Majestic Salamanca, Spain

I spent my first two years in Spain residing the majestic city of Salamanca, and they were just great!  So it was with much anticipation that I recenty decided to spend a weekend there revisiting some of my old haunts.

Salamanca, 2 hours north of Madrid by car, is the capital of Castilla Leon and has probably one of the most beautiful Plaza Mayors in the world.  The old town is an absolute delight of elegant, golden sandstone buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, with two cathedrals (!), the oldest university in Spain, and heaps more of historical marvels.

It also has a vibrant nightlife due to the international student population, an outstanding tapas culture, and superb red wines and mature cheeses to top it all.

Arriving from the south, as you cross the River Tormes, your eyes are treated to a lovely view of the cathedrals perched up above the city.  Accommodation in the old town is surprisingly cheap and abundant, but even if you have to go slightly further out as I did, you can walk practically everywhere in 20 minutes.

The barroque Plaza Mayor is huge, and is the heart of the city; it is said that the Salmantines must pass through it at least once a day, and all meeting up should be done under the clock.  In the evenings it is bustling with smartly dressed locals taking an pre-dinner stroll.

Although the streets surrounding the Plaza are full of souvenir shops, many selling the typical handmade silver jewellery unique to Salamanca, they are still atmospheric.

The old town is compact, so within a kilometre you can visit numerous attractions.  Start with the fabulous old and new cathedrals, which are joined so you buy one ticket for both; a seperate ticket must be bought in order to climb up to the roof - which is well worth 3€ extra.  I also saw the city museum, the civil war museum (free but you really need a bit of Spanish to be able to make sense of it), the fascinating art nouveau museum  (free on Thursday mornings), San Domingo monastery and the outside of the other churches. 

Also, take a stroll along the river to see the painted trees and cross the old bridge.

The biggest change I noticed from when I lived there was a huge improvement in the variety of food on offer in the bars.  What was once strictly limited to pinchos of meat, tortilla and the local favourite, mashed potato with paprika, has blossomed into a vegetarian's heaven with excellent modern tapas on offer everywhere you turn.  As in the other Castillian cities, you can get a local red wine with a tapa for 2.50€.  Now that's a bargain!

So, needless to say I had a great time. Salamanca is a swell place; its cheap, has good food and wine, and a wealth of cultural delights to keep you busy.