I took a daytrip to Segovia last week from Madrid. Above all wanted to recommend a resturant, Casa Chapete Restaurante at Ochoa Ondátegui 7, Tel. 921 421096. While others on this board recommend Duque and other high-priced places (which we didn't try), we had a marvelous meal at Casa Chapete. It was about 20 Euros a person and included wonderful soups, roast suckling pig, and homemade dessert, along with beer/wine. It's a cute little place just off the Aqueduct, not far from the main info booth, and it seemed to be full of locals. The owner was also really nice. I highly recommend it for anyone seeking a less expensive place to try the local specialty.

In general, Segovia was charming but COLD and the palace was a bit overrated. I'd say you can do Segovia (including lunch) in about 3 hours easily, not including bus time, and would recommend pairing with Avila or somewhere else if you have time.

Funny....Segovia was cold and rainy when we were there too in mid-March including snow on the mountain tops...but to see the aqua-duct was worth the long train ride and the rain!! It is an amazing site and one you won't see elsewhere. The cathedral there is also beautiful. The Plaza Mayor is small and almost intimate. The people were very friendly and helpful. We only had a short time there...but were very glad we went!! vpf

Wow, when I was there it was...cold and rainy! Still, it was really lovely. We ate at Candido --that was our big splurge meal. The roast suckling pig was very good, but the other dish we ordered--some kind of chicken in a green sauce--was even better. The desserts were unbelievable. Plus, the owners are there to seat you and they are so friendly--very nice to chat with.

Hello there!

Madridman, no pressure, but, just so you know, we have reserved a table at Casa Duque for New Year's Eve this year, following your recommendation .....we'll see how it goes!

Woo hoo!, in a few hours I catch my plane for Madrid! :p

Happy holidays everyone!

PIM

Woo Hoo! GREAT NEWS, pim! Say, were you charged a "special" (i.e. Expensive!) rate for New Year's Eve? If so, what's their fee for this night?

Have fun! Saludos, MadridMan

I would not say Segovia is overrated. There are not to many places in the world you can see an "intact" Roman aqueduct that is large as the one in Segovia. Just walking under it and see that there is no mortar between the rocks, that math and gravity is holding it together was amazing for me. Actually I find it beautiful to look at, I would even consider it a piece of art.

But you are right it being a short trip. When I visited in late September of this year I skipped having lunch in Segovia I wanted to be back to Madrid. You can see all of Segovia in 1/2 day and I wished I had visited Segovia and Avila at the same time, which I planned to do but I listen to some here and did not do it. If you are going to have a meal in Segovia then it a whole day, if not it is half of day.

Bill

Hola everyone!!, happy 2006!!

Well, we're back home (which means in Brussels these days...) and to answer Madridman's inquiry I thought I'd post the entire menu we enjoyed on New Year's at Casa Duque....

Madridman, they repeat the menu for "el día de Reyes", so you might want to consider going to sample it yourself....since you're now, HOME, only a couple of hours on Cercanías away!!!
The price is 53€ + 7% VAT, which we don't think is bad value....
Here we go;


DEGUSTACIÓN DE ENTRANTES:

Milhojas de pasta filo con verduritas crujientes y jamón ibérico
Terrina de demi-cui con salsa de naranja
Ravioli de bacalao al pil con vizcaína
Carpaccio de atún rojo con aceite de hongos y parmesano

PRIMER PLATO:

Ensalada de carabineros a la plancha con daditos de queso fresco, mango y mujol
ó
Consomé de mariscos con rollitos de merluza crujiente

SEGUNDO PLATO:

Pierna de cordero rellena al aroma de romero
ó
Pez San Pedro en su punto con costra de frutos de Navidad sobre fondo de albahaca y guarnición de verduras glaseadas

POSTRE:

Mousse de miel con frutas del bosque y cestilla de caramelo

BODEGA:

Tinto Conde de Siruela Reserva, D.O. Ribera del Duero
y
Cava Gran Cordón Negro Freixenet Brut Nature


We tried everything, and I strongly recommend the salad of 'carabinero' and the lamb.
After dinner we were served the traditional "uvas de la suerte" of course, which we engulfed to the sound of the bell tolls on the radio.

A couple of anecdotes; we were spending 3 nights in Segovia, and Marko (a.k.a. The_Keeper_at_home), my other half, was, understandably, looking forward to eating the famous suckling pig. I, the smart-ass, assured him it would surely be included on our N. Y. Eve's menu, so for two days we went "cochinillo-less" in anticipation, until the evening of the 30th decided to drop by, check out what the menu was actually going to be, its price, etc...Thank God we did!, because it was NOT, therefore, we rapidly entered Bernardino restaurant, practically next door from Casa Duque, for a typical Segovian menu!

Also, once we had had all the little dishes of 'degustación' and were ready for the main courses, the waiters started to serve them to us over again!, we had to say that we had already had the pleasure of eating them....we were starting to feel quite full as it was!...Sure enough, after such an opulent meal, our plans of bar hoping around Segovia were changed....for a cozy night in!, which was not a bad thing at all .... yep!, we were stuffed and it seems like we are no spring chickens anymore! :p , by the way, we can definitely recommend the rooms (above a bar) where we stayed, www.naturadesegovia.com

Cheers!

OK, on a less culinary note, I wanted to second ALL the praises that have been expressed on this board over Segovia.

We went there as an almost last-minute plan I had to come up with when the original plans to spend the holidays at a "borrowed" appartment on the Pyrenees failed. The places you can travel to withouth much of a fuss on public transportation are limited and I'm glad I chose Cercedilla for the first 3 days (the village itself is not impressive, at least when it's not covered in snow , but the people are very friendly and we stayed at the dreamy www.casonadenavalmedio.com which we recommend if anybody wants to get away from everything, relax, sauna, and hike some wonderful trails....), and then after a 40-minute train ride....Segovia.

I second what Bill has posted about the Aqueduct, but wanted to express my total amazement at the beauty of the Cathedral and the Alcázar.

If you find yourselves in Segovia, please don't do as I had done on previous occasions and just go have some 'cochinillo' at Cándido; do pay a visit, at least, to the inside of the Cathedral, and, if possible, to the Alcázar as well.

As a hopeless arquitecture freak, I also admire the way Segovians have managed to maintain great harmony all through the city within the roman walls, specially considering the total mix of styles! Romanic, Gothic, Arabic, etc... Something I often find many Spanish cities lack, unfortunately. It has so many churches I was in heaven . No wonder it was declared Patrimony Of Mankind by Unesco. Segovia, well done!