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Wandering the Alcazar of Segovia with kids

When we were in Madrid a couple of years ago, we only had time for one day trip outside the city.  We chose the idyllic, walled city of Segovia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with narrow cobblestone streets, magnificent architecture and a majestic castle on a hill.  Looking like it came straight out of a fairy tale book, it was breathtaking.  This castle had a drawbridge, a tower, turrets and spires – major wish list items for castle sightseeing with kids.

Alcazar of Segovia

The Alcazar (Arabic word for royal residence) was originally built in the 12th century by King Alfonso VIII on an old fortress site.  It is prominently perched on top of a huge bedrock and visible for miles.  It served as a residence for many Spanish royalties who added their personal touches to the castle construction over the years.  King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (the same ones who authorized Columbus’ expedition) were married here.

Alcazar of Segovia

When much of the royal family moved to Madrid, the castle served as a state prison until the mid-1700s.  The Royal School of Artillery was housed here until most of the original structure was destroyed by fire in 1862.  Everything was rebuilt to its original state in 1882.  It became a military academy until the mid-20th century but now largely used as a museum.

Alcazar of Segovia turret

We went in through the drawbridge and looked down to see what used to be a defensive moat with not much water left.  We were all so excited to enter our very first Spanish castle.  I admit I wished I lived in a castle like this when I was young so visiting this was almost a dream come true.

Alcazar of Segovia tower

In contrast to Madrid’s Royal Palace, we were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted here.  The highlight for my kids was the room full of armory and knights of different sizes including one on a horse in full regalia.  It was interesting to see the horses also had their own armor.  They picked their favorite knights to pose with and ran excitedly from one to the other. Their only rule here was “No Touching“.  Of course, we caught our then four-year-old son sneaking in some strokes at a couple of armors.  I guess there was just too much temptation with all the shiny objects.

Alcazar of Segovia knights

If that collection wasn’t enough, there was another room near the tower with more armors, weapons, cannons, swords and shields. It was so interesting to see all the weapons and inventions used during that time.  It makes one wonder how they kept everything so shiny.

Alcazar of Segovia knight armor

We didn’t do a tour and just wandered around the castle. It was so fascinating to walk through the halls of Spanish royalty.  The Hall of Monarchs is a long room with 52 beautifully “carved gilded portraits” of Spanish kings and queens towards the ceiling.  It was dazzling in a pattern of gold hexagons and added to the castle’s ambience.

Alcazar of Segovia ceiling

The throne room was not as opulent as I expected.  The thrones, under a velvet canopy, were a bit simple and didn’t look very comfortable to sit on for long periods of time.  The Catholic Monarchs coat of arms is displayed behind it with the inscription of “Tanto Monta” (rough translation of  “As much as the one is worth, so much is the other”) a prenuptial agreement between Ferdinand and Isabella.

Alcazar of Segovia throne room

The highlight here was definitely the ceiling once again.  There were hints of gold and red and was very impressive with intricate workmanship.

Alcazar of segovia throne room

Apparently, the Spanish royalty had an affinity towards elaborate ceiling decorations.  It was amazing and worth the neck strain I got from admiring the details.

Alcazar of Segovia throne room ceiling

Tucked away was the castle chapel with an extraordinary gold altar piece covering almost the entire wall.  It consisted of 17 panels of New Testament biblical scenes and a sculpture of St. Barbara in the middle.

Alcazar of Segovia chapel

We even visited a princess’ bedroom with its canopied bed decorated in red and gold velvet fabric much to my daughter’s delight. It wasn’t as fancy as we expected or as ornately decorated but had some wonderful tapestries on the wall.  The bed was surprisingly a little small for royalty.

Segovia princess bedroom


There was a courtyard in the middle of the castle with ivy clinging to some areas of the walls, a fountain and plenty of seating areas.  It seemed like  the perfect place to enjoy a nice night out.  In the meantime, my kids were happy they found a place to play tag.

Alcaza of Segovia interior

Many of the windows offered grand views of the surrounding hills and countryside.  How wonderful it must be for the townspeople to wake up everyday and see this splendid castle outside their window.

Segovia
View from one of the Alcazar windows

The Tower of Juan II was also accessible (additional fee) for more panoramic views of the town.  The bars on the tower windows represented its history as a state prison .  Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to go up the tower.

Alcazar of Segovia Tower of Juan II

Looking down we also saw a perfectly groomed maze on the side area much like the ones shown on movies.  It wasn’t open to the public during our visit.

Alcazar of Segovia maze

The one hour train ride from Madrid to visit this castle and the delightful town of Segovia was definitely worth it.  The Alcazar exceeded my expectations and brought me back to childhood dreams of fairy tale castles.   Most of all, it was an enchanting place brought to life for our little princess and knight.

