Salamanca
Travel Guide > Europe > Spain > Castile and León > Salamanca
In this Article
- Introduction
- Sights and Activities
- Events and Festivals
- Weather
- Getting There
- Getting Around
- Eat
- Drink
- Sleep
- Work
- Learn
- Keep Connected
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Introduction
Salamanca is sometimes called 'La Ciudad Dorada' (City of Gold) because of the colour, unique in Spain, of its local sandstone. It is often said that the language, as spoken there, is the most perfect Castillian Spanish anywhere. The student population has a huge impact on Salamanca, making it a vibrant city and international city, despite its small size.
Sights and Activities
Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Mayor is often considered the best Plaza Mayor in Spain. Just like the one in Madrid, it is completely surrounded by arched buildings. Under the arches you will find several shops, cafés and restaurants, including one shop of the tourist information. It was constructed in the 18th century, and was used originally for bullfights. Nowadays the square is a bit more peaceful, and the focal point of the nightlife, with a lot of bars in the streets leading towards the Plaza. On the eastside of the Plaza is the Mercado (covered Market).
Cathedrals
Salamanca has two Cathedrals, an old one, and a new one. The Old Cathedral was largely built in the 13th century and is in Romanesque style. The New Cathedral dates from the 16th century, so it's not so new anymore. The Cathedrals are partly built on top of eachother. You can visit the cathedrals in a slightly different way than usual. You will not enter the Cathedrals through the main door as you might expect, but stairs will lead you to the roof of the side aisle, and you will have a view inside the Cathedral from the balustrate. From the roof you also have some nice views over the city center of Salamanca.
University
The University of Salamanca is the oldest in Spain. It was founded as early as 1218, and got the title of University in 1225. Nowadays Salamanca is one of the most favourite universities in Spain, with about 30.000 students attending. Most of them are from Spain, but many are also foreigners studying Spanish. A favourite past time for tourists is to spot the frog that is sculpted in the facade of the University building. If you find it on your own, it is said to bring good luck.
Casa de las Conchas
The Casa de las Conchas (House of the Shells) lies opposite the University. As the name suggests the house is decorated with a lot of scallop shells. Scallops are the symbol for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and this was once a bording house for pilgrims. Now it is a public library. The patio is a nice place to visit.
- Las Duenas Convent - beautiful cloisters
- La Clerecia Building - massive - built as a church but now a university building.
- San Esteban Church and Monastery - great building with good cloisters.
Events and Festivals
Look at notices in the Plaza Mayor - free recitals in churches often recommended.
Weather
As Salamanca is located at an altitude of roughly 800 metres above sea level, the climate can be described as somewhat continental mediterranean, with hot and dry summers and mild but wetter winters, with relatively cold nights. Average daytime temperatures during summer (June to September) are between 25 and 29 °C while nights during this time are mostly between 10 and 12 °C. Winters last from December to February with days of 8-11 °C and nights of -1 to +1 °C. The absolute records for summer and winter are 40 °C and -13 °C respectively.
Annual precipitation is just over 400mm with most of it falling from October to January, though May is relatively wet as well at almost 50mm. Snow in winter is possible.
Getting There
By Plane
Salamanca Airport (SLM) serves the city. Currently, Air Europa has flights to Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife-South, and Air Nostrum flies to Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Barcelona and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
By Train
RENFE has up to six trains departing daily for Madrid’s Chamartín station (2½ hours) via Ávila (1¾ hours). There are also frequent services to Valladolid (2½ hours).
By Car
From Madrid you can reach Salamanca taking the AP-6, A-51 and A-50. This newly finished A-50 reduces the time to get to Salamanca to just over two hours, bypassing the old more dangerous road. Make sure to fill up your tank for the last 100 kilometres, as the gasstations are still located near the old road, and no new ones are built (yet).
By Bus
Avanzabus has multiple connection between Madrid and Salamanca. Most busses leave Madrid from the busstation at Mendez Alvaro and a couple from Moncloa. The ride takes between 2.5 hours and 3.5 hours, depending on the type of connection you choose. Auto Res has 24 buses daily to Madrid, six buses also serve Valladolid (1½ hours) and four go to Ávila (1½ hours). Regular buses head to Ciudad Rodrigo (1½ hours), Segovia (three hours) and Zamora (one hour),
Getting Around
By Car
Getting around by car is not as difficult as in other (bigger) Spanish cities, but getting a parking spot is just as difficult. If you go to Salamanca, it is best to park the car, and leave it in the parking space until you leave. Parking in the downtown area will set you back around €10 for 12 hours!
By Public Transport
Public buses run across the town, mostly connecting the suburbs with the center of town.
By Foot
The city of Salamanca is not very big, and most of the sights are close to eachother. Getting around by foot is by far the best way to get around the town
By Bike
The are a couple of bike lanes in the city. These have a green colour.
Eat
In Salamanca there is no shortage of meat. Some good places to eat are Meson de Cervantes, Erasmus Bruin Café and Taudio (a Brasilean restaurant, where they cut several pieces of meat at your table.)
Drink
Basicaly there are two main areas to go for drinks. Around the Plaza Mayor and along Gran Via.
Sleep
Budget
| Property | Address | Type | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartaestudios Plaza de la Libertad | Plaza de laLibertad 4 | Apartment | 89 |
| Colegio Mayor Hispanoamericano Hernán Cortés | Paseo San Vicente 103-139 | Hostel | 84 |
| Hostal Mindanao | Paseo San Vicente, 2, | Guesthouse | 75 |
| Hostal Misol | Avda. Italia, 40 | Guesthouse | 59 |
| Hotel Ceylan | C/ San Juan de la Cruz Nº7 | Hotel | 84 |
| Hotel Eurowest | Pico del Naranco Street, 2 | Hotel | 79 |
| Hotel Torre del Clavero | Calle Consuelo 21 | Hotel | 89 |
| Petit Palace Las Torres | C/ Concejo 4-6 37002 | Hotel | 81 |
| Youth Hostel Salamanca | Escoto 13-15 | Hostel | 72 |
Mid-Range
Upscale
Work
Learn
- University of Salamanca (official site)
- Salamanca University (english site with further links to Spanish courses etc)
This is version 8. Last edited at 20:35 on Nov 17, 09 by Herr Bert (+12). 9 articles link to this page.
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