Plaza Mayor and the cathedral at blue hour

Segovia's main square is small, arcaded and lived-in: terraces under the porticoes, a cast-iron bandstand in the middle, the town hall on one side and, filling the whole eastern end, the sandstone bulk of the cathedral — begun in 1525, the last great Gothic building in the country.

After the aqueduct, this is the city's other essential frame, and it is the warm one. The stone is honey-coloured, the arcades give covered shooting in rain or in August sun, and the bandstand works as a foreground when you want depth rather than a flat façade.

Blue hour is when it comes together. The cathedral floodlights come on while the sky is still blue, the terraces light up under the arcades, and the square holds enough ambient light to shoot people without flash. Before that, the last of the daylight touches the cathedral's upper tower long after the square below has gone into shade. Early morning is the other option: no terraces set out, nobody in the arcades.

Segovia sits at a thousand metres and the evenings are cold from October to April — colder than the day suggests, and the square is exposed. Warn the clients. The square also hosts markets, concerts and the odd stage, so check what is booked on your date if you need it clear.