Best things to do in Salamanca
Find out more about those top places in Salamanca
Situated in the remote western districts of Castile, Salamanca is one of Spain’s most unspoiled cities. The city is primarily renowned for its world-famous university, which was founded 1218 and counts Christopher Columbus and the conquistador Hernán Cortes amongst its alumni. Today, Salamanca remains one of the finest ensembles of Spanish Golden Age architecture with its magisterial Plaza Mayor rivaling that of Madrid and iconic sandstone gothic churches blazing in the near year round sunshine. While Salamanca has changed little since the 1500s, the city is not all about history as the vast university attracts students from across the world, which adds a youthful energy to the city’s ancient streets.
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Salamanca Cathedral
The Salamanca Cathedral offers you an eye-opening experience into the architectural designs of this old city with its twin cathedrals. The old cathedral was built in the 16th century in A Gothic style while the new cathedral was constructed in the 18th century, Baroque design and was commissioned by Ferdinand V of Castile of Spain.
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Plaza Mayor
An enormous plaza sited in the center of Salamanca, the Plaza Mayor still remains used as a public square. To get a feel of the lifestyle for Salamanca natives, the Plaza Mayor offers the perfect opportunity thanks to the large gathering always present there. It also offers tasty street food and a traditional Spanish Baroque style to admire.
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Casa de las Conchas
The fact that Spain has a number of historical buildings is public knowledge and the Casa de las Conchas is one of the most important of them. This building was constructed from 1493 to 1517 taking about 24 years in the total before completion. As of now, the building is home to a public library.
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Casa Lis
The Casa Lis lies within the ancient city walls of Salamanca and is a very historic piece. Bearing other names such as Art Deco and Museo Art Nouveau, the Casa Lis is a museum specially dedicated to the exhibition of decorative arts. Within the museum can be found a series of carefully curated exhibitions which can be backdated from the latter decades of the 19th century up to the times of World War II.
