Salamanca Voyage Tips and guide

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Salamanca is a city in Castile and Leon in western central Spain, with a population of 143,500 in 2021. It has a magnificent old town centre, with multiple Romanesque, Gothic, Moorish, Renaissance and Baroque buildings inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list.

The city stands on a plateau, north bank of the River Tormes. Once the Romans had subdued this region of Spain, they built a north-south highway, a long bridge to carry it over the river, and city walls. Their successors the Visigoths kept the walls in good repair, but the city fell to the Moors in 712 AD. The Moors were ousted in the 11th century and there followed a busy era of re-population and church-building. The university was founded in 1218, one of the first in the world, so Salamanca became a great cosmopolitan centre of learning and culture - and still is.

It was in Salamanca that Columbus won support for his transatlantic voyage, and the city shared in Spain's 16th century golden age powered by New World riches. Renaissance-style buildings were erected with the local Villamayor sandstone, which glows gold, orange and pink at sunrise and sunset. The new cathedral was built over the old, and the splendid Plaza Mayor was laid out. The city inevitably also shared the national slump, and was rocked by the 1755 earthquake.

Industry was slow to arrive and has been kept further out. It's mostly agricultural, such as fertilisers and veterinary medical products. But most city employment is in the service / tourist sectors and in education around the university.

Tourist information is posted on the Salamanca Tourism website. Their main office is within City Hall at Plaza Mayor 32, open M-Sa 09:00-19:00, Su 10:00-14:00.

40°57′54″N 5°40′5″W

Map of Salamanca

Madrid Barajas (MAD ^IATA) is the nearest practical airport, 200 km east. It's well connected domestically, within Europe and to the Gulf States and Americas.

Salamanca Matacan Airport (SLM  ^IATA) 15 km east of town only has occasional summer flights, e.g. to Mallorca by Air Nostrum, an Iberia subsidiary.

From Madrid Chamartín, Alvia trains run every couple of hours, taking 1 hr 40 min via Segovia Guiomar. Slower trains take up to 3 hours from Madrid Principe Pio via El Escorial and Ávila.

40.9721-5.64861 Estación de Salamanca is the main railway station, 1 km northeast of city centre. It's small but modern, with a couple of cafes and a car-rental office. There are no left luggage facilities. From the street outside, Bus 1 runs to the old centre, Bus 11 skirts it west along Paseo de San Vicente to the hospital and university medical campus.

Salamanca La Alamedilla is just a drop-off for the slow trains. These continue 500 m southwest from the main station to terminate and reverse here, and you can ride through to shorten the walk into town, but they won't let you board the eastbound return. The place is dismal and it would be a mercy if it closed.

Monbus runs hourly from Madrid Estación Sur, taking 3 hours via Madrid Moncloa and Ávila. Five per day start from Madrid Airport T4 and T1.

Avanza buses run from Valladolid every two hours, taking 90 min.

One Alsa bus traverses the country north-south, from A Coruña via Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra, Vigo, Ourense and Zamora to Salamanca, continuing overnight to Bejar, Plasencia, Caceres, Merida, Zafra, Seville, Jerez, Cadiz, Tarifa and Algeciras, for ferries to Morocco.

One Alsa bus runs from Paris, taking 20 hours via Orleans, Tours, Niort, Bordeaux, Bayonne, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Burgos and Valladolid, and continuing to Lisbon.

Alsa buses run from Gijon three times a day, taking five hours via Oviedo, León and Zamora, continuing to Seville.

40.9702-5.67492 Estación de Autobuses is the bus terminal, 1 km northwest of city centre at the corner of Ave de Filiberto Villalobos and C Pena de Francia. It has left luggage facilities, cafes, toilets, ticket counters and ATMs.

Good fast Autovias (with toll) link Salamanca east to Avila (100 km) and Madrid (205 km) via A50; south to Caceres (235 km) and Seville via A66; northeast to Valladolid (115 km) via A62; north to Zamora and Leon via A66; and west into Portugal via A62.

The city is not too big to see on foot, especially the main attractions, which are all quite close to one another. For slightly longer journeys there are taxis, and numerous bus routes - tickets are cheap, and you can buy them directly from the driver on board. Salamanca city bus 1^{[dead link]} can take you between the train station and Plaza Poeta Iglesias, which is right next to Plaza Mayor.

If you do need a taxi, you can find a few taxi ranks around the city. However, one can also use the app called Pide Taxi to call on a cab. Passengers pay with cash at the conclusion of the ride.

