▲Art Nouveau Museum (Museo Art Nouveau y Art Deco)
Casual Eateries on Plaza Mayor and Rúa Mayor
This sunny sandstone city boasts Spain’s grandest plaza, its oldest university, and a fascinating history, all swaddled in a strolling, college-town ambience. Salamanca—a youthful and untouristy Toledo—is a series of monuments and clusters of cloisters. The many students help keep prices down. Take a paseo with the local crowd down Calle de Rúa Mayor and through Plaza Mayor. The young people congregate until late in the night, chanting and cheering, talking and singing. When I asked a local woman why young men all alone on Plaza Mayor suddenly break into song, she said, “Doesn’t it happen where you live?”
Salamanca, with its art, university, and atmospheric Plaza Mayor, is worth a day and a night, but it is stuck out in the boonies. It’s feasible as a side-trip from Madrid (it’s 2.5 hours one-way from Madrid by car, bus, or train), even with a stop in Ávila on the way. If you’re bound for Santiago de Compostela or Portugal, Salamanca is a natural stop.
The main TI is on Plaza Mayor (summer Mon-Fri 9:00-14:00 & 16:30-20:00, Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-14:00; winter Mon-Sat until 18:30, Sun until 14:00; Plaza Mayor 19, tel. 923-218-342). Pick up the free map, city brochure, and current list of museum hours. Summertime-only TIs spring up at the train and bus stations.
The TI website (www.salamanca.es) is a good source of practical information, including a printable city-center map (Plano de la ciudad), a downloadable city guide, and directions on how to arrive from various points in Spain. You can also check the regional TI website (www.turismocastillayleon.com) to find out about events and festivals in and around Salamanca.
Tours: The Plaza Mayor TI rents a decent MP3 audioguide of the city (€12/24 hours, €20 deposit, includes map). A two-hour guided walking tour, in English, leaves from the Plaza Mayor TI and includes entry to the cathedrals and a few other free sights (€20/person, 10-person minimum, runs April-June only Mon-Fri at 14:00).
Sightseeing Pass: The Salamanca Card, sold at the TI and participating sights, covers entry to the main monuments and museums and includes the city audioguide (€19/24 hours, €23/48 hours, www.salamancacard.com). Some of my recommended hotels offer extras such as free breakfast or late check-out with the Salamanca Card.
From either Salamanca’s train or bus station to Plaza Mayor, it’s a 25-minute walk, an easy bus ride (€1.05, pay driver), or a €7 taxi trip. The train station has no lockers; day-trippers can store bags at the bus station (consignas; €2, at bay level facing main building on your left).
By Train: Salamanca has two train stations: the main train station and (a bit closer to the town center) Salamanca Alamedilla Station. To walk from the main train station into the center of town, exit left and walk down to the ring road, cross it at Plaza de España, then angle slightly left up Calle Azafranal. Alternatively, exit the front of the main station, cross the street, and take bus #1, which lets you off just past the Plaza del Mercado (the market), next to Plaza Mayor.
Some trains continue on to Salamanca Alamedilla Station, which is closer to town—if you arrive here, walk down Avenida Alamedilla past a park to Plaza de España, then to Calle Azafranal. Note that you cannot depart from or buy tickets at Salamanca Alamedilla Station.
By Bus: To walk into the center from the bus station, exit right and walk down Avenida Filiberto Villalobos; take a left on the ring road and the first right on Ramón y Cajal, head through Plaza de las Augustinas, and continue on Calle Prior to reach Plaza Mayor. Or take bus #4 (exit station right, catch bus on same side of the street as the station) to the city center; the closest stop is on Gran Vía, about two blocks east of Plaza Mayor (ask the driver or a fellow passenger, “¿Para Plaza Mayor?”).
By Car: Drivers will find a handy underground parking lot at Plaza Santa Eulalia (€13/day, open 24 hours daily). Two other convenient lots are Parking Plaza del Campillo and Parking Le Mans (€14/day). You can also try one of the hotels with valet parking for comparable fees.
Book Ahead for September: During this month, Salamanca’s Feria, patron saint celebration, and bullfighting events fill up hotels and increase room prices.
