Welcome to Salamanca
Salamanca is part of the Spanish region known as “Castilla y León” (Castile and Leon). Despite being a medium-size city (with around 170.000 inhabitants), Salamanca is famous in the world for its culture and for its student atmosphere. In fact, the University of Salamanca is said to be the third oldest university in Europe, founded in 1218. Located in the western part of Spain, right besides the border with Portugal, Salamanca is in the inner part of the country, 200 kilometers west of Madrid, which made it difficult to reach for tourists. Thanks to the recently renewed airport of Valladolid, which offers flights with Ryanair and Air France, now Salamanca is an accessible destination, only at a one-hour drive from Valladolid. Tourism is probably the most outstanding industry of the city, thanks to its historical heritage and to the charm of the city itself, since Salamanca can be considered one of the most beautiful Spanish cities. It is also in Salamanca, where the purest Spanish (or “Castellano”) is spoken, which makes the city a popular destination for students wanting to learn Spanish. Weather conditions in Salamanca are quite extreme, with cold winter, hot summers and few rain. In its gastronomy pork meat is the star, the cured hams produced in Guijuelo, a village in the Southern part of Salamanca, are among the most famous Spanish delicatessen. Salamanca has been declared World Heritage City by the Unesco, and in 2002, it was chosen as European City of Culture, together with Bruges in Belgium. Dance, music and art filled the streets of the city, and remain still today. You will surely enjoy your visit to Salamanca.
