The city in Western Spain is one of Europe's most spectacular Renaissance cities, its golden buildings, constructed hundreds of years ago from buttery Villamayor sandstone, positively glow come sunset.
Salamanca is the capital of the province of Salamanca, in the Castile and Leon region. This is where the purest form of Spanish is spoken, and for this reason, thousands of students seek cheap flights to Salamanca each year. Salamanca's educational credentials stretch back centuries however - to 1218. It is one of the original "university" cities in Europe, as renowned as Oxford, Bologna or Paris. The road to academic glory could be very short. Find the carving of a frog on the university's 15th-century facade and success in studies is guaranteed.
The heart of Salamanca is the Plaza Mayor. A magnificent baroque square with arcades, tapas bars, cafes and restaurants. The best thing about it is that everyone uses the plaza - Salamancans, students and visitors - it is a bustling space morning, noon and, especially, night.
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Castile-Leon's climate has been described as "nine months winter, three months hell". The winters are long, but not freezing. Minimum temperatures average about 6 degrees. The summers not as long as in the south of Spain. Average temperatures are 20-22 degrees.
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Most travellers seek flights to Salamanca during the summer months, but its popularity as a centre of learning means that the city is buzzy year-round.
Peak Season:
Late-April to late-September is peak season, this is when most people take Salamanca flights to take advantage of the summer weather. Spring and autumn are also good times to visit. During these seasons temperatures are cooler than in the heat of summer.
Off Season:
Salamanca has long winters. November to March can be cold with temperatures dropping to about six degrees.
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Salamanca is a great city for walking. Most of the monuments and places of interest are grouped close together.
Public transport is good. City buses connect the city with the outlying areas from early morning (7.15am) to late at night (11.45pm). There's also a night bus that runs between midnight and 3am.
Taxis are available 24 hours a day either by flagging one down in the street, at a taxi rank or by using the radio taxi service.
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- Salamanca wouldn't be called Europe's most spectacular renaissance city without some truly stunning buildings. One of the best is the Casa de las Conchas, the house of shells, with its outside walls lined with sculptures of scallop shells. Originally it was the palace of Rodrigo Maldonado, a knight of the Santiago Order.
- Salamanca has not one, but two magnificient cathedrals. The Gothic New Cathedral, dating from the 1500s, is the more imposing place of worship. The Old Cathedral, built in the 1100s is a medieval masterpiece. Both offer sumptuous views from high up inside both cathedrals and from the roof of the Old Cathedral's smaller tower. The cathedrals are joined by a bell tower.
- Feast on the local specialities. The quality of beef and pork in Castille is superb. Jamón de bellota, a fine cured ham from pigs fed on acorns, is a particular specialty. Cured pork loin and chorizo as well as morcilla (black puddings) should be sampled. Amarguillos, cakes languishing sweetly between a biscuit and a sponge, made of almonds, sugar and egg white, are delicious.
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The closest airport to Salamanca is Madrid-Barajas International Airport (MAD), which is 12km (8 miles) northeast of Madrid.
There are about six daily rail services from Chamartin Station in Madrid, and the journey takes about two hours. The station is northeast of the city centre on Paseo de la Estación de Ferrocarril, a 15-minute walk into town.
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Content Manager at Cheapflights whose travel life can be best summed up as BC (before children) and PC (post children). We only travel during the school holidays so short-haul trips and staycations are our specialities!