Alcazar of Segovia (Alcázar de Segovia)

The Alcazar’s palace rooms—a mix of Gothic, Moorish, and Romanesque styles—can be visited independently or as part of a guided tour. Highlights include the Sala de la Galera (Gallery Room), with a ceiling resembling the hull of an overturned ship, and the Salles de Reyes (Monarchs’ Room), painted with a lavish frieze of Spanish kings.

Basic admission tickets include entry to the palace and on-site military museum, while full admission also grants access to the Torre de Juan II, a tower with panoramic views. Guided walking tours are convenient for learning about the building’s layered history and architecture, while full-day excursions from Madrid take care of transportation and tend to also stop in the picturesque town of Avila.

• If the castle looks familiar, it’s because it reportedly inspired Disney’s Cinderella Castle.

• Signage is in Spanish and English. Audio-guides are available in English, German, French and other languages.

• The Torre de Juan is reached via a steep spiral staircase and isn’t wheelchair-accessible; however, the palace’s windows and balconies offer other panoramic viewpoints.

• Students, seniors over 65, children between six and 16 years old, and visitors with disabilities all receive discounted admission; children under five enter free of charge.

• Admission tickets booked online are reserved by day and time.

Segovia lies a short train ride away from Madrid and is also easily reached by car. High-speed Renfe trains take only 30 minutes; other trains take closer to an hour and depart from Chamartin Station. From the Segovia town center, a short bus ride will bring you to the castle. You can also join a full-day tour from Madrid that includes transportation.

The Alcazar of Segovia is open from 10am to 6pm in winter (November 1 to March 31), and until 8pm the rest of the year. It is closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day, January 6th, April 5th, and June 17th. Check the schedule ahead of your visit as the palace can sometimes close unexpectedly.

The Alcazar isn't Segovia's only star attraction. Visitors can’t miss the striking, two-story stone aqueducts running through town. The UNESCO-listed structures once supplied water to town denizens under rule of the Roman Empire. They stand roughly 94 feet high (28.5 meters) and date back to the last decades of the first century, although they continued to supply Segovians with water well into the modern era.