Known as Spains “GOLDEN CITY” … to put it politely, this place is nuts! It’s beautiful! It’s huge! It’s full of history!

Definitely put this city on your bucket list if you are in this area! There is so much going on here and is very touristic with many uni students running around and filling the cafes and bars – hub bubbing and happy chattering all through the alleyways across the city, it’s nice to be here and experiencing it all

The weather was hovering around 14-15 degrees sunny during the day and at night went down to 8-10 degrees in the evening – it was pleasant!

My suggestions on what not to miss:

  • Salamanca Cathedral
  • Convent of St Esteban
  • Climb Salamanca Cathedral tower
  • Climb Scala Coeli tower
  • Walk across the old Roman Bridge (south)

ACCOMMODATION

I stayed at SALAMANCA SUITE STUDIOS – a really fantastic accomodation in the heart of the city in Plaza de la Libertad right next Plaza Mayor

Booked via BOOKING.COM -> check out DEALS here – and get an idea of the cost per night

🇪🇸 REVIEW ~ “Salamanca Suite Studios” : SALAMANCA / SPAIN

GETTING THERE – Train :

Easy train access via the main train station – more info below on the post here

🇪🇸 TRAIN STATION ~ “Salamanca Station” : SPAIN

Plaza de Los Bandos

Located in the historic centre this is a relaxed little Plaza with a fountain and sitting areas looking at beautiful old world buildings

On the right, the former headquarters of the bank of Spain

The details in the flower pots even are amazing

Turquoise fountain creating beauty in the plaza

Church of La Purísima

I couldnt fit it all in 1 photo! Like so many things in Salamanca! Every thing is old and historical and huge and all jammed pretty close together across narrow cobbled alleyways

The front of the church – the column designs on the outside are bold and strong a HUGE building towarding over you as you walk past
The side (but not all!) it keeps going for over a few blocks
One of the (bloody huge!) doors
I got the luck of the Lady bug that landed on me!
A cute alley way behind Church of Saint Benedict

The streets are so clean, they have cleaners every day washing the streets and picking up any rubbish

THE CONVENT & CHURCH OF ST ESTEBAN

Far out! Look at the facade of this church! 😳 You can’t see in this photo but the front door area that dips in has all these little detailed carved stone figures all around it – mind blowingly minute detailed carvings 😳 awe…

A convent of the Order of the Dominicans and it’s situated on the east side of the old town on the outskirts of the city walls but MAN it’s so worth going to see! It’s a must!

A beautiful Gothic building, its decoration is Plateresque and Baroque (I’ve never heard of “platereque” before until coming to Spain and exploring)

I looked it up and it means “in the manner of a silversmith” which they say appeared during the gothic and renaissance transition period

St Stephen Church and The Convent of St Esteban

Entrance was €5 and worth every penny!

The cloisters are gorgeous and so nice to walk around and explore
The courtyard in the middle has a little shrine in the middle and the best view of the church
The arches that separate it from the garden are semicircular, Renaissance style – there are detailed sculptures all around
Staircase of Soto – these stairs are incredible and way ahead of its time… it only rests on the walls, cantilevered, without other supports, creating a staircase which seems to hold miraculously and at the top there is only 1 figure lying on the stide of the steps and it’s Mary Magdalene
Look at the vaulted ceilings!! 😳 detailed and amazingly made
The amazing details on the buildings as decoration – so stu
The church has a Latin cross plan and a single high vaulted ceing nave

The Altarpiece has 6 large solomonic columns, covered with vegetal decoration… The way that the columns have been curved still blows my mind as to how the artists do that!

Check it out! All made from wood and covered in gold with detailed figures all throughout and this is only the altar! The rest of the church!

This is one of the most detailed baroque altar pieces

Detailed artwork covers the walls and ceilings – all look like they belong in an art gallery
Had a Rioja wine “con querpo” – seriously every wine I have had has been really nice and I just dont have a favourite

You should see the inside of this theatre! It’s all finely carved ornate wood banisters and columns it’s just so impressive! It’s so easy to just pass by without thinking of stepping in because it’s sort of hidden right across from a gigantic church but as soon as you step in its jaw dropping my cute!

This Irish pub used to be a theatre and those gold round things are seating area on the top floor

SCALA COELI – Torres de la Clerecia (TOWER)

I climbed the Torres de la Clerecía – Scala Coeli means stairway to heaven in latin

You have to climb this gorgeous tower! its only 198 stairs and when you are up there you can also alk over a walkway to the other tower! and then from there you can climb up more stairs to each bell tower it truly is an amazing experience

€3.75 to climb to the top I was there for about an hour it was so beautiful!