Internet Access: Navega Internet Center has several computers and a call center; it also sells phone cards (Mon and Wed-Sat 11:00-14:15 & 17:00-23:00, Tue 18:00-23:00, closed Sun, between Plaza del Mercado and Gran Vía at Obispo Jarrín 14, tel. 923-215-447).
Travel Agency: Viajes Salamanca books flights, trains, and some buses, including buses to Coimbra, Portugal (Plaza Mayor 24, tel. 923-211-414).
Local Guide: Ines Criado Velasco, a good English-speaking guide, is happy to tailor a town walk to your interests (€80/2 hours—a special rate for readers of this book in 2014, €95/3 hours, prices increase on holidays, €150/day for groups of 1-30, mobile 609-557-528, inescriado@yahoo.es).
Tourist Tram: The small tram you might see waiting at the New Cathedral does 20-minute loops through town with Spanish narration (€4, departs every 30 minutes from cathedral, daily 11:00-14:00 & 16:00-19:00, no lunch break July-Aug, mobile 649-625-703).
Built from 1729 to 1755, this ultimate Spanish plaza is a good place to nurse a cup of coffee (try the venerable Art Nouveau-style Café Novelty) and watch the world go by.
The town hall, with the clock, grandly overlooks the square. The Arco del Toro (built into the eastern wall) leads to the covered market. While most European squares honor a king or saint, this golden-toned square—ringed by famous Castilians—is for all the people. The square niches above the colonnade surrounding the plaza depict writers (Miguel de Cervantes), heroes and conquistadors (Christopher Columbus and Hernán Cortés), as well as numerous kings and dictators (Francisco Franco).
Plaza Mayor has long been Salamanca’s community living room. The most important place in town, it seems to be continually hosting some kind of party. Imagine the excitement of the days (until 1893) when bullfights were held in the square. Now old-timers gather here each day, remembering an earlier time when the girls would promenade clockwise around the colonnade while the boys cruised counterclockwise, looking for the perfect queso (cheese), as they’d call a cute dish. Perhaps the best time of all for people-watching is Sunday after Mass (13:00-15:00), when the grandmothers gather here in their Sunday best.
These cool-on-a-hot-day cathedrals share buttresses, and both are richly ornamented. The Old Cathedral is 12th-century Romanesque while the “New” Cathedral, built from 1513 to 1733, is a spacious, towering mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque.
Cost and Hours: New Cathedral—free, daily April-Sept 9:00-20:00, sometimes closed 14:00-16:00, Oct-March 9:00-13:00 & 16:00-18:00; Old Cathedral—€4.75, free entry if you attend Mass (though you’ll still have to pay to enter the cloister), daily April-Sept 10:00-19:30, sometimes closed 13:30-16:00, Oct-March 10:00-12:30 & 16:00-17:30; tower—€3.75 but free Tue 10:00-12:00, daily March-Dec 10:00-20:00, Jan-Feb 10:00-18:00, last entry 45 minutes before closing. Cathedral tel. 923-217-476, tower tel. 619-081-843, www.catedralsalamanca.org.
Visiting the Cathedrals: To get to the old, you have to walk through the new.
New Cathedral: Before entering the New Cathedral, check out its ornate front door (west portal on Rúa Mayor). The facade is decorated Plateresque, with masonry so intricate it looks like silverwork (plata). It’s Spain’s version of Flamboyant Gothic. At the side door (around the corner to the left as you face the main entrance), look for the astronaut added by a capricious restorer in 1993. This caused an outrage in town, but now locals shrug their shoulders and say, “He’s the person closest to God.” I’ll give you a chance to find him on your own. Otherwise, look at the end of this listing for help.
Inside, fancy stone trim is everywhere, and the dome decoration is particularly wonderful. Occasionally the music is live, not recorded. The coro, or choir, blocks up half of the church (normal for Spanish Gothic), but its wood carving is sumptuous; look up to see the recently restored, elaborate organ.
• Head into the Old Cathedral (the entrance is near the rear of the New Cathedral). A free English leaflet is available.
