Walk along the Eresma Valley to the Vera Cruz

This is the walk suggested by Segovia Tourism for leaving the upper town without taking the car. You go down from the Azoguejo along Calle Gascos or Vía Roma to the San Lorenzo district, with its square of traditional houses and its Romanesque church with a brick tower. You continue along the Alameda de Santa Ana, beside the river and past convents, as far as the El Parral monastery, then cross the Eresma towards the Royal Mint and the San Marcos district.

The Vera Cruz and the view of the Alcázar

Beside the road that climbs from San Marcos to Zamarramala stands the Vera Cruz, a Romanesque church with a polygonal plan. From there you see the Alcázar like a ship's prow above the two rivers; a little higher up, from the Zamarramala viewpoint, you take in the whole skyline of Alcázar, walls, San Esteban and cathedral.

Going inside the Vera Cruz

The church dates from 1208 and is of Templar origin, according to Castilla y León Tourism. Outside it has twelve sides and a square tower; inside, a circular nave surrounds a two-storey central chapel. Downstairs, the floor plan feels like a crypt with rib vaults; upstairs, reached by a staircase, there is a vault in the Caliphate style and a block with arches that served as an altar and may represent the Holy Sepulchre. It is well worth going in.

From 1 October to 27 March it opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 to 13:30 and from 16:30 to 18:00; from 15 June to 30 September, the afternoon session runs until 18:30, and in spring the afternoons are open only Friday to Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. Admission €3, reduced €2. Telephone 921 431 475. As the hours change with the season and there are occasional closures, call ahead if you are doing the walk just for this.

The route in practice

The distance is approximate: about 6 km, counting the return to the upper town by the San Cebrián Gate or up alongside the walls.

If you want to split the walk, the Royal Mint is halfway along, beside the river, and is open Wednesday to Sunday. Back in the upper town, the Alcázar is just a step away. Part of the way to the Vera Cruz runs beside the road, so take care with small children.