Castile–Leon and Castile–La Mancha
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Castile–Leon and Castile–La Mancha - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Convento de Las Dueñas
Founded in 1419, this convent hides a 16th-century cloister that is the most fantastically decorated in Salamanca, if not all of Spain. The capitals of its two superimposed Salmantine arcades are crowded with a baffling profusion of grotesques that can absorb you for hours. Don't forget to look down: the interlocking diamond pattern on the ground floor of the cloister is decorated with the knobby vertebrae of goats and sheep. It's an eerie yet perfect accompaniment to all the grinning disfigured heads sprouting from the capitals looming above you. The museum has a fascinating exhibit on Spain's little-known slavery industry. Seek out the traditional sweets made by the nuns.
View Tours and ActivitiesPl. del Concilio de Trento s/n, Salamanca, Castille and León, 37001, Spain92-321–5442Sight Details
Rate Includes: €2 -
2. Convento de San Estéban
The convent's monks, among the most enlightened teachers at the university in medieval times, introduced Christopher Columbus to Isabel (hence his statue in the nearby Plaza de Colón, back toward Calle de San Pablo). The complex was designed by one of the monks who lived here, Juan de Álava. The west facade, a thrilling plateresque masterwork in which sculpted figures and ornamentation are piled up to a height of more than 98 feet, is a gathering spot for tired tourists and picnicking locals, but the crown jewel of the structure is a glowing golden sandstone cloister with Gothic arcading punctuated by tall spindly columns adorned with classical motifs. The church, unified and uncluttered but also dark and severe, allows the one note of color provided by the ornate and gilded high altar of 1692. An awe-inspiring baroque masterpiece by José Churriguera, it deserves five minutes of just sitting and staring.
Pl. del Concilio de Trento 1, Salamanca, Castille and León, 37001, Spain92-321–5000Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4, Museum closed Mon. -
3. La Catedral Vieja and La Catedral Nueva
Nearest the river stands the Catedral Vieja (Old Cathedral), built in the late 12th century and one of the most riveting examples of the Spanish Romanesque. Because the dome of the crossing tower has strange plumelike ribbing, it's known as the Torre del Gallo (Rooster's Tower). The much larger Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral) went up between 1513 and 1526 under the late-Gothic architect Juan Gil de Hontañón. Controversially, a 1992 restoration added an astronaut carving to the facade as a wink to the modern era—see if you can spot it. Both cathedrals are part of the same complex, though they have different visiting hours and you need to enter the New to get to the Old.
Pl. de Anaya and Calle Cardenal Pla y Deniel, Salamanca, Castille and León, 37008, Spain92-321–7476Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10 (includes Catedral Nueva and Catedral Vieja) -
4. Plaza Mayor
In the 1730s Alberto and Nicolás Churriguera built Salamanca's Plaza Mayor, one of the largest and most beautiful squares in Spain. The lavishly elegant, pinkish ayuntamiento (town hall) dominates its northern side. The square and its arcades are popular gathering spots for Salmantinos of all ages, and its terrazas are the perfect spot for a coffee break. At night, the plaza swarms with students meeting "under the clock" on the plaza's north side. Tunas (roving musicians in traditional garb) often meander among the cafés and crowds, playing for smiles, applause, and tips.
Plaza Mayor s/n, Salamanca, Castille and León, 37008, Spain -
5. Casa de Las Conchas
This house, whose facade is covered in scallop shell carvings, was built around 1500 for Dr. Rodrigo Maldonado de Talavera, a chancellor of the Order of St. James, whose symbol is the shell. Among the playful plateresque details are the lions over the main entrance, engaged in a fearful tug-of-war with the Talavera crest. The interior has been converted into a public library. Duck into the charming courtyard, which has an intricately carved upper balustrade that imitates basketwork.
Calle de la Compañía 2, Salamanca, Castille and León, 37002, Spain92-326–9317Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Museo de Art Nouveau y Art Déco – Casa Lis
Sure, the best thing about this museum is probably the stunning Moderniste building it's housed in, but the collections—comprising 19th-century paintings and glass, French and German china dolls, Viennese bronze statues, and more—are a welcome reprieve from all the churrigueresque convents and churches.
Calle de Gibraltar 14, Salamanca, Castille and León, 37008, Spain92-312–1425Sight Details
Rate Includes: €5, free Thurs. 11–2 -
7. Palacio de Monterrey
Built in the mid-16th century by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón and one of the most stunning Renaissance palaces in Spain, this lavish abode was meant for an illegitimate son of Alonso de Fonseca I. The building, which opened to the public in 2018, is flanked by towers and has an open arcaded gallery running the length of the upper level. Such galleries—often seen on the ground floor of palaces in Italy—were intended to provide privacy for the women of the house and to cool the floor below during the summer. Walking the halls on either the day- or nighttime tour, feast your eyes on seldom-before-seen Titians, Coellos, and other masterpieces presided over by the Alba family.
Pl. de Monterrey 2, Salamanca, Castille and León, 37002, Spain92-321–3020Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €7, free Tues. 10:30 am–11 am with prior booking, Closed Mon. -
8. Puente Romano
Next to this bridge is an Iberian stone bull, and opposite the bull is a statue commemorating the young hero of the 16th-century picaresque novel The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities, a masterpiece of Spanish literature. There's also a 300-meter track and a network of paths on the south side of the bridge ideal for jogging.
Salamanca, Castille and León, 37008, Spain -
9. Universidad de Salamanca
The university's walls, like those of the cathedral and other structures in Salamanca, often bear large ocher lettering recording the names of famous university graduates. The earliest names are said to have been written in the blood of the bulls killed to celebrate the successful completion of a doctorate (call it medieval graffiti!). The elaborate facade of the Escuelas Mayores (Upper Schools) dates to the early 16th century; see if you can spy the eroded "lucky" frog that's become the symbol of the city—legend has it that students who spot it on their first try will pass all their exams. The interior of the Escuelas Mayores, drastically restored in parts, is disappointing after the splendor of the facade and not worth entering unless you're a diehard Spanish literature buff. But if you are, the lecture hall of Fray Luis de León, where Cervantes, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, and numerous other luminaries of Spain's golden age once sat, is of interest, as is the grand library. Don't miss the serene courtyard (free entry) of the Escuelas Menores (Lower Schools) that wraps around the patio in front of the Escuelas Mayores.
Calle Libreros, Salamanca, Castille and León, 37008, Spain92-329–4400Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free to view facade; €10 to enter, free Mon. morning
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