Hotel Tips

One of the best ways to get a feel for local student life is to spend an evening “tapeoing” down Calle Van Dyck. These tapas bars on this street, just a short walk from the hotel, are well known and it’s a package to go from one bar to another bar having one tapa and one small drink (beer ‘caña’ or wine ‘copa’). It’s such a great, social, and inexpensive way to get your dinner with such an authentic feel in this lively university town.

The finest views of the city’s golden sandstone architecture are from up the towers of the La Clerecía church – an ‘Scala Coeli’ (Stairway to Heaven). A good tip is to go up there in the late afternoon. The panoramic view from the top over Plaza Mayor, the cathedrals, the university buildings, all in that warm, golden light of the setting sun, is absolutely unforgettable; it’s magic.

For a very beautiful and romantic walk, one should go to the Roman Bridge (Puente Romano) at the time of the setting of the sun. Cross this old bridge and then glance towards the city.  Your sight of two cathedrals lit up against the evening heavens registers as one of the most exquisite and iconic images of Salamanca. It’s a fantastic free thing to do that gives a chance to capture the perfect picture.

Even though the city is mostly known for its historical sites, one good piece of advice would be to go and see Casa Lis an impressive Art Nouveau and Art Deco museum. Set within a magnificent modernist edifice adorned with fantastic stained-glass ceilings, its assemblage of decorative arts from the early 1900’s, from dolls to glassmaking, presents a surprising and charming alternative to the older architectural treasures of the city. It is indeed one of those hidden gems which most of the tourists overlook.