Salamanca

Salamanca is a city in the west of Spain in the region of Castilla Leon and straddles one of Spain's larger rivers, the Duero. The city is known for its beautiful buildings and the Old City has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to the teaching of the Spanish language and law. Salamanca attracts thousands of international students, creating a diverse multicultural environment, which plays a large part in the life of the city.

Salamanca has some spectacular buildings and public open spaces including La Plaza Mayor, the most important open space in the heart of the city, the Campo de San Francisco, the first open park in the city, Huerto de Calixto y Melibea, the gardens near the cathedral, and the Plaza del Corrillo.

Salamanca has over 20 religious buildings of note, including two cathedrals, one of the 12th century and the other built in the 16th century. Most of them are worth visiting just for the beauty of the buildings.

The University is made up of many buildings, and once again, many are worth visiting just for their architecture. Then there are the Palaces and palatial houses, too many to mention here, but just wonder around the city and you are sure to see many of them. Then there are vast array of museums. A visit to Salamanca will keep you occupied for a long time.

Salamanca's climate tends to be cold winters, and hot summers softened by the altitude but generally mostly dry throughout the year.

Transport to and from Salamanca is good. There are regular trains services to Madrid, Barcelona, Valladolid and Zaragoza and connections to Paris, while in the westerly direction, routes to Lisbon and Porto in Portugal.

Salamanca's public airport is part of a military base and is situated about 14km east of the city. Although not the busiest of airports, there are flights to Barcelona, Paris, Majorca and the Canary Islands, and in the summer months a regular route to Malaga, plus many charter flights.

The bus services are good with some 13 routes during the day and one at night. There is also a tram service being considered.

Salamanca offers the amenities of a larger city while retaining an intimate small town atmosphere and definitely a city for visiting tourists.