Old Cathedral: Sit in a front pew to study the altarpiece’s 53 scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus (by the Italian Florentino, 1445) surrounding a precious 12th-century statue of the Virgin of the Valley. High above, notice the dramatic Last Judgment fresco of Jesus sending condemned souls into the literal jaws of hell.
Enter the cloister (off the right transept) and explore the chapels, notable for their unusual tombs, ornate altarpieces, and ceilings with leering faces. If you speak Spanish, press the button on the wall at the entrance of each chapel to hear a description. In the Capilla de Santa Barbara (second on the left as you enter), you can sit as students once did for their tests. During these final exams, a stern circle of professors formed around the student at the tomb of the Salamanca bishop, who founded the University of Salamanca around 1230. (The university originated with a group of teacher-priests who met in this room.)
As you continue through the cloister, you’ll see the chapterhouse (salas capitulares), contained in three rooms on your left, with a gallery of 15th-century Castilian paintings. Next is the Capilla de Santa Catalina, which was used as the university’s library until 1610. The room is lined with tombs and paintings from the 15th to 17th centuries. See if you can find the original chapterhouse weather vane—it’s shaped like a rooster. The Capilla de Anaya, farthest from the cloister entrance, has a gorgeously carved 16th-century alabaster tomb (look for the dog and lion making peace—or negotiating who gets to eat the worried-looking rabbit—at the foot of the tomb) and a wooden 16th-century Mudejar organ. (Mudejar is the Romanesque-Islamic Moorish design style made in Spain after the Christian conquest.)
For a fantastic view of the upper floors and terraces of both cathedrals, and a look at the inside passages with small exhibits about the cathedrals’ history and architecture, visit the tower (marked Jerónimos). It was sealed after Lisbon’s 1755 earthquake to create structural support and reopened in 2002. (To climb the tower, exit the cathedral to the left to find a separate entrance around the corner.)
Finally, go find that astronaut: He’s just a little guy, about the size of a Ken-does-Mars doll, entwined in the stone trim to the left of the door, roughly 10 feet up. If you like that, check out the dragon (an arm’s length below). Historians debate whether he’s eating an ice-cream cone or singing karaoke.
The University of Salamanca, the oldest in Spain (est. 1230), was one of Europe’s leading centers of learning for 400 years. Columbus came here for travel tips. Today, though no longer so prestigious, it’s laden with history and popular with Americans, who enjoy its excellent summer program. The old lecture halls around the cloister, where many of Spain’s Golden Age heroes studied, are open to the public.
Cost and Hours: Lecture halls—€10, audioguide-€2; Mon-Sat Oct-March 10:00-18:00, April-June 10:00-19:00, July-Sept 10:00-14:00 & 17:00-20:00; Sun 10:00-13:00 year-round; last entry 30 minutes before closing. Museum—Free, Tue-Sat 9:30-13:30 & 16:00-18:30, Sun 10:00-14:00, closed Mon, no photos allowed. Tel. 923-294-400, ext. 1150.
Visiting the University: Enter the university from Calle Libreros. The ornately decorated grand entrance is a great example of Spain’s Plateresque style. The people studying the facade aren’t art fans. They’re trying to find a tiny frog on a skull that students looked to for good luck.
But forget the frog. Follow the facade’s symbolic meaning. It was made in three sections by Charles V. The bottom celebrates the Catholic Monarchs. Ferdinand and Isabel saw that the university had no buildings befitting its prestige, and they granted the money for this building. The Greek script says something like, “From the monarchs, this university. From the university, this tribute as a thanks.”
The immodest middle section celebrates the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabel, Charles V. He appears with his queen, as well as the Habsburg double-headed eagle and the complex coat of arms of the mighty Habsburg Empire. Since this is a Renaissance structure, it features Greek and Roman figures in the shells. And, as a statement of educational independence from medieval Church control, the top shows the pope flanked by Hercules and Venus.
Pay the admission fee to enter the university’s old lecture halls. Pick up a free English-language leaflet, and follow it by going left (clockwise) around the courtyard. The lecture halls are well-described with informative panels in English, as well as several videos.