• 40.965-5.66411 Plaza Mayor is the finest plaza in Spain, laid out 1730-1755. Plaques of monarchs and nobility gaze down upon you; Franco no longer graces the northeast corner, until the next upheaval in national politics.
• Church of San Martín de Tour is south flank of Plaza Mayor, enter from the west via Plaza del Corrillo. It was founded in 1103 but rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755. It's open Tu-Su 11:00-14:00, plus 17:00-20:00 on Saturday. .
• 40.9607-5.6662 New & Old Cathedrals (Santa Iglesia Catedral), Benedicto XVI, ☏ +34 923 217476. Nov-Mar 10:00-18:00, Apr-Oct 09:00-21:00. The two buildings are joined and you enter from the north side into the New Cathedral, built 16th-18th century. Outside, note the fine Puerta de Ramos, mostly Renaissance but among its saints are an astronaut and an imp clutching an ice-cream cone. The interior is a baroque / Churrigeuresque creation, with fine ceilings, choir and main chapel. A door leads down into the Old Cathedral, 12th century and mostly Romanesque, with many frescoes. Adult €10, child €7. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.961439-5.6672613 University, Libreros. M-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su 10:00-14:00. The extensive university, constituted in 1254, has departments and campuses across the city but the area to visit is the old core of it close to the cathedrals. Admire the elaborate facade: kudos comes to those who can spot the frog unaided. Richly appointed rooms within, highlights being the library, the grand staircase, and the Hall of Fray Luis de Leon. Adult €10, conc €5. (updated Jan 2025)
• Unamuno House Museum is within the university. Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) was a prolific poet, playwright, philosopher and much else, twice rector of the university but perennially anti-authority and from time to time ousted or exiled. He died under house arrest in suspicious circumstances. Visit by guided tour, only in Spanish.

• Museum of Salamanca, Patio de Escuelas 7 (just west of university quad). Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Large exhibitions of the city's pre-history and history. Adult €1. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.962931-5.6658144 The House of Shells (La Casa de las Conchas) was built 1493-1517 by Rodrigo Arias de Maldonadoa. He was a Knight of the Order of Santiago de Compostela, which (along with the pilgrimage to Santiago) has a scallop as its symbol. The facade is carved with 350 stone scallops. Within is a public library, but you can look into the elegant courtyard M-Sa 09:00-21:00.
• La Clerecía faces House of Shells across C de la Compañía. It was originally a Jesuit college and is now part of the Pontifical University, founded in 1940. You can see the church and climb the tower.
• Bullfighting Museum (Museo Taurino), Dr Piñuela 5 (100 m northeast of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 923 219425. Tu-Sa 10:30-13:30, 17:30-20:00, Su 10:30-13:30. If you think bullfighting belongs in a museum you've come to the right place. It displays the arts, culture and pageantry of a tradition that in 21st century Spain is passing into history. Adult €3, conc €2. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.9621-5.66065 Convento de Santa Clara, Santo Clara 2, ☏ +34 618 133588. Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 16:30-19:30, Su 10:00-14:00. This is now a museum of medieval art, highlight is the Gothic frescoes. Adult €8, only €5 with cathedral ticket. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.960821-5.6625516 Convento de San Esteban, Plaza del Concilio de Trento, ☏ +34 923 215000. Tu W F-Su 10:00-13:30, 16:00-18:00, M Th 10:00-16:00. Dominican monastery built from 1524 with striking facade, and impressive church interior, with a good exhibition on missionaries in the New World. It's near the cathedral but somehow off the tourist beat. The monastery remains active so parts are off-limits to visitors. Adult €12, conc or child €10. (updated Jan 2025)

• Convento de las Dueñas is just north across the plaza from San Esteban. It was built in the 15th / 16th century, with an attractive cloister with strange beasts on its pillars. The convent remains active and the nuns sell cookies, cash only. It's open M-Sa 10:30-12:30, 16:30-19:00.
• 40.9651-5.66657 Palacio de Monterey, Plaza de Monterey 2, ☏ +34 923 213020. Tu-Su 10:30-14:30, 16:00-20:00. The best of it is the grand exterior. Many visitors reckon it's not worth paying to see the ostentatious interior and endure the interminable audio guide. Adult €9.50. (updated Jan 2025)
• Chapel of San Francisco is 18th century baroque, 100 m west of Palacio de Monterey at Ramón y Cajal 7. The associated Capuchin monastery has closed.
• Convento de las Ursulas 500 m west of Plaza Mayor ceased as a monastery in 2018 and for a time was a museum, then that also closed. It's being renovated as a hotel.
• Convento de San Antonio el Real likewise closed, to re-open as a branch of Zara. It's on C Toro 200 m northeast of Plaza Mayor and you can admire the preserved interior during shop hours.
• 40.9696-5.66388 Church of San Marcos is an unusual round church. It was built in the 12th century at what was then the Zamora Gate in the city walls.
• Casa Lis, Gibraltar 14 (just south of Cathedral), ☏ +34 923 121425, [email protected]. Daily 11:00-17:00. Displaying Art Deco and Art Nouveau, much of it designed as furnishings and household items rather than as artwork. Adult €5, conc €3. (updated Feb 2022)

