At the start of our summer escape to Oviedo in the Spanish province of Asturias, we drove straight up from the bottom of the country to the tippity-top. The drive is around eight hours, but we weren’t having any of that.
We just don’t like to drive too far for too long if we don’t have to. Going slow and low – nice and relaxed – is how we do it. So, we decided to stop off for a few days somewhere between Seville and Oviedo. And that’s how we ended up in the city of Salamanca.
Salamanca is a major university town and a big tourist destination for those traveling around Spain.
The center of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it features tons of amazing architecture – from Baroque to Romanesque to much more – all set up on a hill and overlooking the Tormes River.
The city itself is home to just over 150,000 denizens, but it actually felt quite larger than that to me. It bustles. A lot.
There are thousands upon thousands of students all over the place in Salamanca, and combined with the visitors who come to get some Spanish history in the fashion of tourism, this place really seems to swell.
We’re the few, the proud, and the boring: We didn’t come here to party, or go to museums, or take tours. We didn’t come here to do anything, really. A lot of you will probably find that blasphemous; but oftentimes, relaxing and having a stroll is more important to us than hitting every tourist site/sight and exhausting ourselves over a whirlwind couple of days.
Gotta stop and smell the roses.
We strolled. We just walked around, sat in parks, took in the views, ate good food, and kept it mellow. And with that mellowness comes less information and more visuals, so enjoy some of our photos from our walks around town.
While we obviously did not take advantage of all that Salamanca has to offer – and boy, does it have a lot – we think it was a great place to stop and relax for a bit. And we also think that this city is worth a deeper, more tourism-oriented visit.
There’s just a lot to see, learn, and do, and if you find yourself traveling around Spain, it’s most certainly a place you should go.
And, even though we’re happy with deciding to stroll and do nothing more, we should probably go back some day to give it a more comprehensive visit. Either way, Salamanca is a looker and we can recommend it highly. ¡Olé!
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Have you ever been to Salamanca? If so, what’d you think? If not, what say ye? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
I did study abroad in Salamanca in 2000. Great city! I love that the cathedral has so many elements of old and new. There’s actually an ice cream cone & an astronaut among all the carvings. I love the giant plaza – I believe it’s the biggest in Spain. I’d really like to visit again someday. I thought we might have gone last winter when we were in Spain but since we cut our time short, it didn’t work out.
Hey Ali! The architecture there is just crazy good. We really liked how the newer buildings were built to blend in seamlessly with the old ones as well. Thanks for stopping by!
They certainly did blend in, unless none of your pictures included any of the new buildings. It looks like a place I’d like to visit. I just hope most of the stairs are not like the one staircase you showed! Were many of the buildings part of the university? You have such a great eye for photos. Nice catch on the bird’s nest!!
There’s one picture in there with some really new, funky windows. Other than that, I didn’t really get any photos that showed the blend of old and new. It was extremely well done, though. The stairs in the picture are from an historic site. Most of the city is without stairs, although it does get kind of hilly once you leave the center, which is on top of the hill/bluff. Thanks, Ma!
Sweet pics. We’re going to be making a swing through Salamanca next spring during Semana Santa. Would you have any restaurant recommendations?
Cool! I don’t really have any specific recommendations. The place in the photos was good, but not awesome. We actually did a lot of eating in while we were there, just for relaxation’s sake. Sorry!
Oh wow those buildings look spectacular!
They are indeed…thanks for stopping by!