Cassandra is a French & Hispanic Studies student and studied abroad at the Universidad de Salamanca, Spain & Université de Paris Sorbonne III, France. You may recall Cassandra’s last post about the incredible food scene in Paris and this is Cassandra’s list of musts for a visit to Salamanca in Spain!

Choosing Salamanca for my year abroad placement was the best decision ever. It is one of those places that you would not think about going to unless given the opportunity. I made the absolute most of my time there and I was able to explore the region in which it is located (Castilla y León) to the fullest. Given the situation due to the pandemic I was not allowed to visit the other comunidades autónomas as I had planned, so I decided to visit my own region inside-out.

In this blog I would like to give a little guide on the must-see spots in Salamanca’s wonderful historical patrimony and what to visit whilst in that area of Spain.

Salamanca

• Plaza Mayor: the center of the city and the most popular meeting point in Salamanca. It’s most beautiful during sunsets thanks to the material used to construct the buildings, which reflects sunlight and acquires a golden glow.
• Universidad de Salamanca: the third oldest University in the world is also Salamanca’s main purpose. This city is a big whole campus filled with students everywhere. It’s like living in a giant campus.
• Catedral Vieja de Salamanca: joined to the new cathedral of Salamanca, this is filled with art and historical collections.
• Huerto de Calixto y Melibea: inspired by the book by Fernando de Rojas, this garden is filled with blooming flowers all year round and has amazing views of Salamanca’s River.
• Ieronimus: the highest tower in the city allows you to actually see the whole city. Getting to the top is hard as the staircase is very old and narrow, but it is worth it!
• Convento de San Esteban: I was so lucky to attend the Easter Mass which was spectacular. This monastery took almost two hundred years to be built, and the details on the inside really do show it!
• Barrio del Oeste: If you are into modern street art and graffiti then this is the place to explore.
• Puente Romano: the busiest bridge in Salamanca, only pedestrians are allowed to cross it. It will take you to the other side of the river, where many students gather for picnics or to hang out. From here you will see the old cathedral of Salamanca which stands at the perfect height in order for it to fully be reflected onto the very calm river.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Castilla y León

• Peña de Francia: one of the windiest places I have ever been to. It’s quite hard to get to the top but also a great location to take photos.
• La Alberca: from here you can follow the “camino de las raíces”.
• Cascada de Orbaneja: it looks wonderful on photos but it is not quite as majestic as it appears.

• Cascada Pozo de los Humos: located in a very low area of Spain, allowing the creation of its own microclimate with rare animal species only found here
• Burgos: a very beautiful old town

• 

• 

• 

Cassandra is one of our Global Opportunities Ambassadors – if you would like to be put in touch with Cassandra to answer any of your questions, please contact Jess Tan in the Global Opportunities team: jessica.tan@qmul.ac.uk