Old Town of Salamanca, Spain

The old town of Salamanca is one of the most beautiful historic centres in Spain, a golden-hued ensemble built almost entirely from the local Villamayor sandstone, which glows a warm honey colour in the sun — earning Salamanca the nickname “the golden city.” A great university town in the plains of Castile and León, north-west of Madrid, it has been a centre of learning since the Middle Ages, and its harmonious streets, squares, palaces and churches led UNESCO to inscribe the whole old city on the World Heritage List in 1988. Lively with students by day and glowing under floodlights by night, it is one of the classic stops of central Spain.

What to See

At the heart of the city lies the magnificent Plaza Mayor, an 18th-century Baroque square ringed by arcades and medallion portraits, widely considered the finest such square in Spain and the social hub of the town. Nearby rises the University of Salamanca, founded in 1218 and among the oldest in Europe, whose intricately carved Plateresque façade hides the famous stone frog said to bring luck to those who spot it. The city has not one but two adjoining cathedrals — the Romanesque Old Cathedral and the towering late-Gothic and Baroque New Cathedral — while other gems include the shell-studded Casa de las Conchas, the Baroque Clerecía church with its climbable towers, and the Art Nouveau Casa Lis. Above all, it is a pleasure simply to wander the golden streets and squares.

How to Get There and Practical Information

Salamanca lies about 210 kilometres west of Madrid in the region of Castile and León, and is reached in around an hour and a half by high-speed train from the capital, as well as by bus; the compact old town is entirely walkable from the station or bus terminal. There is no charge to explore the streets and squares, which are free at any hour, while individual monuments — the cathedrals, the university, the tower climbs and museums — have their own admission. Allow at least a full day, and try to be in the Plaza Mayor in the evening, when the arcades fill with people and the sandstone turns to gold under the lights; it is also a lively and welcoming city thanks to its large student population.