Salamanca

As usual check the web sites www.booking.com and www.venere.com and personally recommended ones are below.

Hotel Torre Del Clavero, C/Consuelo 21, is a boutique hotel just five minutes from the Plaza Mayor. The rooms are small but well appointed, the only downside is that Salamanca is a city full of students and when they have been out for a night the route home for most of them seems to be past the hotel, taking earplugs is advised and you will be fine

There are loads of tapas bars in the old part the best that we found are listed below.

Meson La Dehesa, C/Prior 11, specialises in cold meats and cheeses, it is nothing to look at and I hear that it now has pictures of food, something I normally avoid, however this was a locals place with good reasonably priced food.

Bambu, C/Pior 4, go down the stairs into a modern bar, packed out with people taking advantage of the incredible range of a tapas and a small beer or wine for 2.50 Euro, hot, cold, grilled, you name it they have it.

Las Tapas de Gonzalo, Plaza Mayor 23, a smart modern place, one of many options round the square, the tapas looked good but on the pricey side. The reviews seem to make this a “marmite” place you either love it or hate it.

Café Novelty, Plaza Mayor 2, is an old fashioned bar and café, reasonably priced if you want to drink in the square which you must do at least once.

Montero, Plaza de Corrillio 12, this looks old fashioned but inside it is very modern with really unusual tapas to order, highly recommended as the food was excellent. They also do raciones and full meals and have a great wine selection.

Doze, Plaza Isla de la Rua, very smart modern bar with great terrace, unusual food, cocktails and very popular late at night. Perhaps stick to the late night drinks as the food and service recently seem to get very mixed reviews.

Momo, C/San Pablo 13-15, this is a very smart modern bar and restaurant, doing good pinxtos, the staff are very attentive

Delicatessen, C/Melendez, this is a modern smart bar and restaurant that later becomes a late night trendy haunt but go earlier and try the tapas or other dishes. They also do a daily set menu which is good value.

Meson La Conchas, Rua Mayor, looks very much just for tourists but not the case, there is a huge selection of small tapas to have with your small beer or wine for the going rate in the city.

Vinodiario, Plaza de los Basilios 1, just on the other side of the Gran Via, away from the crowds, this is a locals wine bar doing excellent food it is not the place for a quick snack, more a leisurely relaxing place.

Around Calle Van Dyck

For a change take Bus 3 to Calle Van Dyck in the new part of the city. This is a street full of great tapas places and full of locals, most visitors do not seem to make it to this part of the city.

Barbacoa La Encina, C/Van Dyck 9, this looks nothing but is always packed. Elbow your way in, grab the menu and order one of the dishes with patatas pandera, this is Salamanca fast food at its best. There is a restaurant in the back and the speciality is grilled meats.

Degustacion at No 8 and Bar Acedos, at No19, show the variety in this street, the former is a modern place with wines and tapas to suit, the latter a no frills old fashioned place, try both.

Bar El Churascco, is at the far end No. 54, they do amazing ribs and other grilled meats, again looks nothing but give it a bash, this is just so typical of this area and definitely another must.

Drink

Salamanca is not a wine making area but there are several excellent areas close by so look out for wines from Toro, Zamora and Rueda also Arribes which is on the nearby Portuguese border.

Having a huge student population there are loads of late night bars but it is more difficult to find a bar for the more mature visitors however Café El Alcaravan, C/Compania 12, is an exception, very popular with locals, good staff, and enormous drinks, it stays open very late.

There is just so much to see as befits a city that is a world heritage site, the Plaza Mayor (the finest in Spain), the Cathedral (look for the Spaceman on the facade), the University main building (look for the Frog), the Casa de la Conchas, the Roman Bridge and all the other fabulous buildings.