In the Hall of Fray Luis de León, the narrow wooden-beam tables and benches—whittled down by centuries of studious doodling—are originals. Professors spoke from the Church-threatening cátedra (pulpit). It was here that freethinking brother Luis de León returned, after the Inquisition jailed and tortured him for five years; he had challenged the Church’s control of the word of God by translating part of the Bible into Castilian. He started his first post-imprisonment lecture with, “As we were saying...” Such courageous men of truth believed the forces of the Inquisition were not even worth acknowledging.
The altarpiece in the chapel on the opposite side of the courtyard depicts professors swearing to Mary’s virginity. (How did they know?) Climb upstairs for a peek into the oldest library in Spain. Outside the library, look into the courtyard at the American sequoia, brought here 150 years ago and standing all alone. Notice also the big nests in the bell tower. Storks stop here from February through August on their annual journey from Morocco to northern Europe. There are hundreds of these stork nests in Salamanca.
As you leave the university, you’ll see the statue of Fray Luis de León. Behind him, to your left, is the entrance to a peaceful courtyard. Within the courtyard is the Museum of the University, notable for Fernando Gallego’s fanciful 15th-century Sky of Salamanca.
Can’t forget about the frog? It’s on the right pillar of the facade, nearly halfway up, on the leftmost of three skulls.
Located in the Casa Lis, this museum—with its beautifully displayed collection of stained glass, vases, furniture, jewelry, cancan statuettes, and toy dolls—is a refreshing change of pace. Nowhere else in Spain will you enjoy an Art Nouveau collection in a building from the same era. Find the stunning sculptures of Josephine Baker and Carmen Miranda, along with lots of pieces by René Lalique. The museum is a donation of a private collection. The English brochure contains a translation of the Spanish text posted in each room of the collection. After your visit, sit with a reasonably priced coffee and contemplate the stained-glass facade from the interior of the museum’s beautiful Art Nouveau café.
Cost and Hours: €4 but free Thu 11:00-14:00; April-mid-Oct Tue-Fri 11:00-14:00 & 17:00-21:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-21:00; mid-Oct-March Tue-Fri 11:00-14:00 & 16:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-20:00; closed Mon year-round; strictly no photos—required camera check at ticket counter, between the cathedrals and the river at Calle Gibraltar 14, tel. 923-121-425, www.museocasalis.org.
Dedicated to St. Stephen (Esteban) the martyr, this complex contains a recently restored cloister, tombs, museum, sacristy, and church.
Cost and Hours: €3, daily 10:00-14:00 & 16:00-20:00, until 19:00 in winter, museum closed Sun-Tue, last entry 45 minutes before closing, tel. 923-215-000.
Visiting the Church: The visitors’ entrance is to the right of the church entrance (which is closed except during services).
Before you enter, notice the Plateresque facade and its basrelief of the stoning of St. Stephen. The crucifixion above is by Italian Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini. As you enter the building, look at the large poster explaining the facade’s many characters.
After buying your ticket, walk around the cloister to the opposite corner, where signs indicate ways to the church (iglesia), sacristy (sacristía), choir (coro), and museum (museo). Head to the church first. Once inside, follow the free English pamphlet.
The nave is overwhelmed by a 100-foot, 4,000-piece wood altarpiece by José Benito Churriguera (1665-1725) that replaced the original Gothic one in 1693. You’ll see St. Dominic on the left, St. Francis on the right, and a grand monstrance holding the Communion wafers in the middle, all below a painting of St. Stephen being stoned. This is a textbook example of the intricately detailed Churrigueresque style that influenced many South American mission buildings. Quietly ponder the dusty, gold-plated cottage cheese, as tourists shake their heads and say “too much” in their mother tongue.
Upstairs, step into the balcony choir loft for a fine overview of the nave. The staircase itself is architecturally unique, built without any interior support; the staircase is still standing, but you’ll notice that when you walk, you definitely lean inward. The big spinnable book holder in the middle of the room held giant music books—large enough for all to chant from in an age when there weren’t enough books for everyone.
Also upstairs is the museum, with temperature-controlled glass cases that preserve illustrated 14th- to 16th-century Bibles and choir books. Notice also how the curved ivory Filipino saints all look like they’re carved out of an elephant’s tusk. And don’t miss the fascinating “chocolate box reliquaries” on the wall in the back on the right from 1580. Survey whose bones are collected between all the inlaid ivory and precious woods.
