Esperienza di Segovia

Took the tour to Segovia. The bus was comfortable, staff friendly, and enjoyed the guided tour. We then had the remainder of the day to ourselves. We choose only Segovia because we went to Toledo on a separate trip. If I had to choose I would rate Toledo over Segovia but Segovia is amazing and the aqueduct is stunning. I am glad I didn't try to squeeze two cities in one trip. You don't need a whole day in either but a couple hours in each would be too short.

We took the tour to Segovia, leaving from Plaza de Espana. The Viator agents were at the bus stop early. The bus loading went quickly. The trip to Segovia was comfortable. The tour guide met us as we arrived. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and did a superb job of showing us this historic city. We highly recommend this tour.

<p>You get what you paid for. First off, our bus arrived to pick us up 35 minutes late and we still had to leave Segovia at the same time, which means our trip was cut short because THEY could not get their bus to the stop on time. The young ladies gathering our tickets seemed like college students doing this as a part-time job and were a bit disorganized and did not speak much English. We did not have a tour guide or anyone from the company sitting with us on the bus.</p> <p>Our tour guide, Arancha, was there and ready to greet us when we arrived. She was very nice and a little funny, but you could tell that this was a side job for her and not something she was a professional at. It was hard to understand her because she did not have any sort of microphone or headset like other tour groups give us, and the constant switching between English and Spanish was better. Her English was fluent, but there were times when it was work for me to understand what she was saying. I was glad that she did not cut her time short with us, despite the bus being late. She told us about they history of the aqueduct which she was very knowledgable about, and then took us through the town and explained things like architecture, churches, food, and the castle at the end the inspiration for Disney's Snow White castle. She was friendly and approachable, and I could tell that she enjoys what she was doing.</p> <p>I enjoyed having the almost two hours at the end to wander the city which again, was cut short due to the bus driver being late. Segovia is a wonderful little town, and they cater to tourists. There are fast food restaurants and so many cute little shops there. Segovia is known for their suckling pig, as well as a pastry cake made with marzipan cream.</p> <p>I would suggest this tour if you are fine with all of this, but if what you are looking for is a professional tour guide, then this is not for you.</p>

I went to Segovia today with my friend. We always take walking tours in new cities/towns to get the inside view on the culture and history of the area. Today's tour was advertised as bilingual. Our guide started every stop in Spanish. She spoke extensively about various features of the building, people who lived there and quirky facts. Her explanations could be five minutes in Spanish and the corresponding English translation was under 30 seconds...My school Spanish is nearly 15 years old so I tried to translate for my friend and fellow English speaking tour mates. When I asked simple questions to clarify my understanding she was unable to comprehend and did not answer them at all. There were stops enroute to the Alcazar that she gave a description in Spanish for a few minutes before walking off without uttering a single word in English!! I don't want to hear that these licenced guides are bilingual and certified as this lady was unable to maintain a simple conversation in English about the weather or the cost of entrance to monuments... I feel really annoyed that we paid the same amount as our Spanish counterparts for a completely difference experience. Segovia itself is stunning and I would highly advise visiting from Madrid. However I would be reluctant to recommend the punctuality of this bus-we were collected 15 mins after time and the 2nd stop was collected 30mins late so by the time we actually got on the road the best part of 45-60 mins was gone from our free time in Segovia. I would certainly not recommend the add on walking tour. Get a map in the tourist office- it has more info written on the back page than we got in English from our 'official' guide.

<p>This trip was an excellent value. The bus was prompt and very comfortable and the guide was excellent. It was a very cold day and the cafeteria at the palace served the best host chocolate and Irish Coffee believe it or not ever !</p>