Salamanca is a university city built almost entirely from the same golden sandstone, which is why its Plateresque facades photograph the way they do at sunset. It sits well outside Extremadura proper, so this is a long day trip rather than a casual one, built around the university quarter and the two cathedrals standing side by side. Given the drive, it makes sense as a dedicated day rather than combined with anything else in Extremadura.
| Distance | 200 km from Cáceres |
|---|---|
| Travel time | 2 hours from Plasencia by car (via A-66 Ruta de la Plata) |
| Getting there | Car via A-66 (fastest); Bus (Avanza from Cáceres, 3–4 hours, €15–22 / ~$16–$24) |
| Address | Plaza Mayor, 37002 Salamanca |
How to get there
- Mode
- Car
- Duration
- 2h from Plasencia
- Cost
- €15 fuel (~$16)
- Mode
- Bus (Avanza)
- Duration
- 3.5h from Cáceres
- Cost
- €15–22 (~$16–$24)
Location
Plaza Mayor, 37002 Salamanca
40.9701, -5.6635 View on map
Highlights
- Plaza Mayor — an 18th-century enclosed square by Alberto Churriguera, one of the largest of its kind in Spain and still the city's social center
- Universidad de Salamanca — Spain's oldest university, founded in 1218; the carved facade hides a small frog among its figures that visitors traditionally try to spot
- Catedral Vieja and Catedral Nueva — a Romanesque cathedral built onto by a much larger Gothic and Baroque one, joined so you pass from one into the other
- Casa de las Conchas — a late-Gothic mansion whose facade is studded with carved stone scallop shells
- Puente Romano — the Roman bridge across the Tormes, still carrying pedestrians and giving the classic view back toward the cathedrals