# Sunday in Salamanca: the University, the cathedrals and tapas

The University and its frog in the morning, the Plaza Mayor, tapas and grilled food at Bambú, the two cathedrals in the afternoon and the Roman Bridge before you head home.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/salamanca/itineraries/university-cathedrals-and-tapas · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 09:00 · Salida: 45 min by car (via the A-50 from Madrid, 214 km)
- 11:00 · Historic University Building and the frog (Historic Building and the frog · 1 h · €10)
  - 8 min on foot
- 12:15 · Plaza Mayor of Salamanca (Plaza Mayor and Rúa Mayor · 45 min)
  - 3 min on foot
- 13:30 · Bambú Tapas y Brasas (Bambú · tapas and charcoal grill · €€ · booking required) · Bambú Tapas y Brasas, €€
  - 10 min on foot
- 15:30 · Old Cathedral and New Cathedral (Old and New Cathedrals · 1 h 30 · €10)
  - 7 min on foot
- 17:00 · Roman Bridge and the Garden of Calixto and Melibea (Roman Bridge and Huerto de Calixto · 45 min)
- 18:00 · Vuelta (You reach Madrid around 20:15)

Salamanca on a Sunday has an order worth respecting: the University only opens in the morning and the cathedrals stay open in the afternoon. So the frog first, then the square and the tapas, and after lunch the two cathedrals and the river. All on foot, in a flat old town a couple of kilometres across. It is fifty minutes from Zamora, a little over an hour from Ávila and Valladolid, and about two hours from Madrid by car or an hour and a half by train.

## The day, hour by hour

9:00 · Set off. From Madrid, 214 km on the A-50, about two hours. Leave the car in a public car park on the edge of the old town and do not move it again.

11:00 · The University. The Historic Building, on Calle Libreros, opens on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00 (last entry 13:15). General admission €10, reduced €5. Before going in, look for the frog on the Plateresque façade of 1529: it sits on a skull, on the right-hand column. Inside, an hour is enough for the lecture halls and cloisters.

12:15 · Plaza Mayor. Walk down the Rúa Mayor, past the Casa de las Conchas (it is closed on Sundays, but the façade is what you come to see) and the Clerecía, and reach the Plaza Mayor. At number 32 is the tourist office, open until 14:00.

13:30 · Lunch at Bambú. On Calle Prior, a minute from the square. It is a gastrobar with an open kitchen and grill, a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and on Sundays it opens at midday. You eat tapas at the bar or at a table, with half portions. Book: it fills up.

15:30 · The cathedrals. One €10 ticket takes you through the New Cathedral, the Old one, the cloister and the chapter rooms, with an audio guide. It is open until 18:00 and the last entry is at 17:15. On the Ramos doorway, look for the astronaut.

17:00 · The Roman Bridge. Walk down Calle de Tentenecio to the Tormes, cross the bridge and turn round: the New Cathedral over the rooftops is the best view of Salamanca. Return via the Huerto de Calixto y Melibea, the garden set against the city wall.

18:00 · Head home. You reach Madrid around a quarter past eight; Zamora, at seven.

## What to order

At Bambú, the truffled duck egg (€5.50) and the Iberian ham croquette (€3.60) are the classics. To share, Pedrosillano chickpeas or braised Iberian pork cheek, and if you are meat eaters, the aged chuletón grilled over embers, charged at €7.50 per 100 g. For dessert, cheesecake.

## With children and with a dog

The whole route is flat and fine for a pushchair, except the inside of the University and some parts of the cathedral with steps. The cathedral has a free children's audio guide and under-7s do not pay. If the children get bored at the University, swap it for the Casa Lis, with dolls and automata, open on Sundays from 11:00 to 15:00 and free for under-14s. With a dog, the streets and the bridge are fine; Bambú admits dogs according to the Michelin Guide.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
From Madrid, A-50, 214 km and about two hours. From Zamora, A-66, about 65 km. From Ávila, A-50, about 100 km. From Valladolid, A-62, about 120 km. Park in an underground or park-and-ride car park: the centre is an ORA (regulated parking) zone.

### Without a car
Alvia train from Madrid-Chamartín, around 1 h 36 min to Salamanca station, twenty minutes' walk from the Plaza Mayor. There is also a bus from Madrid's Estación Sur and from Barajas airport.

## Consejos

### The University first
On Sundays it closes at 14:00. If you arrive late, see it from outside and go in another day.

### Book Bambú
It is open Wednesday to Sunday and fills up; on Sundays, midday only.

### Stay until dusk
If you are in no hurry, wait for the lights of the Plaza Mayor to come on.

## Un consejo más

### If it rains
Swap the bridge for the Ieronimus towers, which are open until 20:00, or for the Casa Lis.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### What is open in Salamanca on a Sunday?
The University and the tourist office in the morning, the cathedrals until 18:00, Ieronimus until 20:00 and the Casa Lis until 15:00. The Casa de las Conchas is closed.

### How much does the day cost?
About €20 in tickets (University and cathedrals) and €25–45 per person for food.

### Can you do it by train from Madrid?
Yes: the Alvia takes about an hour and a half and the station is a twenty-minute walk from the centre.

### Where can I park?
In a public underground car park or in the council's park-and-ride car parks: the centre is pedestrianised and an ORA zone.

### Where is the frog?
On the façade of the University, on a skull on the right-hand column.