The entrance is on the side of the buiding via the red doors which also lead into the universty, make sure you ask the guard behind the window that you want to climb the tower beause I nearly missed out on the experience due to language barrier he thought I wanted to go inside the uni and I couldnt had to go back again with my translator asking for a ticket to climb the tower, he then noded and gave me the ticket

198 pure bliss – stairs up to the top! a museum is along the way

I was at the top for over an hour looking at the intricate details of the towers and the view across Salamanca it was THAT nice up there, the birds flying around in groups right at eye level, the sun shining down on my face, and closing my eyes and feeling the energy, it was magical! THere is so much energy here….

Looking down into the courtyard of the university, lucky students!

Pontifical University of Salamanca – Its like its out of Harry Potter or something

Its also an international student uni so there is a lot of americans around as well which ive noticed

They have the faculties of Psychology, Health Sciences, Canon Law, Philosophy, Computer Science and Theology

THe best view looking over at Salamanca Cathedral

At the top of the bell tower

New stairs have been made to help get to the top of the bell tower

I just love the detailed designs on the side of the tower

A crane has made its nest in the bes place possble 🙂

The view over Salamanca

Walking across the walkway connecting the 2 towers (on the right hand side) its pretty open and can be scary if you hate heights!

That’s where I was when climbed the tower! looking up and zooming in!

CASA DE LAS CONCHES

WOW just wow…. This shell covered spanish gothic palace which is now a public library really stands out EVEN in this amazing huge and historical city! Everyone passing by astops and takes a look in awe!

This is one of my favourite Spanish palaces ive seen on this trip so far

I snuck inside and explored the

Look at the perfect shells on the side of the palace, it symbolises the order of Santiago de Compostela and the pilgrimage they take

There are 300 sea shells displayed on the side of the building

Omg what a place for a library!!! Id be there everyday lol
The stunning staircase to the 2nd level
The stair case detailing is amazing! all hand carved and intricate detailing

The outside was my favourite part of the building, the coat of arms is really detailed and the designs above the door as well

Look at the lattice work carved in the marble!! Come on now! How talented were these builders?

UNIVERSITY OF SALAMANCA

This uni is a Spanish Public research universiy and is the oldest uni in the Hispanic world and one of the oldest operating in the world!

Ummm THIS is a university! 😳 the students sit on the stairs and talk to each other and read books and chill, its really nice to see

The detailings (again) on the walls, gorgeous!

Uni students are everywhere around this town, its cute ! They roam around together in groups twittering in Spanish 😄
The amazing stairs up to the 2nd floor

Check out these banisters!!! so royal and regal 👑

The inner couryard of the uni with ornate designs

Professor Javiers office! Salamanca Uni’s had these red inked logos on the walls – didn’t find our what they were about if anyone knows plz drop a comment and let me know!
I explored around the university and behind the campus the view was just as amazing!
Underneath the university is this cool vaulted pub
You wanna tapas?!

This uni is an important center for the study of humanities and is particularly noted for its language studies, as well as in laws and economics

CHURCH OF SAN SEBASTIAN

Attached to the college is this ornate “little” church

I think the priest was bored he was looking at me taking photos leaning his face on one hand while sittin down, so I hurried it up and left

There is so much glitz and glam in the lives of these priests they really are dressed immaculately in pretty expensive looking robes and judging by the monasteries and bishops houses around these towns they are living rent free smack bang in the town centre in some of the most oldest and beautiful old world heritage buildings!

The church from the outside dwarfed by the university next door

Look at the ceiling! the detailed lattice work on the ceiling

CATHEDRAL OF SALAMANCA – (Catedral de la Asunción de la Virgen)

There is the NEW Cathedral right next door to the OLD Cathedral of Salamanca and it is the seat of the diocese if Salamanca

The Cathedral is HUGE and takes prime position in this city right across from Salamanca Uni

I randomly found the tower entrance and paid the €4 fee to climb to the top! It was my favourite thing in Salamanca! The views from the top were amazing! And I was lucky enough to be the last one so around 7:30pm saw the sun setting and the 100s of birds flying above the church steeples and towers chirping their little brains out! It was magical…

