43403MAD
Full day excursion from Madrid
Escorial inside visit with local guide with local guide
Segovia walking tour with local guide
All timings are dependent on meeting times with the respective guides at El Escorial and Segovia
Escorial
· Call Escorial guide the day before to confirm. Entrances to Escorial are paid by the guide.
· The timings of entrances to El Escorial can only be changed well in advance through the Area Office.
· All groups now have whispers sets – make sure that you take the box with you for the day and that you have spare batteries, earphones and a microphone for the guide before you leave the bus
· Warn group that El Escorial is higher than Madrid and therefore colder so they should bring sweaters or jackets.
· Cameras are now allowed to be used in the Escorial,
· You can give the group time to have a drink ( the hot chocolate is particularly good) at the care of the Hotel Florida if the group leaders want
Segovia:
· You are required to call the Alcazar at least 48 hours in advance to confirm your group number and expected time of visit
· Tickets are now reserved online in advance through the Araque office
· You may need a copy of your rooming list for the ticket office of the Alcazar.
· There are toilets at the tourist office next to the aqueduct if they are working… There are also plenty of cafes on Calle Juan Bravo for drinks/rest stop. There are plenty of toilets at the Alcazar too.
09:00 Depart Madrid on A6. As you climb higher point out Guadarrama mountains. Eventually on left you see the cross above the Basilica at the Valley of the Fallen
10:00 Arrive at el Escorial.
12:15 Depart El Escorial for 40/45 minute drive to Segovia.
El Escorial – visit
Remind your group to leave their backpacks on the bus
The bus drop off and pick up point is the bus station. Take your group up the ramps and make a left on Calle San Juan this curves around to become Calle Juan Leyva. Take the second street on your left – Calle San Francisco, which will lead you down to a dead end that is covered in ivy. Walk under the ivy and down the stairs and turn right. The Hotel Florida is just up the street on your right-hand side. Meet you guide there.
If you arrive about 15 minutes before your scheduled meeting time, allow the group to use the bathrooms in the lobby of the hotel (more bathrooms downstairs). Please introduce yourself to the hotel staff at reception. Meet your guide and walk over to the Palace together. The guide will go in one entrance to pay for tickets and will direct you to another entrance where you’ll meet back just after the second security check point. The tour takes approx. 1.5 hours, and includes Royal apartments, the library and the Mausoleum. After the visit, for toilets at Hotel Florida.
A – Hotel Florida – Meeting place with guide & bathrooms
B – Bus Drop Off/Pick Up point (there is a ramp from the bus station up to
Calle San Juan, which is faster and a bit nicer than the road)
Segovia – visit with local guide
You meet your local guide in the Plaza del Azoguejo and they will leave your group once they are safely inside the Alcazar and exploring.
The bus will now drop off in the Avenida Via Roma, right by the Roman aqueduct. However, if you are told otherwise, the drop off point will be the bus station.
A – Bus Station – bus drop off point
B – Plaza Mayor & Cathedral
C – Alcazar
D – Calle de San Valentino & Paseo de los Tilos
E – Roundabout in front of bus parking – bus pick up point
Aqueduct Drop Off
The tourist office in this Plaza (on the right-hand side with the Aqueduct at your back) has lovely pictorial maps for a small charge if anyone in your group is interested. If you are stopping for lunch, there are good lunch places around the Plaza del Azoguejo. Give your group time for lunch and the meet again in the Plaza.
If you do not have a local guide, continue to the Alcázar. Ensure that your group are all together while you pay the entrances in the ticket office next to the Alcázar – they might ask you for your rooming list. Lead group in (toilets are on right as you enter). English pamphlets are available, distribute one between two. At the end of the tour, allow your group time to climb to the top of the tower if the ticket and time permit and they would like to do so.
Meet everyone back in the Plaza Mayor and walk the group down to the Aqueduct. Allow time for a bathroom break in the tourist office and call your driver and arrange a pick-up time. Buses cannot wait outside the Aqueduct, so please make sure you allow plenty of time for the stop and arrange a meeting time accordingly.
Bus Station Drop Off
The bus drops you off at the main bus station. From here, lead your group up the Avenida de Fernandez Ladreda and into the Plaza del Azoguejo. You will see the aqueduct straight ahead. The tourist office in this plaza has lovely pictorial maps for a small charge if anyone in your group is interested. If you are stopping for lunch, there are good lunch places around the Plaza del Azoguejo.
If you do not have a guide, continue to the Alcazar. Ensure that your group are all together while you pay the entrances in the ticket office next to the Alcazar – they might ask you for your rooming list. Lead the group in (toilets are on right as you enter). English pamphlets are available, distribute one between two. After the
Alcázar visit, allow your group to climb to the top of the tower if they would like to do so. Arrange a rendezvous time.
From the garden, you will take another route back down to meet the bus, which is parked in a different parking lot than the bus station. Upon leaving the Alcazar gardens, take the road furthest on your right – Ronda de Juan II. This road changes names to Calle de San Valentin and the Paseo de los Tilos and the photo ops are great. At the end of Paseo de los Tilos make a right onto Calle del Puente Sancti-Spiritu (gardens/river on your right). This leads you to a round-about and the bus parking lot is just on the other side of the round-about.
A – Aqueduct & Tourist Office
B – Plaza Mayor & Cathedral
C – Alcazar