Located next door to the Church of San Esteban, the much simpler convento is a joy. It consists of a double-decker cloister with a small museum of religious art. Check out the stone meanies exuberantly decorating the capitals on the cloister’s upper deck. No English information is displayed, but an English booklet is available for €1.50. The nuns sell sweets daily except Sunday (€4.50 for a small box of their specialty, amarguillos—almonds, egg whites, and sugar; no assortments possible even though their display box raises hopes).
Cost and Hours: €2, variable hours but generally Mon-Sat in summer 11:00-12:45 & 16:30-18:45, in winter until 17:30, closed Sun year-round, tel. 923-215-442.
Historians enjoy the low-slung Roman Bridge (Puente Romano), much of it original, spanning the Río Tormes. The ibérico (ancient pre-Roman) faceless bull blindly guards the entrance to the bridge; you’ll find this symbol of Salamanca on every city coat of arms in town.
Traditionally, Salamanca’s poorer students earned money to fund their education by singing in the streets. This 15th- to 18th-century tradition survives today, as musical groups of students (representing the various faculties)—dressed in the traditional black capes and leggings—sing and strum mandolins and guitars. They serenade the public in the bars on and around Plaza Mayor. The name tuna, which has nothing to do with fish, refers to a vagabond student lifestyle and later was applied to the music these students sing. They’re out only on summer weeknights (singing for tips from 22:00 until after midnight), because they make more serious money performing for weddings on weekends.
Salamanca, a student town, has plenty of good eating and sleeping values. Most of my listings are on or within a three-minute walk of Plaza Mayor (NH Puerta de la Catedral and Le Petit Hotel are a little farther—for locations, see map on here). Directions are given from Plaza Mayor, assuming you are facing the building with the clock (e.g., 3 o’clock is 90 degrees to your right as you face the clock). The city is noisy on the weekends, so if you’re a light sleeper, ask for an interior room.
$$$ NH Puerta de la Catedral is a fancy business-class hotel on a quiet pedestrian street around the corner from the cathedral entrance. It’s worth the extra euros for a room with a great view of the cathedral (Db-€90, extra bed-€45, €22 more for view/terrace rooms, higher rates on weekends and holidays, breakfast-€15, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi in lobby, parking-€19/day, Plaza de Juan XXIII 5, tel. 923-280-829, www.nh-hotels.com, nhpuertadelacatedral@nh-hotels.com).
$$$ Hotel Torre del Clavero has little character, but its 26 rooms are clean and contemporary. It’s conveniently located between Plaza Mayor and the Church of San Esteban, across the street from the Clavero tower. Its private garage is a plus for drivers (Db-€84, higher rates on holidays, extra bed-€20, breakfast-€3.50, cable Internet in rooms, guest computer, parking-€11/day; from Casa de las Conchas on Calle de Rúa Mayor, go three blocks south on Calle de Jesús to Calle del Consuelo 21, or from Gran Vía turn onto Calle de las Varillas then left onto Calle del Consuelo; tel. 923-280-410, www.hoteltorredelclavero.com, info@hoteltorredelclavero.com).
$$$ Hotel Room Mate Vega, across the street from the covered market, has wannabe-hip business-class rooms in a good location (Sb-€45-65, Db-€50-90, Tb-€110, more on weekends and holidays, breakfast-€7, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, parking-€12/day; 2 blocks off Plaza Mayor—across from covered market, exit Plaza Mayor at 3 o’clock, Plaza del Mercado 16; tel. 923-272-250, www.room-matehotels.com, vega@room-matehotels.com).
$$$ Petit Palace Las Torres is a chain hotel with 53 modern, spacious rooms (several with see-through bathroom doors) and all the amenities. It’s nothing special...except that it’s located right on Plaza Mayor (weekday Sb/Db-€50, weekend Sb/Db-€80-90, plaza-view room-€30 extra, 30 percent more during Sept religious festival, breakfast-€7, air-con, elevator, guest computer, free Wi-Fi, a few free loaner bikes, pay parking at nearby Lemans lot, exit Plaza Mayor at 11 o’clock to find hotel entry just off square at Calle Concejo 4, tel. 923-212-100, www.hthotels.com, tor@hthotels.com).