*Have you visited the Alcazar of Segovia or another Spanish castle?  Any favorite castles you’ve visited in your travels?

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Alcazar of Segovia

55 thoughts on “Wandering the Alcazar of Segovia with kids”

  1. What a gorgeous castle and the maze is incredible! I can think of at least one member of my family who would be tempted to touch just a little bit too!

    1. This is definitely one of our favorite castles now. Luckily, there was no one around to enforce the rule. I was just thankful it didn’t fall on him.

  2. Wow, this town looks fabulous. Darn, it’s not on our itinerary for this summer – we’re going straight from Madrid to Sevilla. There’s just so much we want to see in Spain!

  3. It looks like a movie set, doesn’t it? I didn’t get there either when I was in Spain. According to Wikipedia the Ferdinand/Isabella motto meant basically that they were equals–each bringing as much as the other. Not a bad marriage contract.

    1. It did look like a movie backdrop. Considering its history, they did a wonderful job restoring it. Thanks for the heads up on the motto. It is a wonderful way of starting a marriage.

    1. There’s actually an urban legend saying Walt Disney based one of the castles on this Alcazar. There is a very Disney quality to all the spires and turrets.

  4. When we visited a monastery in Spain, taking pics were not allowed but we did manage some “stolen shots”. It’s great to be able to see the grandeur of the interiors of royal residences.

    1. I love taking stolen shots too. How weird for a monastery to prohibit pictures. Speaking of which, how cool will it be to visit one in Spain.

    1. The castle was based on some German ones and there is an urban legend Walt based one of the Disney castles on this one. The altar was so detailed it was spectacular.

  5. In an earlier job, I used to go all around Europe for work and whenever I was in Madrid, my Spanish counterpart would always take a day to show off a palace or other interesting sight. Once we went to Segovia and I remember it was such a great place to walk around. Sadly, I can’t find any pictures – so especially love yours. Thanks for the memory :)

  6. Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista

    I love castles and can see that I would enjoy this one too! Your photos have captured the beauty of the castle and inspired me to want to visit :)

  7. I would like to wake up from my canopied bed, step into my royal robe and enjoy that gorgeous view every morning. What a great outing.
    The first castle I ever saw was Carnarvon Castle in Wales. I remember it being a real thrill to see – especially because Canada had no castles to speak off.

    1. Don’t we all wish we had a royal robe and this view. I will need to look at the Wales castle. Since the US doesn’t really have many, this was so wonderful to see.

    1. I agree, Sabrina. It was supposed to be modeled after some German castles so maybe that’s why it looks familiar to you =) In a way, I wasn’t expecting it to look so Disneyish. I guess since it was Spain I was expecting more Moorish influence. It was a beautiful place to visit.

  8. We LOVED Segovia when we visited, too.Our Spanish friends also took us to a fabulous
    restaurant across the street…wish I could remember the name to recommend it to fellow travelers.

  9. This looks like the perfect castle experience! I’ve been to Spain but only to Barcelona and Granada–there is SO much to see and do there so I’m definitely hoping to go back soon. Looks like your kids enjoyed this day!

  10. Europe has the best castles. Most of them seem to be in Germany which we’re dying to go to. But, this one in Spain is just as fantastic.

  11. That castle looks really dreamlike! Love the altar, it looks so opulent. I didn’t see many people though. I love it when I visit a place and it seems like I was the only one there haha I like the Rosenberg Castle in Copenhagen. Very accessible.

    1. Thanks for stopping by Aleah! It was very Disney/fairy tale looking. We were there in Oct. on a weekday so it was great to have some areas to ourselves. Glad to hear about Rosenberg. We’re going to be there next month.

  12. Anytime I see beautifully decorated and ornate pieces, I start to wonder what I could accomplish if I didn’t sit in front of a computer all day. Maybe if I started now, in 20 years I could have one room with a nice ceiling like those. As always, great pictures and reporting!

    1. Thanks Justin! Same here…sitting in front of a computer all day and then do it again once the kids sleep =) The Spaniards loved their ceiling and it would be great to sleep under one of these.

  13. This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen! I wish I can go and visit the palace too! I was astonished by the place and the structures. It’s like in a fairy tale stories.

  14. Gladys | ByahengBarok.com

    i’m so super envious… i’ve always wanted to go to a castle, the kind that i see in fairy tales… of course, the ones in disneyland is different. hahaha! but this castle is so amazing. i hope my son and i can get to these places someday :)

  15. Wow! what a beautiful castles and architectural design is really awesome. I hope i can visit this place someday. Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos with us.

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