madvora

If I'm visiting Segovia as a day trip from Madrid, would I have enough time to see all of the sights in Segovia itself like the Aqueducts, Alcazar, Cathedral etc. and still take the bus trip out to San Ildolfo de la Granja?

chapla

Yes-get an early start-I always take an early morning bus down under at Principe Pio metro to Segovia.Buy the round trip ticket before you get in line for the bus.
When you arrive in Segovia-just under an hour ride- at the bus station ask about the bus schedule to La Granja.Then walk down to the aqueduct,stop at the tourist office for a map/info and work your way up to the cathedral and castle.
I prefer to have lunch in La Granja.The gardens are beautiful even without the fountains working- a mini version of Versailles and free-open to the public.Honestly the tour of the palace is too boring/long for me as is the glass factory.There's a lovely little market in the center.I always have lunch directly across from the market.The parador is wonderful-take a peek inside!!
The bus back to Segovia is about a 10 minute ride and when you get on tell the driver you want to go back to Madrid and he calls ahead to let the bus station know how many passengers are going on to Madrid.
I never take the train-it leaves you outside of town and you need to take a bus into Segovia and it's more expensive and just a little faster.I do the same thing when I go to Toledo-bus rather than train!

kja

I think it depends on your preferred pace and interests.

I have difficulty believing that you would "have enough time to see all of the sights in Segovia itself" as a day trip from Madrid. Counting an overnight stay, I had just under a full day in Segovia; I was able to see the Aqueduct, Cathedral, and most (not all) other sites in the city that were of greatest interest to me. I did not have time to visit the Alcazar (except its exterior), let alone the San Ildolfo de la Granja. Perhaps I could have seen more if I had done a better job of planning around siesta.

Good luck with your decision!

Aleta

I agree that I hate rushing for this itinerary in one day. But don't miss San Idelfonso de la Granja. I hope it's possible for you to spend the night in Segovia.

madvora

Tough decision. I'd like to do both. I don't plan on seeing every square inch of Segovia, but the major sites like the Alcazar, Aqueduct and Cathedral might be enough. I'm just thinking the back and forth time to La Granja might eat up too much time. Generally I don't always do the inside tours of all of these buildings. I get just as much pleasure walking around and taking pictures of the exteriors, unless it's something particularly spectacular. That would save me some time.

danon

We did not see every inch of Segovia ( why would one?) or La Granja...just walked around,looked at the buildings from the outside, had a beer and a quick lunch ( no pig) ... enjoyed the town in 5-6 hours.

madvora

Danon - you were able to see Segovia and La Granja both in 5-6 hours? What make this so difficult is having to by the return ticket in advance. I don't know in advance when I want to come back.