$$ Hostal Plaza Mayor, with 19 nicely decorated but small rooms, has a good location a block southwest of Plaza Mayor (Sb-€30-39, Db-€50-65, Tb-€75-97, air-con, most rooms served by elevator, free Wi-Fi, parking-€15/day, exit Plaza Mayor at 7 o’clock, Plaza del Corrillo 20, tel. 923-262-020, www.hostalplazamayor.es, hostalplazamayor@hotmail.com).
$$ Hostería Casa Vallejo is a welcoming, family-run place, with 12 rustic and renovated rooms a block away from Plaza Mayor. The attached, recommended tapas bar/restaurant serves up tasty deals (Sb-€30-38, Db-€45-80, extra person-€12, breakfast-€3, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, closed second and third weeks of July, San Juan de la Cruz 3, tel. 923-280-421, www.hosteriacasavallejo.com, info@hosteriacasavallejo.com, Amparo).
$$ Le Petit Hotel, while away from the characteristic core, faces a peaceful park and a church, two blocks east of Gran Vía. It rents 23 spotless and homey yet modern rooms. The rooms with views of the church are brightest, and the fourth-floor rooms are the most recently updated—request vista de iglesia and cuarta planta (Sb-€36, Db-€49, Tb-€59, Qb-€69, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi; about 6 blocks east of Plaza Mayor at Ronda Sancti Spiritus 39—exit Plaza Mayor at 3 o’clock and continue east, turn left on Gran Vía, right on Sancti Spiritus at Banco Simeon, and left after the church; tel. 923-600-773, www.lepetithotel.net; kind Hortensia doesn’t speak English, but her son Juan Carlos does).
$$ Hostería Sara offers tidy rooms with simple decor and handy kitchenettes. Ask for the upper floors for quieter rooms with double-paned windows (Sb-€48-53, Db-€53-60, Tb-€70-80; €5 more for rooms with kitchenettes that have a fridge, two burners, and a sink; rates drop about €10 off-season, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi; 2 blocks off Plaza Mayor—exit the square at about 7 o’clock, toward cathedral at Meléndez 11; tel. 923-281-140, www.hostalsara.org, info@hostalsara.org).
$ Hostal Los Angeles rents 19 simple but cared-for rooms, four of which overlook the square. Stand on the balcony and inhale the essence of Spain. View rooms are popular and more expensive—when you reserve, request “Con vista, por favor” (S-€15-22, Sb-€20-35, D-€23-35, Db-€28-55, T-€45-55, Tb-€45-65, Q-€55-65, rates drop on weekdays and off-season, Plaza Mayor 10, about 3 o’clock, tel. 923-218-166, www.pensionlosangeles.com, info@pensionlosangeles.com, Karel).
$ Hostal Escala Luna is recently renovated, with 22 clean, bright, quiet, cheap, and cozy rooms (Sb-€24, Db-€30-40, Tb-€45-55, Qb-€60-75, higher rates are for weekends, first night charged when you reserve, 48-hour notice required for refund, breakfast-€3, free Wi-Fi, laundry service-about €12/load; 2 blocks off Plaza Mayor—exit the square at about 7 o’clock, toward cathedral at Meléndez 13, first floor; tel. 923-218-749, www.hostalescalalunasalamanca.com, info@escalaluna.com).
Local specialties include serrano ham, which is in just about everything (see sidebar on here), roast suckling pig (called tostón around here), and sopa de ajo, the local garlic soup. Patatas meneadas (potatoes with Spanish paprika and bacon) is a simple but tasty local tapa. If you always wanted seconds at Communion, buy a bag of the local specialty called obleas—flat wafers similar to giant Communion hosts.
Plenty of good, inexpensive restaurants are located between Plaza Mayor and Gran Vía, and as you leave Plaza Mayor toward Calle de Rúa Mayor. You’ll also find lots of tapas places along and around Calle de Rúa Mayor, but they are often overrun with students. Restaurants generally serve lunch from 13:30 to 16:00 and dinner from about 20:30 until very late (remember, Spaniards don’t start dinner until about 21:00). Tapas bars and cafés may be open all day, though they serve simpler food off hours.
