Sleeping Beauty. You can easily imagine Rapunzel
standing here, letting her golden hair cascade down.
This is the castle where Queen Isabel received
Christopher Columbus to promise funding for his
transatlantic adventure. The turrets are tipped like
witches’ hats, and when the castle is all lit up in the
evening, you’ve got a picture-perfect frame. The
balcony of your room at the magnificent Parador
Hotel is the perfect spot to shoot it from.
Shopping: You could start from the large
and leafy Plaza Mayor, surrounded by boutiques
and pubs. Any which way you go, up or down the
cobbled lanes, you’ll find interesting things to catch
your attention. Be it top brands or local lace, there’s
a lot to tempt your wallet. Shops in this and other
small Spanish towns shut down between 1 pm and
4 pm for lunch, but the really cool thing is that they
stay open until 8 pm or slightly later, unlike in some
other European nations.
Food: Segovia’s famous foods include giant
broad beans from ‘La Granja de San Ildefonso’, tender
baby lamb and roast ‘cochinillo’ (suckling pig),
usually enjoyed with wine from the nearby Ribera del
Duero region.
Tip: If the weather is right, you can go hot air
ballooning in Segovia.
22 Travel Secrets March-April 2015