Salamanca

A beautiful old city! Others here have already done a good job explaining what is best to see in the town so I will keep this review fairly brief as not much has not changed since then to here in Jan 2025. My wife and I spent a day here with my cousin, who had come to Salamanca a few days before us to spend time with her graduate school friend who is a native of the city. The friend who had grown up there (a "Salamantina") somewhat cheekily put the things to see in Salamanca into three categories:

1. Old & Beautiful
2. Beautiful, but not Old
3. Old, but not Beautiful

Sites like the Catedral Nueva and Catedral Vieja (which are one combined entrance fee & location where you pay to see both with an audio guide) fall into the coveted "Old & Beautfiul" category. Other things like the Roman Bridge are in the "Old, but not Beautiful" classification.

We were kind of just wandering the city without a specific agenda or checklist to complete, so a hitlist of items that we ended up seeing that were definitely worth it include:

• The Cielo de Salamanca in the ancient Salamanca University - An ancient astrological painting inside Spain's oldest university
• Convento de San Esteban - A ridiculously intricate alterpiece that is dozens of meters tall
• Plaza Mayor - The typical "main square" of older Spanish cities, and very similar to …

Salamanca is certainly the most elegant and glamorous of all the historic city centres on the Spanish World Heritage List. This is mainly due to its harmonious townscape. Almost all the historic buildings are made of the golden-yellow sandstone from the nearby village of Villamyor. And the Plateresque style of many buildings also contributes to the extravagant look of the city. Plateresque means the elaborate and detailed ornamentation that is applied to the façades, mostly to decorate the main portal. Salamanca is a hotspot of this late Gothic/early Renaissance style, you will find it everywhere in the historic centre. The façades of the University and the Catedral Nueva are two of the best examples.

The most important historic buildings are located along an axis between the Roman Bridge and the Plaza Mayor. I had accommodation south of the city centre, just outside the core zone, so I entered the old town via the Roman Bridge. From there you have a nice first view of Salamanca and the two cathedrals (photo), the Catedral Nueva and the Catedral Vieja. But rather than two separate buildings, the new and larger cathedral was attached to the old one and the two structures merged into one. Both are worth visiting. Construction of the New Cathedral began in the 16th century and was completed in the 18th century. And thus, the interior is a mixture of styles from that period: Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. But I enjoyed the medieval atmosphere of the old …

WHS#46

I grew up going to school in an Hijas de Jesus institution in the Philippines. Salamanca was always a place I had wanted to visit, being the place where the congregation was founded, but also because it always sounded like such an interesting and historic city in the stories we were told about it. I could finally attest to that after visiting in May 2018. My family and I visited one afternoon in transit between Madrid and Lisbon. Trains from Madrid depart from the Chamartin Station, passing by Avila and its distinctive walls before arriving in the city of Salamanca. First, we took a taxi to the Hijas de Jesus school just to see what it was like. El Colegio Sagrado Corazon seemed to be closed for the day (was probably a weekend), but it was conveniently right below the hill where the cathedral towered prominently, so we walked up and into the side entrance of the cathedral - which turned out to be the exit (oops!). That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, because the cathedral was closing, and if we gone to the actual entrance, we would've wasted time taking pictures of the beautifully messy Churrigueresque facade and possibly missed the closing time. Anyway, the exit first brought us to the somewhat disheveled cloister and the many unique side chapels, then to the Romanesque, clearly older, Old Cathedral. Some interesting medieval frescoes and designs can be found here. Overall, it's a very solemn …

Spain offers many pleasures to its visitors, but sitting on the terrace of a café on Salamanca's fantastic Plaza Mayor, enjoying tapas and a cold drink on a sunny autumn day while watching busy locals and hordes of picture-taking tourists pass by, is really hard to beat. The main square is but one of this great city's many attractions, which is equally famous for its venerable university, the historic part of which makes for a very interesting visit. As in many other Spanish cities, there is also a great cathedral (actually a joint complex of 2 separate churches) to admire, as well as a Roman bridge and many historic buildings scattered around the Old Town. This is where the purest form of Spanish is supposed to be spoken (accounting for the tens of thousands of foreigners in its language schools), the city where Columbus explained his plans to sceptic professors and clergymen a few months before his first voyage, and the city where Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and Calderón de la Barca studied - and today a must-see for any visitor not only to Castile but to Spain.

I visited this WHS in August 2003. Salamanca has one of the oldest universities in Europe but the highlight of my visit was the Plaza Mayor, with its impressive galleries and arcades.

Other architectural gems in Salamanca that I visited are the Archbishop's (Irish)Palace (reached by bus #11 from the station), and the several Romanesque churches on the north and east sides of town. Especially interesting were the Sancti Spiritus church and the circular church of San Marco.

I am responding to the question about Salamanca. In 1986, I spent my Spring semester of college attending the University of Salamanca. It was the best experience that I have ever had. I consider this town my home away from home. It has been many years since I have returned to Salamanca, but I always have such warm thoughts in my heart - the people, "my family", the wonderful old streets, and the Plaza Mayor. For anyone who is considering studying Spanish in another country, this would be the best place to choose. Not only does it have the oldest university in Spain, but the culture is so rich in it's town. It is something that I would do over again and again. Now that I am married and have children, I am looking forward to the day that they are old enough to visit the place that has stollen a piece of my heart.

Salamanca is most famous for its university, but it was its two cathedrals that impressed me the most. The interior of both, filled with tombs of old clergy and paintings, is nothing too special, but I would recommend the Ieronimus exhibition whose entrance is located at the side of the cathedral. It costs extra but is worth every penny. It allows you to go on top of the cathedrals and gives spectacular views of both the city and the cathedrals.

My father and I visited this WHS on our last day in Spain. In addition to the university and cathedrals, we also stopped by the Roman bridge (nothing spectacular) and visited the church of San Esteban with its beautiful cloisters. A cursory look at the Plaza Mayor was also made. We had not originally planned to go to Salamanca, but we are glad we did. It would have been a tragedy to skip this place for a day of relaxation in Madrid.

In 2000/2001 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to study at La Universidad de Salamanca. Still to this date, nearly 3 years later it remains in the forefront of my mind. Salamanca is such a wonderful, magical city that you can just close your eyes and that's where you want to be. It still feel like home. The University is very prestigious and offers great courses, the people are so warm and friendly and the town itslef is just breathtaking. What more can a student want? The real question is not why should I go?, it's How can I possibly leave? Every day I still ask myself why I left after a year. I would go back in a heartbeat, and so would all of you if you could just visit the wonderful city known as Salamanca.

I stayed for 4 weeks in Salamanca, and like most people, I did a Spanish course there. Classes were in the evening (16.30-20.30), so you had all day off.

Most remarkable though were the (long) evenings and nights: late-night dinner around 11 pm, and the rest of the night on the fabulous Plaza Mayor.