Drinks ordered at a bar usually come with a free pincho, a taste of one of the larger portions of tapas. Sometimes you can even choose between several options. For the price of three drinks, you can make a light meal of pinchos while standing or sitting at the bar. Try the recommended Cervantes Bar or one of the places outside the old town.
Restaurante Casa Vallejo, open since 1941, is known for its grilled meats, traditional dishes, and good wine. You’ll spend about €35-40 for a satisfying meal (Tue-Sat 13:30-16:00 & 20:30-23:00, Sun 13:30-16:00, closed Mon, restaurant is inside the recommended Hostería Casa Vallejo at San Juan de la Cruz 3, tel. 923-280-421). See map on here.
La Fonda Casa de Comidas del Arcediano is a dark, woody place with solid, traditional cuisine that caters to longtime residents. You’ll happily spend about €25 for dinner (daily 13:30-16:00 & 21:00-24:00, reserve on weekends, 15 yards down the arcade from corner of Gran Vía and Cuesta de Sancti Spiritus at La Reja 2—see map on here, tel. 923-215-712). See map on here
Restaurante Isidro is a thriving Salamancan (and guidebook) favorite—a straightforward, hardworking eatery where Alberto offers a good assortment of fish and specialty meat dishes with quick and friendly service (€11 fixed-price meal, €25 à la carte dinners, big portions, good roasts, Tue-Sat 13:00-16:00 & 20:00-24:00, Sun 13:00-16:00, closed Mon, Pozo Amarillo 19, about a block north of covered market near Plaza Mayor, tel. 923-262-848). See map on here.
(See “Central Salamanca” map, here.)
Here you can enjoy a meal sitting on the finest square in Spain and savor some of Europe’s best people-watching. The bars, with little tables spilling onto the square, serve raciones and €2 glasses of wine. A ración de la casa (house specialty of hams, sausages, and cheese), a ración of patatas bravas (chunks of potatoes with a slightly spicy tomato sauce), and two glasses of wine make up a nice dinner for two for about €25—one of the best eating values in all of Europe. For dessert, stroll with an ice-cream cone from Café Novelty.
Café Real serves tapas-style bar snacks (daily 7:30-24:00, tel. 923-210-556).
Cervantes Bar is more of a restaurant, with a wide selection of meals, €10 salads, and sandwiches. They also have an indoor section with tables that overlook Plaza Mayor from one floor up; it’s a popular student hangout. Don’t forget to ask for your pincho, a snack that comes with your drink, if you’re standing at the bar (daily 8:00-late, tel. 923-217-213).
Café Novelty is Plaza Mayor’s Art Nouveau café. Dating from 1905, it’s the oldest cafe in Salamanca—and has some customers who look like they’ve been there since it opened. It’s filled with character and literary memories. The metal sculpture depicts a famous local writer, Torrente Ballester. Their ice cream sweetens a stroll around the plaza (daily 8:00-24:00, tel. 923-214-956).
(See “Central Salamanca” map, here.)
The covered mercado (market) on Plaza Mercado has fresh fruits and veggies (Mon 8:00-14:30 & 16:00-19:00, Tue-Sat 8:00-14:30 but may be open later on Tue in summer, closed Sun, on east side of Plaza Mayor).
Supermarkets: A small El Arbol grocery, two blocks west of Plaza Mayor at Iscar Peyra 13, has just the basics (Mon-Sat 9:30-21:30, closed Sun). For variety, the big Carrefour Market supermarket is your best bet, but it’s a six-block walk north of Plaza Mayor on Calle del Toro (Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00, closed Sun, across from Plaza San Juan de Sahagún and its church—see map here).
Sandwiches: The Pans & Company sandwich chain is always fast and affordable, with a branch on Calle Prior across from Burger King (daily 10:30-24:00).
