Things to do
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Casa de las Conchas
Hundreds of carved scallop shells stud the facade of this late Gothic mansion, a symbol of the pilgrim road to Santiago. Today it is a public library, so the two-storey courtyard can be entered freely during opening hours. From the upper gallery there is a fine view of the towers of La Clerecía directly across the street. Reading rooms stay silent, so groups are asked to keep their voices down.
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Casa Lis
Coloured glass fills the river side of this Art Nouveau house, which holds a museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco objects: porcelain dolls, glassware, bronze figures and jewellery. The stained glass roof over the main hall is the reason to go, best on a bright day. Approach from the riverbank first to see the iron and glass facade before entering from the old town side.
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Convento de las Dueñas
Hidden behind a plain wall near San Esteban, this convent of Dominican nuns has a two-level Renaissance cloister whose upper capitals are carved with grotesque faces and twisted figures. The cloister also frames a good view of the New Cathedral's dome and towers. The nuns sell their own almond sweets at the entrance. The convent stands just across the street from San Esteban, so the two pair easily in one morning.
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Convento de San Esteban
Dominican friars still live in this monastery, whose west front is carved like a giant stone altarpiece and glows deep orange in the late afternoon sun. Inside, the cloister of the kings, the church with its towering gilded altarpiece and the upper choir make an unhurried hour. Visit before sunset, when the facade is fully lit from the west.
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Huerto de Calixto y Melibea
Perched on a stretch of the old city walls behind the cathedrals, this small walled garden is tied to the lovers of the play La Celestina. Lovers leave padlocks on its well, and the benches look over the river and the Roman bridge. Entry is free, and half an hour is enough. Go in the early evening, when the light is soft and the garden quiet.
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La Clerecía
Twin baroque towers rise over this former Jesuit college, which still houses the Pontifical University. The Scala Coeli visit climbs inside the towers on stairs and walkways to open balconies looking straight at the cathedrals and the Casa de las Conchas below. Climbs run in timed slots, so arrive with time to spare; the stairs are narrow and unsuitable for anyone uneasy with heights.
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New Cathedral
Built beside its older neighbour, this Gothic and baroque cathedral is enormous inside, with tall gilded chapels and a choir worth slow attention. Look for the astronaut carved into the north door, a restoration addition that draws small crowds. The tower walk, sold separately, climbs through galleries to a balcony over the whole city.
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Old Cathedral
Entered through the newer cathedral, this Romanesque church is smaller, darker and older, with a ribbed dome known as the Torre del Gallo seen from outside. Its main treasure is the painted altarpiece of fifty-three panels behind the high altar, best viewed from close to the steps. A single ticket usually covers both cathedrals, so plan them as one visit.
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Plaza Mayor
Arcades frame a square of golden stone on all four sides, lined with cafe terraces and medallions of kings and writers above the arches. Come twice: once at midday for the carved detail, and again after dark, when floodlights turn the whole square amber and students gather on the paving. Terraces here charge for the setting, so a coffee on a side street costs less.
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Roman Bridge
Walk across the Tormes on foot: the bridge is pedestrian, and its older arches near the city end date from Roman times. The far bank gives the classic view of the two cathedrals stacked above the river, at its best at sunset and again once the floodlights come on. A stone bull at the city end appears in an episode of the novel Lazarillo de Tormes.
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University of Salamanca
Carved plateresque stone covers the main facade of the Escuelas Mayores, and the famous small frog sits on a skull somewhere in that ornament; finding it is the local test of patience. Inside, the old lecture halls keep their worn wooden benches, and the library is seen through a glass door. Allow over an hour, and bring binoculars or a zoom lens for the frog.
