Salamanca (Spain): what to see


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What to see in Salamanca, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the new and old Cathedral, Patio Chico and University.


Tourist information

City of western Spain that is part of the Autonomous Community of Castile and Leon, Salamanca is renowned for its ancient university.

About 170 km from Madrid, going north, it is located on the right bank of the Tormes river, at an altitude of 798 m.


It is home to an airport and an important road and railway junction, on the directive that reaches the border with Portugal.

Economically very active, it stands out for the trade of cereals, grapes and meat, the industries mainly concern the food, chemical and tanning sectors.

But in addition to this Salamanca, thanks to the enormous wealth of historical and cultural traditions, is a very popular tourist destination.


Among the main attractions is the new Cathedral of Santa Maria dell’Assedio, one of the most important monuments from the historical and artistic point of view, with a main facade in Gothic style, with rich decorations of the arches.

Inside the church, with a Latin cross and three naves, the Chapel of All Saints, the Altar of Christ of the battles and the choir of the 1700s are to be appreciated.

The right nave leads to the old Romanesque cathedral dating back to 1100.


The Patio Chico is a small square that brings together the two cathedrals and with them the two different architectural styles that contribute to creating a vision of exceptional beauty.

What see

Plaza Mayor, designed in the Baroque style by the architects Alberto and Nicolás Churriguera, was built in 1729 and is known for being one of the main meeting places for residents.

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The Ancient University is made up of a group of buildings including the Major Schools, the Minor Schools and the Study Hospital, now rectorate.

As for the architectural styles, the facade of the major schools is done in the Plateresque style, an artistic style born in Spain between the 1400s and the 1500s, characterized by being very ornate, in the likeness of fine silverware works, while Gothic style predominates in the rectorate.

The Museum of the University is housed inside the Minor Schools, where the beautiful fresco called "The Sky of Salamanca", dating back to the 1400s, has a great tourist appeal.

Piazza Patio de Escuelas is enclosed in the buildings just described.

Palazzo Monterrey, with its towers and chimneys, was built in 1500 in pure Plateresque style and belonged to the Duchess of Alba.

The Casa de las Conchas, dating from the late 1400s and belonging to the order of Santiago, is in Gothic style with a very particular facade, as it is decorated with over three hundred scallop shells.

It houses a library open to the public and the tourist information office.


Clerecia, built between 1600 and the second half of the 1700s, was originally used as a Royal College of the Holy Spirit, while today it is home to the Pontifical University.

The convent of the 1500s, which belonged to the Dominicans of Santo Stefano, has a beautiful Plateresque facade which, with its triumphal arch shape, represents an authentic Renaissance jewel, together with its graceful Gothic and Renaissance style cloister.

Guide to Salamanca, Spain's 'Golden City' | Getaway 2018 (February 2024)


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