I think Segovia may be my favourite WHS in Spain of the 19 that I have visited so far. The mixture of an amazing monument, charming cobbled old town and a great selection of restaurants and bars made this a thoroughly enjoyable place to be based for a day.

The aqueduct is rightly the most famous feature of the town, and its massive soaring presence is a great introduction to the city. I really enjoyed heading off in search of its start and then following it all the way into the heart of the city, which in-turn offers great views. The aqueduct isn't alone though in being a remarkable monument in the city centre. The first glimpse I had of Segovia was of the massive gothic cathedral, which is perched on a high point in the town and dominates the surrounding country side. It is nice inside, but I have seen rather a lot of Spanish cathedrals in the last few months so it felt like more of the same for me. The other stand out site was the Alcazar, a bizarre concoction of military stronghold and a faux gothic make over. It is well worth a visit even if it is just for the climb up and views from the tower which has a claim to inspiring Disney's Cinderella's castle.

The thing I really liked about Segovia though was that these great attractions were surrounded by winding streets twisting up and down hill, littered with charming bars, some very tempting restaurants and then a handful of other impressive sights, such as the old synagogue and a healthy smattering of Romanesque churches. The whole lot was suitably thronged with people out for a stroll on a cold and sometimes rainy November night. Again demonstrating to me why I love spending my time in these charming European cities.

In regards to the local delicacies I can thoroughly recommend the delicious Ponche de Segovia. My normally adventurous travelling pallet didn't venture into the main Segovian delicacy: roast suckling pig. It looked delicious, but I couldn't get the image of the row un-cooked piglets displayed in one of the windows out of my head. So instead I opted for a rather salty local goat cheese and some tastier duck ham. Vegetarians beware though Segovia was vying with Lyon for the most carnivorous city in Europe.

There are infrequent trains from Madrid to Segovia, so it is worth looking and booking in advance, and as John Booth has said the cities two train stations are some way from the centre. The high speed one is in a the middle of a field a good 20 min bus ride from the centre, though it does have a café selling excellent Jamon Iberico to make the wait more enjoyable. However there are also buses from Madrid and Avila which could well work better for visitors.

I really enjoyed Segovia, the sites really are impressive, but the relaxed wonderful old town is a great place to wander around and lose yourself by sampling the local delicacies. Segovia is probably my favourite Spanish WHS so far, high praise when it is competing with Barcelona's two impressive sites.

[Site 8: Experience 8]