Salamanca Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
- For other places with the same name, see Salamanca (disambiguation).
Salamanca [1] is a town of around 180,000 inhabitants situated in western central Spain. It is the capital of the Leonese Salamanca region, which is itself part of the province of Castile and Leon (Spanish: Castilla y León).
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Understand
The city lies by the Tormes river on a plateau and is considered to be one of the most spectacular Renaissance cities in Europe. The buildings are constructed of sandstone mined from the nearby Villamayor quarry, and, as the sun begins to set, they glow gold, orange and pink. It is this radiant quality of the stones that has given Salamanca the nickname La Dorada, the golden city.
In 1218, Alfonso X of León (Alfonso The Wise) founded the University - one of the first in Europe. In 1254, Pope Alexander IV called it "one of the four leading lights of the world".
In 2002 Salamanca was the European Capital of Culture.
Get In
Salamanca has no international airport, but buses run frequently to Madrid (200 km away), and trains link the town with Madrid and Portugal.
Get Around
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.
There is also a good bus and train service to Valladolid, which links Salamanca with the nearest Ryanair airport for cheap flights to several destinations.
See
- Plaza Mayor - this large central square, bustling with cafés and restaurants, really is the heart of the city. If you are going to meet anyone, you will arrange to meet them here.
- The 12th century Old Cathedral (Catedral Vieja) and the New Cathedral (Catedral Nueva), built during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries - these two cathedrals are built next to one another.
- The University - spread throughout the centre of Salamanca. Includes the Fonseca College and Anaya Palace buildings Universidad de Salamanca - Spanish only.
- The late 15th century House of Shells (La Casa de las Conchas) - a building constructed in the time of the Catholic Kings, studded with 350 sandstone shells.
- The Roman bridge over the Tormes - dating from the year 89 AD, this bridge was an important part of the Roman silver route, which ran from Mérida to Astorga.
Do
- The fiesta of the Virgen de la Vega, which takes place from the 8th to the 21st of September.
- Watch Salamanca Football Club, who are currently (2004) in Spain's second division.
Learn
The combination of Castile-Leon's reputation for pure Spanish and Salamanca's reputation of learning, due to its venerable university, means that there are lots of language schools in the city that cater to those who wish to immerse themselves and learn Spanish in Spain. Without wishing to endorse any in particular, here are some that operate in Salamanca:
Work
Buy
Eat
In spite of existing several restaurants and combined dishes snack-bars, one of the traditional spanish habits is to eat tapas, while being with friends over a glass of wine, which consists in regional appetizers served at several bars and restaurants. At Salamanca there's no definitive guide to tapiing, instead, try to stroll around the center of the town and try different places and, who knows, meet new friends.
Drink
You can drink a Cerveza in Plaza Del Mercado in San Justo. In spring students drink Botellones in the streets (San Roman)
Try one of the following bars: (all located very close to Plaza Mayor) Camelot, Puerto de Chus, Submarino, Moderno, Cum-Laude and El Sol
Paniagua, Potemkin, Plutos, Capitan Haddock, La Posada de las Almas, Niebla, and many more bars are excellent for a very late night out!
Sleep
Budget
Hostal Fonda Feli, Calle Libreros, 58 is located in the very centre of the old city. 50 meters of the old university and in the shadow of the two cathedrals. Clean rooms, excellent hospitality. Tel.:0034923216010
Always dreamed about sleeping at the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca? One can not sleep more centrical, as this is really the heart of the city. Take a room with a view at the Plaza in Pension Los Angeles. Plaza Mayor 10, Tel.:0034923218166
Mid-range
Splurge
Book early - that's very early - if you are planning on staying in Salamanca during Easter (Semana Santa) or during the fiesta of the Virgen de la Vega.
Hotel Rector - southern end of the main town centre - beautiful
Contact
Stay safe
This city is very safe.
Cope
Get out
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