What to do in Salamanca

Plaza Mayor of Salamanca

Wonder what to do in Salamanca is to plan a trip to one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. But, in addition, to one of those with more history, since its first settlers settled in the San Vicente hill around the year 2700 BC.

locality of University environment, if you visit Salamanca you will see wonderful monuments, you will walk streets of enormous literary resonance and you will enjoy excellent gastronomy. If to all this you add that its geographical location makes it close to all parts of Spain, you will have all the ingredients to approach the third city of Castile after Valladolid y León. Once there, we will explain what to do in Salamanca.

What to see in Salamanca

The entire Castilian town is a monumental marvel, but its Old Citydeclared Heritage. In this you will find some of its main monuments and also a good part of its busiest areas. We are going to show you some of the first ones.

Plaza Mayor

Salamanca City Hall

Salamanca City Hall, in the Plaza Mayor

An unavoidable visit if you are in Salamanca, it is a marvel of Baroque due to Alberto de Churriguera. It is also one of the largest squares in Spain, with its 6400 square meters of extension and its 88 semicircular arches between which there are carved medallions. In it, the building itself stands out. Town hall, who presides over it. But we also advise you to take something in the Coffee Novelty, which has more than a hundred years of history and was attended by intellectuals such as Miguel de Unamuno o Gonzalo Torrente Ballester.

Next to the Major is the most humble Corrillo Square. In her own way, she is also pretty and full of animation. In it you have Romanesque church of San Martin and a sculpture dedicated to the poet adares, who used to write sitting on one of the terraces. And, next to the arch that gives access to the Plaza Mayor there is a plaque with a quote from the pretend aunt, short story of Cervantes set in Salamanca.

Casa de las Conchas

Casa de las Conchas

Casa de las Conchas, one of the essential visits to do in Salamanca

It is also listed among the most famous monuments in Salamanca. This palace was built following the canons of the civilian gothic at the end of the XNUMXth century by order of the aristocrat Don Rodrigo Arias Maldonado. Even today it is a mystery what led to decorate its facade with so many shells. Some historians attribute it to a show of pride on the part of the owner family for belonging to the Order of Santiago, while others point out that it was the noble symbol of the Pimentels, surname of Don Rodrigo's wife.

University, an essential visit among what to do in Salamanca

University of Salamanca

University of Salamanca, with the statue of Fray Luis de León in the foreground

The University of Salamanca was created around the year 1218 by the King Alfonso IX. Therefore, it is one of the oldest in Europe. But what interests you most is visiting the wonderful buildings that make up its oldest constructions.

Among them, the one of the Senior Schools, with its impressive Plateresque façade. It is located in the small square called Patio de las Escuelas and, next to it, you can see the Study Hospital and the calls Minor Schools. But also the House of the Queen's Doctors, a XNUMXth century Gothic style building with Renaissance details.

Cathedrals and other temples

The New Cathedral of Salamanca

New Cathedral of Salamanca

We write it in the plural because Salamanca has two. The Old It was built between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries combining Romanesque and Gothic styles. Stands out in the construction Rooster Tower, which ends in a spectacular dome supported on four pendentives. As for the interior, we advise you to look at the Main Altarpiece and in the chapels of Aceite, San Salvador and Santa Bárbara.

With regards to Cathedral Nueva, was built between the 110th and XNUMXth centuries and combines late Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. It is larger than the previous one and externally the enormous bell tower, XNUMX meters high, will attract your attention. Regarding the interior, it is spectacular The chorus, work of Joaquin de Churriguera, but you should also visit its beautiful chapels. Among these, those of the Christ of the Battles, Our Lady of Solitude or the Virgin of Relief.

On the other hand, the cathedrals are just a sample of the impressive religious heritage of Salamanca. Along with them, we advise you to see the churches of San Marcos, San Cristóbal, San Juan de Barbalos or the Vera Cruz baroque chapel. Also, do not forget to visit convents such as Saint Stephen's, with its imposing plateresque doorway, the one of the Augustinians, the one of the Dueñas or the one of San Antonio el Real. Finally, The Clergy It is a spectacular baroque building whose terrace you can climb to admire beautiful views of the city.