Locals and students head just a bit outside the old town to hit the tapa/pincho scene along a main artery called Calle Van Dyck. It’s about a 20-minute walk or a short taxi ride from the edge of the old town, but it’s worth the effort as there are several cheap and tasty options. You’ll spend, on average, €2.50 for a caña (small beer), which comes with a small tapa. To get there on foot, go to the end of Calle del Toro, cross the main drag (Avenida de Mirat), and go up Calle Maria Auxiliadora; after crossing the wide Avenida de Portugal, take the third left onto Calle Van Dyck (see map on here).
Start at the neighborhood classic, which has been around for more than 40 years—Cafe Bar Chinitas at #18—where Victorio, Manoli, and their son Javi serve up a delicious selection of 45 tapas (closed Mon, also closed Sun June-July and all of Aug, tel. 923-229-471). Or try the Galician seafood eatery Casa Chicho, farther down the street at #34 (closed Sun night and all day Mon-Tue, tel. 923-123-775). There are many other options on the streets around Van Dyck; try Bahía de Salamanca for Andalusian-style seafood, especially the fritura variada (fried fish mix) or the boquerones rellenos (stuffed anchovies; closed Wed, Avenida de Portugal 76).
From Salamanca by Train to: Madrid (7/day, 2.75 hours, Chamartín Station), Ávila (8/day, 1-1.5 hour), Barcelona (8/day, 6-7.5 hours, change in Madrid from Chamartín Station to Atocha Station via Metro or cercanías train; also possible 1/day with change in Valladolid, 8.5 hours), Santiago (1/day, 6.75 hours, transfer in Medina del Campo), Burgos (7/day, 2.5-3.5 hours, transfer in Valladolid or Palencia), Lisbon, Portugal (1/day, 6.5 hours, departs Salamanca Station at about 1:00 in the morning, no kidding; catch a taxi to the train station, ask your hotel to arrange taxi in advance). Train info: toll tel. 902-320-320, www.renfe.com.
By Bus to: Madrid (hourly express, 2.5-3 hours, arrives at Madrid’s Estación Sur, Avanza bus), Segovia (4/day, 2.75 hours, Auto-Res bus), Ávila (4-5/day, 1.5-2 hours, Auto-Res bus), Ciudad Rodrigo (nearly hourly, 1 hour, El Pilar bus), Santiago (3/day plus 1 night bus, 6-7.5 hours, Alsa bus), Barcelona (2/day with transfer in Valladolid or Palencia, 11 hours, Alsa bus), Burgos (2-3/day, 3.5-4 hours, Alsa bus), Coimbra, Portugal (1/day, departs at 11:45, 5 hours; same bus continues to Lisbon in about 10 hours total, Alsa bus). Bus info: Alsa (tel. 902-422-242, www.alsa.es), Avanza and Auto-Res (tel. 902-020-052, www.avanzabus.com), El Pilar (tel. 923-222-608, www.elpilar-arribesbus.com); also try www.movelia.es for multiple company listings.
Ciudad Rodrigo is worth a visit only if you’re driving from Salamanca to Coimbra, Portugal (although buses connect Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo with surprising efficiency in about an hour).
This rough-and-tumble old town of 16,000 people caps a hill overlooking the Río Agueda. Spend an hour wandering among the Renaissance mansions that line its streets and exploring its cathedral and Plaza Mayor. Have lunch or a snack at El Sanatorio (Plaza Mayor 14, tel. 923-461-054). The tapas are cheap, the crowd is local, and the walls are a Ciudad Rodrigo scrapbook, including some bullfighting that makes the Three Stooges look demure.
Ciudad Rodrigo’s cathedral—pockmarked with scars from Napoleonic cannon balls—has some entertaining carvings in the choir and some pretty racy work in its cloisters. Who says, “When you’ve seen one Gothic church, you’ve seen ’em all”?
The TI is two blocks from Ciudad Rodrigo’s Plaza Mayor, just inside the old wall near the cathedral (Mon-Fri 9:00-14:00 & 17:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-14:00 & 17:00-20:00, Plaza Ameyuelas 5, tel. 923-460-561). They can recommend a good hotel, such as $$$ Hotel Conde Rodrigo (Sb-€78, Db-€90, rates can drop almost 50 percent off-season, extra bed-€18, 34 rooms, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, Plaza San Salvador 9, tel. 923-461-404, www.conderodrigo.com, info@conderodrigo.com).