Following this list of places to visit in Salamanca, you will not miss anything important in one of the most beautiful university cities in Europe.
With a historic center full of architectural wonders and a great student atmosphere, Salamanca will make you fall in love at first sight when you step on its fantastic Plaza Mayor from where you can start a walking route that will take you to know all the jewels of the city like the Cathedral, the University or the Convent of San Esteban, to finish in a tavern eating a good table of Iberian ham.
Based on the experience of our visit to the city, considered one of the best excursions in Madrid, we have made this selection of essential places to see in Salamanca. We start!
1. Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Mayor, located in the heart of the historic center, is one of the most beautiful squares in Spain and one of the places to visit in Salamanca With more charm.
Baroque style, built between 1729 to 1756, the square is an imperfect quadrilateral in which its semicircular arches and the historical buildings that surround the city stand out and among which you can not miss its most important buildings such as the Royal pavilions, of San Martín and Pretineros, the City Hall and the centennial Novelty cafeteria, where the great artists of the city met.
Another feature of this square is the medallions located between the arches that represent illustrious people of the city and ancient kings.
We recommend going through the Plaza Mayor at different times of the day and sitting on one of the terraces to have a drink while enjoying a great atmosphere in which tourists, locals and students are mixed.
Main Square
2. University of Salamanca
The University, founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX, is the oldest in the Hispanic world, including Spain, and another of the essential places to see in Salamanca.
This historic building has a beautiful exterior of Plateresque style, full of decorative elements carved in stone, among which the figure of a frog on top of a skull is surprising, which they say you must see, if you want to pass the exams.
Inside the university, where characters such as Miguel de Unamuno have taught and have had students like Hernan Cortes, is the building of the Major Schools that includes several classrooms, the cloister and the old library.
If you do not want to pay the 10 euros that the entrance costs you can approach the building of the Minor Schools, where the bachelor studies were taught and where the famous painting is located "The Sky of Salamanca".
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm. On Sundays it closes at 2pm.
University of Salamanca
3. The Cathedral
One of the best things to do in Salamanca It is to enter the New Cathedral that allows you to reach inside the Old Cathedral.
The unusual fact of having two cathedrals in the same city is the product of having built a new cathedral between the 16th and 18th centuries that was going to replace the old one, but that it was finally decided to keep standing.
The New Cathedral, built in late Gothic style, is the second largest in Spain and impresses with its 110 meter high bell tower and the exterior facade, known as Puerta de Ramos, where you can see numerous decorative elements carved in stone among the that surprise an astronaut figure or a dragon with an ice cream, with which the sculptor wanted to make a wink to the city.
Upon entering its interior you will see numerous chapels among which the Main Chapel stands out, in addition to the Choir and the Main Altar and from the south wall of the New Cathedral you can access the old Cathedral, another of the most beautiful places to visit in Salamanca.
This church built between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, in Romanesque and Gothic style, has inside a beautiful main altarpiece and several old chapels such as San Martin and Santa Barbara.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm from April to September. The rest of the months close at 6pm.
Old Cathedral, one of the places to visit in Salamanca
4. House of Shells
La Casa de las Conchas is a stately palace built at the end of the 15th century and another of the buildings what to see in Salamanca more amazing
On the facade and interior of this palace you can see the combination of Gothic, Renaissance and Mudejar styles and one of the characteristics of this combination of styles are the more than 300 shells of the facade that give name to the house and that according to a legend, under one of them the jewels of the former owners are hidden.
In addition to taking pictures of its exterior, it is worth entering for free inside to see its beautiful patio.
Visiting hours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays closed.
One of the most interesting ways to visit the city knowing its history and curiosities is to book this complete tour with a guide in Spanish or this free tour of Salamanca Free!
House of the Shells
5. Orchard of Calixto and Melibea
The Huerto de Calixto and Melibea is a small green garden space that was the scene of the love encounters of the protagonists of The Celestine, title with which the Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea by Fernando de Rojas became popular.
In addition to being an inspiring place of literary works, this well-kept garden located on the old city wall is perfect for shelter from the heat and relax with views of the upper part of the Cathedral.
Orchard of Calixto and Melibea
Our recommended hotel in Salamanca
The best area to stay in Salamanca is the old town where all the points of interest in the city are concentrated. A hotel located in a perfect location to explore the city is the Hotel Melibea, located 200 meters from the University and 600 meters from the Plaza Mayor.
In addition to its excellent location, this hotel has a terrace and garden, a quality breakfast, parking and one of the best value for money in the city.