• Centro Documental de la Memoria Histórica is west side of Casa Lis at Gibraltar 2. It's mostly about Freemasonry and its persecution under Franco. It's open Tu-Sa 11:00-18:00, Su 11:00-14:00.
• Church of San Millán is now a small local history museum. It's on Veracruz, 100 m west of the Sercotel.
• 40.957783-5.67029 Roman Bridge spans the River Tormes. It takes a battering when the river is in spate and has been repaired many times, with dates not well recorded. It was likely built in the 1st century BC, and the northern section near the city looks to be the oldest, while the southern section succumbed to floods and is medieval. It carried the principal north-south highway Vía de la Plata - mistranslated as "silver" but that name just means the road was cobbled. It's been pedestrian-only since 1973.
• 40.9587-5.652110 Domus Artium 2002, Av de Aldehuela 37, ☏ +34 923 184916. Tu-F 12:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00, Sa Su 11:00-15:00, 17:00-21:00. Contemporary art in a former prison. Free. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.9651-5.653911 Museum of Commerce, Av Campoamor, ☏ +34 923 238402. Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00, Su M 10:00-14:00. Displaying the history of commerce and industry hereabouts. The best sections are about the impact of radio. Free. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.9733-5.684512 Cemetery of San Carlos Borromeo was laid out from 1850 and has elaborate funerary monuments. It's northeast of the bus station at Av Obispo Sancho de Castilla, open Tu-Su 09:00-21:00, M 09:00-18:00.

• 40.9492-5.627313 Motorbike Museum, Juan Padilla, Santa Marta de Tormes. W-F 17:00-20:00, Sa 10:00-14:00, 17:00-10:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Displaying fifty 20th century motorbikes. Free. (updated Jan 2025)

• Theatre: Teatro Liceo is 200 m northeast of Plaza Mayor. La Bulé is an acting school 100 m northwest.

Center for the Performing Arts and Music is at Av de las Artes 45, with Espacio Almargen just south.

Teatro Juan del Encina is at Tostado 8 by the cathedral.

• Cinema: Cines Van Dyck and Megarama are both about 3 km north.
• Football: Unionistas de Salamanca play in Primera Federación, the third tier, at Pistas del Helmántico (capacity 3000) 3 km north of city centre.
• Boat hire is available south end of the Roman Bridge.
• Golf: Salamanca Golf & Country Club has two courses west of town, Villamayor 5 km out and Zarapicos 15 km out.

La Valmuza is 15 km southwest.

• Fiesta of the Virgen de la Vega is 8-21 September.

Spanish language courses are available from:

• Universidad de Salamanca Cursos Internacionales
• Don Quijote
• Linguaschools Salamanca

• Calle Toro, which starts at the northwest corner of the Plaza Mayor, is a retail strip.
• El Corte Inglés is a large chain department store at María Auxiliadora 71-85, two km northeast of the centre. It's open daily 10:00-22:00.
• Carrefour is the main chain of stores, with six city outlets.
• El Tormes is a big mall on N501, 3 km east of town and open daily.
• Rastro is a flea-market on Av de la Aldehuela 3 km west of Plaza Mayor, trading Sunday 09:00-15:00.

Meat meat meat, it's hard to avoid, but several places have a decent veggie choice.

• Tapas are served in bars everywhere, with a string along Van Dyck, 1 km north of Plaza Mayor. Many tapas are pork-based: ribs (costilla), sausage (chorizo), ham (jamón), bacon (panceta) or face (jeta). Pincho moruno is a brochette of pork pieces marinated in paprika and garlic. Chanfaina is a spicy rice dish with liver or blood.
• Mesón Cervantes is a trad restaurant at Plaza Mayor 15, open daily 09:30-01:00.
• Bambú, Prior 6 (50 m west of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 666 523523. W-Su 13:00-23:00. Cosy central place for tapas and grills. (updated Jan 2025)
• Zazu is an Italian bistro at Plaza Libertad 8, 100 m northwest of Plaza Mayor.
• El Pecado is a delightful restaurant 50 m south of Plaza Mayor at Plaza del Poeta Iglesias 12, open Tu-Su.
• Casa Paca is 100 m south of Plaza Mayor at Peso 10, open daily 10:00-17:00, 19:00-00:00.

