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Avila visit with TM
Segovia visit to Alcázar with TM – or local guide
· Check voucher to see if a local guide is included or not.
· You are required to call the Alcazar at least 48 hours in advance to confirm your group number and expected time of visit
· You will 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 in working order… There are also plenty of cafes on Calle Juan Bravo for drinks/rest stop. There are plenty of toilets at the Alcázar too.
· Bear in mind that it takes approx 30 minutes to walk your group from the Plaza del Azoguejo to the Alcázar.
· Adjust the timing accordingly if you plan to have lunch in Avila.
Avila – visit
On arrival at Avila follow signs for Cuatro Postes. From here there is the best view of the walls. There is a café with restrooms across the street.
From here, drive to the tourist office on the main road around the city You can ask for maps to distribute to your group if you like. There is an escalator inside the office that takes you up to the city. When you get out at the top cross the roundabout and enter the gate here to the old town. Lead your group inside the walls and almost immediately take the left-hand street – Calle Tostado which leads to the cathedral.
The tourist office is on the square opposite the front of the Cathedral. Get maps (1 for every 3 or 4 pax) and distribute them. Give your group time to visit the Cathedral and then walk together to the convent of Santa Teresa. It is built on the site of the house in which she was born. The stained-glass windows in the church depict the story of Santa Teresa. To the right of the entrance to the church there is a small souvenir shop and a tiny museum containing a finger of Santa Teresa!
Head for the Cathedral Square following the route outside the walls for panoramic views.
If the group is interested, they can also walk a section of the wall in their free time. If there are many who are interested in doing this, then make this the stop before lunch. Group rates are available, ask at the ticket office.
Give the group free time for lunch. There are places to eat in the Plaza de la Victoria.
Continue to Segovia.
Segovia – visit with TM/local guide
Your bus can drop you off at the bus stop near the aqueduct. However, if you are told otherwise, the drop off point will be the bus station. We have included both sets of information so you are prepared for both cases.
If you have a local guide, discuss the meeting point with them. They are most likely to finish the visit at the Alcázar and you’ll have to take it from there.
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.
Continue to the Alcazar. If you don’t have the local guide, 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 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 – 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.
Continue to the Alcázar. If you do not have a local guide, 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 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.
A – Aqueduct & Tourist Office
B – Plaza Mayor & Cathedral
C – Alcaza