Strolling Through Salamanca, A City That Falls In Love

Without a doubt, Salamanca is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain due to its huge historical and artistic heritage. But also, we are not talking about a city where there are only “stones”. No! It is a city full of life, especially due to the youthful and student atmosphere that has pervaded this city for centuries.

The most essential of Salamanca

Any tour of Salamanca has to start in a place: its spectacular Plaza Mayor. To begin with because it is one of the most beautiful squares in the country, but also because there is the main tourist office of the city, where you can collect a lot of information about what to do in the Castilian-Leon city. However, to whet your appetite, we are going to give you a few clues here.

The main square

We have already said that a visit to this place is absolutely inexcusable. You have to admire this great ensemble of Baroque architecture. Even if you are not fond of photography, you will see how you want to take photos here. From inside the arcades, from outside, from the center of the square, to the details of the facades, to the reliefs of the medallions … Anyway, a lot of photos that also deserve a break having a drink in one of the many bars and restaurants in the square or its surrounding streets.

The University of Salamanca

The Plaza Mayor is the first great landmark of the city and the second, without a doubt, is its historic university. An educational center that remains alive after centuries of history, but also preserves some unique buildings.

And among all of them,  the Plateresque facade of the main building of the university stands out, where tradition says that you have to look for, among the infinity of reliefs that decorate it, a frog perched on a skull.

Discovering other Salamanca monuments

Without leaving the heart of Salamanca, many historical buildings still await us in a fantastic state of conservation, such as the famous Casa de las Conchas on Calle de los Libreros, near the Plaza Mayor. In that same street there is also the magnificent Clergy. While if we continue the walk through the Calle de la Compañía or the Plaza del Corrillo, we will reach the church of San Martín.

There are many other religious buildings, such as the Carmen church or the Dominican or San Esteban convents. But above all, we must refer to the two cathedrals of Salamanca, the Old and the New, although this one, “the youngest”, has a modernity that dates back to the 16th century, in the days of the Catholic Monarchs.

Salamanca and literary tourism

At the beginning we invited you to enter the tourist office in the Plaza Mayor. There you will see the possibility of doing various thematic itineraries through the Salamanca capital, and among these tours there are some featuring both writers and their characters.

For example, the aforementioned Ancient Cathedral is closely linked to El Cid, a real character, but almost literary due to the Poema del Mío Cid . We have also mentioned the university, a place linked to the talent of writers who taught here such as Fray Luis de León or Miguel de Unamuno.

And on the other hand there are two characters in Spanish literature closely linked to Salamanca. One is La Celestina, from which you can follow its footsteps through the city, and especially reach the famous Huerto de Calixto y Melibea.

And the second character that we must name is the Lazarillo de Tormes, name of the river that bathes the city and whose banks there is a monument in memory of this little rogue, precisely located next to the Roman Bridge of Salamanca, one of the oldest monuments in the monumental city.