• Momo, San Pablo 13 (200 m south of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 923 280798. F Sa 13:00-16:00, 20:00-23:00, Su M 13:00-16:00. Meaty tapas. (updated Jan 2025)
• Mesón Las Conchas, Rua Mayor 16 (100 m north of Casa de las Conchas), ☏ +34 923 212167. Daily 08:00-00:00. Good traditional meaty fare. (updated Jan 2025)
• Vinodiario, Plaza Basilios 1 (across plaza from San Esteban), ☏ +34 923 614925. Daily 13:00-16:00, 20:00-00:00. Plenty of vegetarian options plus lots of meat. Seating indoors or out. Reservations recommended. (updated Jan 2025)
• El Bardo Centro, Compañía 8 (opposite La Clerecía), ☏ +34 923 219089. Daily 10:00-17:00, 19:00-23:30. Excellent tapas and full meals, mostly meaty. (updated Jan 2025)
• Mandala is at Serranos 9 flanking La Clerecía, open M-W 08:30-17:00, Th-Sa 08:30-21:30.
• Victor Gutierrez is an upscale place at Empedrada 4 near Palacio de Congresos, open W-Su.
• 40.9598-5.66431 El Laurel, San Pablo 49, ☏ +34 923 260601. Tu-Su 13:30-17:00. Many vegetarian options and a few vegan. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.9633-5.65932 El Rastrel, Grillo 21, ☏ +34 923 989838. It's mostly a beer hall but has vegan tapas. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.9657-5.66153 Salamanca Magenta Cafe & Bar, Caleros 4, ☏ +34 923 008032. Tu-Su 10:00-22:00. Vegan and vegetarian counter-service restaurant. (updated Jan 2025)

• Innumerable bars and nightclubs, all central, which include Camelot, Puerto de Chus, Submarino (Th-Sa), Moderno, Cum Laude, Daniel's, Chupiteria (M-F), Paniagua, Potemkin (Th-Su), Capitan Haddock (not Sundays) and Niebla.
• The Irish Theatre is actually just a pub, but theatrical luminaries such as Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Brendan Behan and JM Synge would probably prefer it that way. It's at Rúa Antigua 11 by the House of Shells, open daily 08:30-03:00.
• Wine: Salamanca is near several domains in the Castile and León wine-growing region.

Book well in advance if you hope to stay in Salamanca during Easter (Semana Santa) or during the fiesta of the Virgen de la Vega.

A central inexpensive place will not have its own parking lot, but will direct you to the nearest public lot probably at some distance. So you need to factor in a hike with your bags through dark unfamiliar streets, and €20 a night for parking.

• Los Angeles Plaza, Plaza Mayor 10, ☏ +34 923 218166. Very central but tiny rooms and not comfy. Double (room only) €40. (updated Jan 2025)
• Hostal Concejo is 100 m northwest of Plaza Mayor, at Plaza Libertad 1.
• Hostal Plaza Mayor, Plaza del Corrillo 20 (50 m south of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 923 262020. Great value for money. Double (room only) €60. (updated Jan 2025)
• Hotel Nobis is a budget place just south of the Parador (below), at Teso de la Feria 31.

• Hotel Rúa, Sánchez Barbero 11 (100 m south of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 923 272272. Spacious rooms, great reviews for comfort and location. B&B double €130. (updated Jan 2025)
• Hotel Soho Boutique, Plaza Ángel 5 (100 m southeast of Plaza Mayor), ☏ +34 923 993900. Comfy friendly place, good value. B&B double €100. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.9624-5.66861 Microtel Placentinos, Placentinos 9, ☏ +34 923 281531. Better than that name suggests, this is a comfy hotel near the city museum. B&B double €100. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.9681-5.66722 Hotel Artheus Carmelitas, Plaza Carmelitas 67, ☏ +34 923 212500. Boxy modern hotel, small rooms, friendly service. B&B double €85. (updated Jan 2025)
• Sercotel Puerta de la Catedral, Plaza Juan XXIII 5 (next to cathedral), ☏ +34 923 004808. Very central and comfy. B&B double €130. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.961-5.66433 NH Palacio de Castellanos, San Pablo 58, ☏ +34 923 261818. Chic central hotel with restaurant, bar, meeting rooms, and slick service. B&B double €160. (updated Jan 2025)

• 40.9588-5.66574 Hotel Rector, Paseo de Rector Esperabé 10, ☏ +34 923 218482. Outstanding stylish hotel by Casa Lis. B&B double €280. (updated Jan 2025)
• 40.9533-5.67225 Parador de Salamanca, Teso de la Feria 2, ☏ +34 923 192082, [email protected]. Upmarket parador with excellent restaurant, gym, pool, views of old town. Lego-like modern building, its architect might claim it was an artistic response to the two cathedral towers across the river, but spacious and comfortable within. Free guest parking. B&B double €140. (updated Jan 2025)

As of Jan 2025, Salamanca and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers.

Beware traffic, safeguard valuables and swerve clear of drunks, same as anywhere else.

The must-see centres to the east are Ávila and Segovia.

To the south, Béjar is a small town noted for its walls, "El Bosque" gardens, and bullfighting arena. It's also a jumping-off point for the Sierras further south, for hiking and wildlife. Historic villages here include Hoyos del Espino, Piedrahita, Barco de Ávila and Arevalo.