For more information on the best hotels and neighborhoods you can consult this post of where to stay in Salamanca.
6. La Clerecía, one of the places to visit in Salamanca
The Clergy or Royal College of the Society of Jesus is the best viewpoint and another of the places to visit in Salamanca.
This building, located in front of the Casa de las Conchas, has a school with a beautiful cloister and a church with a facade of 3 bodies and an interior in which the Altarpiece and the Sacristy stand out.
To better see this altarpiece and the interior of the church, you can climb to the Torres de la Clerecía from where you will have magnificent views of the old town from the highest part.
Visiting hours: every day from March to November from 10am to 8pm. The rest of the months close at 6pm.
Salamanca from La Clerecía
7. Palacio de la Salina and San Boal
One of our favorite buildings what to see in Salamanca It is the Plateresque style Saline Palace and built in 1538.
This stately mansion has a facade decorated with medallions and a beautiful interior courtyard of two heights supported by arches and with several decorative elements in capitals and corbels.
Another of the palaces to visit in Salamanca is that of San Boal from the 15th century with a striking sculpted facade and a beautiful Renaissance courtyard.
Visiting hours Palacio de la Salina: from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Visiting hours Palacio de San Boal: Monday to Saturday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sundays and holidays from 11am to 2pm and from 6pm to 9pm.
Salina Palace
8. Puente Mayor del Tormes
Crossing the Puente Mayor del Tormes, an ancient Roman bridge built in the second half of the first century, is another of the best things to do in Salamanca.
This stone bridge of more than 300 meters has been rebuilt and repaired over the centuries by different floods of the Tormes River and demolition attempts.
At the beginning of the bridge is the oldest statue in the city in the form of a stone boar and a metal statue representing El Lazarillo de Tormes, in which said boar is mentioned.
Main Bridge of Tormes
9. Convent of San Esteban
The Convent of San Esteban, belonging to the Dominican order and built between 1524 and 1610, is one of the most beautiful buildings to visit in Salamanca.
The exterior impresses with its facade decorated in Plateresque style, with abundant decoration carved in stone in which the martyrdom of St. Stephen stands out and inside the impressive two-level cloister and the church with several charming corners such as the Sacristy, the Choir , the Altarpiece and the Soto Staircase.
An interesting option to know the history of this convent and that of Las Dueñas, is to book this guided tour in Spanish that includes the entrance to these two monuments.
Visiting hours: every day from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 6pm from November to March. The rest of the months close at 8pm.
Convent of San Esteban, one of the places to see in Salamanca
10. Casa Lis
The Lis House, a modernist mansion located above the old wall that surrounded the city in the Middle Ages, is the last recommendation of the list of places to see in Salamanca.
This building built in 1905 has on the south facade formed by two glass and iron galleries, its great jewel.
Inside you can visit the Art Nouveau and Art Dèco Museum, which houses a magnificent collection of porcelain dolls, and a large patio covered by a spectacular stained glass window.
The ticket price is 4 euros and for 6 euros more you can book this guided tour to learn more about the history of the house and its museum.
Visiting hours: every day from 11am to 8pm from March 15 to November 15. The rest of the months open from Tuesday to Friday from 11am to 2pm and from 4pm to 7pm, on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 8pm.
Lis House
If you are going to spend the night in the city, we recommend you to walk under the lampposts through the streets of the old town to see all the mentioned points of the list with few people.
Another alternative is to book this visit through the best illuminated places of the city or this tour of mysteries and legends, both located among the tours best valued by travelers visiting the city.
How to get to Salamanca from Madrid
The most common way to get to Salamanca is from Madrid by public transport or car.
The high-speed train ALVIA will leave you in an hour and a half for 25 euros in Salamanca from Madrid's Chamartín Station. You can book tickets in advance here, to avoid running out of seats, especially if you travel in high season, weekend or holidays.
Another option would be to take the bus of the Avanza company that departs from the Méndez Alvaro South Bus Station and takes an hour longer to reach Salamanca than the train, for a similar price.
Both the bus station and the train station are about 15 minutes walk from the historic center or 5 minutes using the bus.
Another more interesting way that will allow you to know better the history of the city and not miss anything important to visit in Salamanca, is to book this excursion to Salamanca by bus with a guide in Spanish and that includes the visit to Ávila, another of the essentials to see in Spain.
For more information about the transfer you can consult this post on how to get to Salamanca from Madrid.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to visit in Salamanca, add yours in the comments.