Palaces, other wonders to see in Salamanca

Monterey Palace

Palacio de Monterrey, one of the most beautiful buildings to see in Salamanca

If the religious heritage of Salamanca is magnificent, its civil heritage is no less so. The Castilian city has a large number of stately homes, each one more beautiful. But they highlight the impressive Monterey Palace, a jewel of the Spanish Renaissance, those of Arias Corvelle y Saint Boal, with its beautiful facades, the Orellana, mannerist style or that of La SalinaItalianate influence.

Later, although no less beautiful is the House Lis, a modernist palace that was built taking advantage of the old city wall and that houses the Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. On the other hand, Roman bridge It is one of the symbols of Salamanca. It was built in the first century after Christ, although it had to be reformed in the seventeenth. Very close to him is the Huerto de Calixto and Melibea, a 2500-square-meter garden inspired by the famous work La Celestina, Ferdinand de Rojas.

Museums of Salamanca

Salamanca museum

Iberian statue of the boar, in the Museum of Salamanca

Another activity you can do in the Castilian city is to visit its numerous museums. Among them stands out the Diocesan, which houses many works from the cathedral treasury. It is also magnificent Salamanca museum, located in the Casa de los Abarca, a palace from the XNUMXth century, and with a part dedicated to archeology and another to fine arts.

For its part, the San Esteban Convent Museum It has wonderful pieces of religious gold work and the University it includes the great library, with almost three thousand manuscripts and some sixty thousand incunabula. Refering to Miguel de Unamuno House Museum is dedicated to the famous writer, so linked to Salamanca, and the Trade Museum it recalls the mercantile activity of the city in past centuries.

More curious is the Automotive History Museum, essential among what to see in Salamanca if you like cars. Because it has more than two hundred historic vehicles. And finally the DA2 Domus Artium is dedicated to contemporary art.

Enjoy the gastronomy of Salamanca

chanfaina

A plate of chanfaina

Among what to do in Salamanca, we also have to talk to you about enjoying its gastronomy. They are magnificent Sausages throughout the province, which has an excellent pig herd. Among them, the ham, the chorizo ​​cular, the longaniza and the farinate. The latter is made with bread crumbs, lard, paprika, salt, onion and a few grains of anise. It is fried and accompanied by equally fried eggs.

Sausages are also used to make the hornazo, which we also advise you to try. It is a kind of empanada that has pork loin, chopped chorizo ​​and hard-boiled egg. But Salamanca also has good cheeses. Among these, those of Arribes, Hinojosa, Cantalapiedra, Villamayor and Villarino de los Aires.

Hornazo is one of the typical dishes of the city, but there are many others. We also recommend that you try the chanfaina, a stew made with rice, legs of lamb and tripe, suckling pig prepared on the fire, trout from the Tormes, lamb with astiz or stew and salamantina stuffed chicken.

In turn, the small change It is a stew that is prepared with potatoes, beef, red pepper, onion and bay leaf. Also made are the stirred potatoes or pureed with garlic and paprika, as well as broad beans in salamantine style, which have chorizo ​​and ham ends and the serrano lemon, a salad of oranges, boiled egg, lemon and chorizo ​​seasoned with sugar, among other ingredients.

Bollo Maimon

A maimón bun

Finally, as for sweets, you must try in Salamanca the perrunillas and Bollo Maimon. The latter is a kind of sponge cake or roscón. But we also recommend the yolk chops, which are a kind of very large sugared almonds, the rice and sugar tortilla and Ledesma donuts. The province of Salamanca even has two wine regions with denomination of origin. are those of Arrives de Duero and the Sierra of Salamanca.

In conclusion, we have shown you what to do in Salamanca. We have presented its main monuments and museums, as well as its delicious cuisine. But you can also make a route through its surroundings. For example, you have the option to approach Alba de Tormes, in whose Carmelite Museum is buried St. Teresa of Jesus. Or visit the Arapiles site, where the famous homonymous battle of the War of Independence took place. Anyway, you can still go to Penaranda of Bracamonte, a town declared a Historic-Artistic Site or the beautiful Rodrigo City, a little further away. Don't you think exciting plans?


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