CLIMBING THE TOWER

Getting up to the towers was a bit of a climb but it was fun! Going through old tunnels and doorwaysb
Then climbing up these awesome stone a
From halfway to the top there is a gorgeous terrace whichooks at the roof and it’s all made out of intricately carved stone!
Walking to the other side of the terrace and seeing the details of the towers was incredible!
Climbing up I wasn’t expecting to walk through the top of the new Cathedral! That was an amazing surprise!
Tbh I climbed this tower twice! Because the first time it was 7:45pm and I was the last one there! And the lights were off in the cathedral and it was a little eerie but still beautiful
On my first climb up it was sunset and the birds were lying around in massive groups landing on the opposite church and is steeples and twittering about making this loud sounds it was awesome!
The roman bridge spanning over the water and looking towards the new city
Even the climb up was magical with the old original and the middle bannister which is made with stone in such an amazing way!
As you step inside it’s breathtakingly huge and overpowering in the main hall of the new Cathedral!!
I didn’t know where to look and my neck was doing 360’s all over the place!
There were so many chapels I can’t put them all up but this is an example of how beautiful each one was with ornate works of art on the walls with images that should be in an art gallery
Corridors and doors leading from one cathedral to the other (old) it’s like an old maze walking through these 2 interlocked cathedrals, I was in here for around 2 hours! Such energy in here…
This picture doesn’t do it justice! – The choir seating area made out of carved wood and each seat has a different religious person carved into it with such beautiful details!

Golden Chapel – also known as the chapel of All Saints – sculptures of characters from the Old & New Testaments

There are around 110 statues like this in this little chapel stall

I spent ages in here but there so much to see in terms of artwork and designs or both the building and the art on the walls

THE OLD SALAMANCA CATHEDRAL

Also called the Cathedral of Santa Maria and in Romanesque and gothic design

Now if the new Cathedral wasnt beautiful and magnificent enough… I opened a door and walked into the old cathedral not knowing what to expect and it was just as phenomenal!

The main Altarpiece is one of the most important things to see in both these cathedrals

The altarpiece presents a cycle of the life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, from the Birth of the Virgin to the passage of the Mother of Christ, all accompanied by scenes from the life of Jesus and topped by the Last Judgment

The paintings are very advanced for the art in Spain at that time

There are more paintings on the walls above a few colourful and interesting tombs scattered around the old cathedral
Another detailed painting on an altar of one of MANY chapels

What a place! Don’t miss this when in Salamanca

ARCH BISHOPS PALACE

A gorgeous building which is now a museum with religious art
Night exploring – Church of San Juan de Sahagún on the main shopping thoroughface Calle Toro

LA SALINA PALACE

La Salina Palace was just so amazing! Was about to pass by but saw a courtyard I thought id jump in quickly and see what there was…

20mins later! With my jaw still dropped I couldnt believe the level of details and the ornate artistis awnings

Salina Palace – said to be built in 1538, it is in the Plateresque style and shows Italian elements – It has a light, open facade, a patio with a gallery of arches, capitals, and the these monstrous corbels that look like their are in pain supporting the courtyard balconies
Are they her Olga molgas hanging out!?
Check out the details on the marble columns is the tiny figures doing their thing around thebcolumns
The detailings of the sculptures under the upper balconies are just incredible!
You should see the faces of each one each with emotion – they look like they are in pain or uncomfortable
I sat on the marble steps for a while and took it all in – the bannister of the staircase is incredible as well I also noticed 🤣 Its hard to get a break here in Spain! Always something to see
More sculptures in pain… But look at the level of details!!!
Bike outside Iglesia de San Pablo
Palace of Congress – A modern building, all boxy and square

The outskirts of town..

Its a nice walk out of town and across the river – best way to do this is over the old Roman Bridge and looking back at the town is magical!

The old Roman bridge

The beautiful view looking back towars Salamanca old town and the Cathedral

House of Francisco de Solís & House of Don Diego Maldonado

CENTRAL MARKETS

Still smells of fish but one of the nicest markets I’ve seen

Right next to the main square is this interesting building with stained glass windows which is what initially caught my attention
For those who love meat and cheese, these markets are the place for you!

The majority of customers were old people because young people prefer to go to supermarkets which is sad 😦

ART NOUVEAU MUSEUM

This museum is in a modernist building with some colourful stained glass windows

The line was long here… There was also another art exhibition on inside it was prob for that reason too
Most people go inside to see the building itself and the stained glass windows
The art dates from the Art Nouveau period at the end of the 19th century through to the First World War and the Art Deco period between the two Great Wars
They also have a cafe inside where I most definitely had a coffee!
An art nouveau chocolate and coffee was very much enjoyed in this artistic atmosphere
The stained glass shines through beautiful colours even on the overcast day

Salamanca! Geez… This blog took me ages to put together because there was so much to see and I had to choose some of my favourite places as I just couldn’t fit everything here… I wanted to remember the best!

For those lucky enough to go, I really recommend 3