A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, Salamanca is strikingly beautiful, stately and effortlessly elegant. Its skyline is captivating, its university spirit promises stories before you have even set foot in the city, and it knows exactly how to intrigue future visitors simply by revealing that an astronaut is carved into the stonework of its New Cathedral. Yes, its New Cathedral, because Salamanca has an Old Cathedral too. Setting off in search of it is just one of the experiences waiting for you in the city. Discover the rest below.

Its reputation precedes it: this is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. Built between 1729 and 1755, its irregular square shape and three storeys encompass 88 arches, numerous carved medallions depicting influential figures from Spanish history and hundreds of balconies overlooking the square. By day or by night, everything about it is mesmerising, although your gaze will inevitably be drawn to the bell gable of the Town Hall: slightly taller, crowned with bells and even more elegant than the rest. Make no mistake, this is the place in Salamanca where everything happens.

Although it began life as a centre of learning in 1218 and was officially recognised as a university in 1254, the building you will want to step inside — the Historic Building, known as the Escuelas Mayores — was not constructed until the 15th century. Its façade, an extraordinary display of beauty created from intricately carved stone decoration, was added in the 16th century. It became one of the finest examples of Spanish Plateresque architecture and the place where visitors search for the legendary frog perched on a skull. Inside, you can explore treasures such as the Fray Luis de León lecture hall, preserved almost exactly as it was in the 16th century, when the scholar taught there, and the Library, whose Baroque shelves house manuscripts and incunabula. It is the kind of place where any book lover would gladly stay forever.

One Old and one New. The Old Cathedral began to be built in the first half of the 12th century, while the New Cathedral was started at the beginning of the 16th century, when the city’s population had grown so much that the first one was no longer large enough. One is Romanesque; the other combines Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. They are also connected to one another. Above them all, 110 metres above the ground, rise their medieval towers. Remember this name: Ieronimus. It is the Latin name of Jerónimo de Périgueux, the Bishop of Salamanca who was entrusted with the construction of the Old Cathedral, and since 2002 it has also been the name of the documentary exhibition that allows visitors to explore the interior of both cathedrals, discover their history and enjoy the privileged experience of rising into the sky of Salamanca by stepping out onto the terrace of the Torre Mocha, the Anaya tower or crossing the walkway to the Torre del Gallo.

Or, to be more precise, cross the Roman Bridge, also known as the Puente Mayor del Tormes. It has stood at the foot of Salamanca since the 1st century AD, when the Romans built it to cross the River Tormes. However, only the 15 arches closest to the city survive from the original structure. The remaining eleven had to be rebuilt after being damaged by flooding. With so much history behind it, it is hardly surprising that the bridge has become one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks. So much so that it even appears on Salamanca’s coat of arms, alongside the Celtiberian boar statue you can see at the entrance to the bridge. This granite sculpture bears witness to the presence of the Vettones in the area before the arrival of the Romans and has also earned a place in Spanish literature through its appearance in Lazarillo de Tormes.

If romance were ever to take the shape of a garden, this would be it. Passing through the arched gateway into the grounds means leaving the bustle of everyday life behind and stepping into a peaceful pause. It also means leaving the 21st century for a while and feeling transported back to the Middle Ages, the era that witnessed the love story of the protagonists of La Celestina. A sculpture at the entrance dedicated to this famous go-between serves as a reminder of the woman behind one of the best-known stories in Spanish literature. There is no shortage of winding paths to wander along, benches with views where you can sit and rest, or, of course, the well where, as Fernando de Rojas tells it, Calixto and Melibea used to meet.

It is said that it was in the Sala Profundis that the Genoese explorer first explained to the Dominican friars his idea of reaching the Indies by a new route. It is also said that Saint Teresa had her confessional in this convent during her time in Salamanca. Many illustrious figures have passed through the Convent of San Esteban over the centuries, just as many visitors come here each year, drawn by the beauty of its Gothic architecture and its Plateresque and Baroque decoration. Construction began in the early 16th century and continued into the 17th, leaving behind memorable features such as its magnificent façade, its two-storey cloister filled with vaults, arches, medallions and capitals, and the Escalera de Soto, which is attached to the wall on only one side and appears to float unsupported in the air.

That is exactly what the Barrio del Oeste has become, thanks to the urban art of young artists from around the world, which has gradually taken over shop shutters, walls and street furniture. This is what it looks like when creativity takes to the streets. Located around a 15-minute walk from the Plaza Mayor, you will know you have entered the neighbourhood when you come across a geometric mural filling a street corner with colour, an explorer standing above snowy mountains beside the pavement or a saxophone-playing monkey painted on a garage door.

That is exactly what the Scala Coeli visit — the Stairway to Heaven — at La Clerecía offers. From its towers, the streets of Salamanca and the rooftops of its buildings spread out before you. You will also be able to admire the imposing outline of the city’s cathedrals. The experience includes a tour of the interior of this Baroque building, which is now home to the Pontifical University of Salamanca. And when you have finished, keep your eyes open: the famous Casa de las Conchas stands right next to La Clerecía.

Salamanca’s wealth of heritage will become clear the moment you set foot in its streets. To find out more, visit Monumenta Salmanticae, the city’s Interpretation Centre for Urban and Architectural Heritage. Contemporary art has its home at DA2 Domus Artium 2002. Casa Lis is worth visiting simply to admire the building and its spectacular stained-glass windows. The fact that it also houses the Art Nouveau and Art Deco Museum makes it even more appealing. Next to the University of Salamanca, the Unamuno House Museum preserves furniture, writings and personal mementoes belonging to the writer and philosopher.

From a distance, hornazo might look like an empanada. One bite, however, will tell you that it is something quite different. This local delicacy is made with rich bread dough filled with ingredients such as chorizo, ham, pork loin or marinated meat. It is traditionally eaten on Lunes de Aguas, the Monday after Easter Monday, although you can enjoy it at any time of year. The same goes for the crispy pork snout at Casa Ino and the tapas along Calle Van Dyck. Make sure you also stop at Novelty, Salamanca’s oldest café, famous for attracting writers such as Miguel de Unamuno, Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, Carmen Martín Gaite and Vargas Llosa to its tables. From there, it is only a small step into Salamanca’s lively nightlife.