of Segovia in its restaurants.

Touristic map of El sitio de San Ildefonso: Royal Palace, gardens and fountains

Here you have a map of the palace and the gardens with its fountains and statues.

More cities to visit near San Ildefonso

– Segovia: With its impressive roman aqueduct and its Alcazar, Segovia is a must for tourists who are visiting the central region of Spain.

– Madrid: The capital of the country is always plenty of cultural and leisure activity.

– Salamanca: Salamanca has the most ancient university of Spain. Also, visiting its historic centre is like to stay in the medieval age, surrounded of elegant stone-made buildings, churches, squares and monuments. Salamanca is surely one of the best maintained traditional cities of the country.

– Toledo: Toledo is an historical city with a lot of ancient buildings and monuments which make a medieval atmosphere for everyone who want to visit it.

– The best cities to visit in Spain: Read here our list with the best destinations of Spain.

The Segovia Aqueduct is the most important roman architecture of Spain. It is placed in Segovia, a friendly city of 50.000 inhabitants located one hour away of Madrid by car or bus.

When the aqueduct was built by the Roman Empire, in the first century A.D, its mission was to transport water from Fuente Fria river to the town. The aqueduct covers a distance of 15 km and the structure of its final part consists in 36 stone arches which sustains the water channel.

Nowadays, many tourists visit Segovia to see the aqueduct and other important monuments as The Alcazar, The Cathedral and the old city centre, which are some of the most remarkable monuments of Castile and Leon region. The Aqueduct and the old city of Segovia were declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 1985.

What to visit near Aqueduct of Segovia

– Historic centre of the town: The centre of Segovia has a lot of historic buildings, and also it is the perfect place to eat or take a drink in its bars and restaurants.

– Alcazar de Segovia: This is other of the most popular monuments of the city. It is said that this castle is dated from the same ages than the aqueduct, when the Roman Empire was in Spain. Later, in the medieval age it was used as a fortification and as a palace.

– Segovia Cathedral (Catedral de Santa María de Segovia): This Gothic cathedral is placed in the centre of the city, and it can be seen from Plaza Mayor. The building construction began in the 16th century and it is well known for the Spaniards for its elegance and for its giant dimensions.

– Plaza Mayor (Main Square): As in many other cities of Spain, Plaza Mayor is one of the most traditional squares of Segovia. It is the perfect place to take a rest or drink something while you can appreciate the magnificence of the cathedral.

– San Martín church: Another ancient building placed in the centre of Segovia. Although is not as famous as the aqueduct or the Alcazar, this catholic church was built in the 12th century, four hundred years before than the cathedral.

Map of the old town of Segovia (Spain)

Here you have a touristic map of Segovia (click on it to maximize the map).

More cities to visit near Segovia