The mayor of Salamanca, Carlos García Carbayo, accompanied by the Tourism Councillor, Ángel Fernández Silva, presented today the second edition of the summer tourist program ‘Salamanca, cultured and hidden’. From July 1st to August 31st, residents and visitors will be able to enjoy 19 proposals that combine the attractions of the university and heritage city with its more mysterious and hidden side.
The program invites to delve into the history and important heritage of Salamanca through guided, self-guided, or dramatized tours, «with the aim of offering very seductive plans to residents and visitors that go beyond the most popular circuits,» said the mayor. For this purpose, novelties such as the recently inaugurated Museum of Cerro de San Vicente and the Visitors’ Reception Center of Fonda Veracruz are incorporated, in addition to the rest of the tourist and heritage attractions: Ieronimus, Scala Coeli, Archaeological Park of Botánico, Cueva de Salamanca, Pozo de Nieve, Monumenta Salmanticae, and the Interpretation Center of the Walls.
Moreover, the program also focuses on the literary and knowledge city through the dramatized tour ‘Carmen Martín Gaite and neighbors’: a heritage walk based on the centenary of the writer and other historical figures of the city, including Miguel de Unamuno.
The hidden and mysterious Salamanca will be present thanks to legends such as the Cueva de Salamanca, the tunnels of Pozo de Nieve, or the hidden archaeological remains that have been added to the city’s tourist offer. This will allow visitors to discover areas of incredible artistic richness such as the Oeste neighborhood, San Cristóbal-Las Claras, or the surroundings of Cerro de San Vicente.
One of the novelties of this 2025 is the prominence of the Tormes River through a guided tour, which will strengthen Salamanca’s connection with its greenest heritage. As the mayor highlighted, this is «a highly recommended proposal in line with the City Council’s strategy to increasingly integrate the Tormes into the city and, at the same time, incorporate it into the tourist routes for the wealth it holds and the fabulous views it offers of the old town.»
Most of the organized activities are free, and invitations can be reserved on the website salamancaymas.es.
The section of Cultured Salamanca includes seven proposals:
The dramatized tour ‘Carmen Martín Gaite and neighbors’ will offer an attractive heritage walk from Plaza de los Bandos to Huerto de Calixto and Melibea, based on the writer and other illustrious characters. It can be done on Fridays (8:00 p.m.), Saturdays (12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.), and Sundays (12:00 p.m.).
Following the success of last year, the dramatized tours of the Baroque Altarpiece Constellation return: the churches of Vera Cruz, La Purísima, Espíritu Santo (La Clerecía), Santa Clara (Museum of Medieval Painting), Sancti Spíritus, and the chapels of Cristo de las Batallas (Cathedral of Salamanca) and San Jerónimo (University) will be the setting, on Saturdays and Sundays in four sessions: 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:00 p.m.
* Access to the dramatized visit to the altarpiece of La Clerecía will be free with any of the tickets to Scala Coeli and Vita Ignatii.
The Tormes riverbank, on the other hand, will be the setting for the guided tour ‘Heritage and legends of the Tormes River’, which can be done on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:00 p.m.
At Ieronimus, visitors can enjoy the night tours ‘While the cathedral sleeps’ (€10), on Fridays and Saturdays, in six sessions, every half hour, from 8:30 p.m.; and on August 19th, it will once again host the Photographers’ Night (€5).
The night tours at Scala Coeli (€5) can be done on Fridays and Saturdays, from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
The Cultured Salamanca proposals are complemented by the celebration of a simultaneous chess game on July 5th at the Visitors’ Reception Center Fonda Veracruz.
Hidden Salamanca offers nine activities:
The guided tour ‘Legends of Hidden Salamanca’ will take place on Thursdays and Saturdays at 9:00 p.m.: a tour from the Cueva de Salamanca to the Museum of Medieval Painting of Santa Clara passing through the Convent of San Esteban that delves into the mysterious Salamanca and the attractions of the eastern area of the city.
The Museum of Cerro de San Vicente will host three proposals:
– Free and open access on Fridays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Guided tours with reservation at salamancaymas.es, on Fridays (7:00 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.), Saturdays (11:30 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.) and Sundays (11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.).
– In addition, from Vaguada de la Palma and Parque street, the videomapping projected on the facade of the Museum from 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. can be enjoyed every day of the week. Created by the artist Javier Riera, the projection enhances the building through a lighting design that enhances its presence and visibility. The images bridge the gap between antiquity and modernity, using light and technology. The projected designs are linked to the building’s content and archaeological value. One of them is based on the medieval pavement design that dominates the upper room space, while another is based on one of the most classic drawings found on ceramics. These adaptations are complemented by the artist’s own design, with the collaboration of Rosalina Fernández, a scientist of the highest level and professor at the University of Salamanca.
The Archaeological Park of Botánico includes a double proposal: on one hand, free access visits, from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays and holidays, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; and on the other hand, guided tours and virtual reality, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.
Pozo de Nieve: from July 18th to August 31st, it will be the setting for a dramatized visit, which can be enjoyed on Fridays at 7:00 p.m., Saturdays at 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Sundays at 12:00 p.m. Additionally, guided tours will be held on Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:00 p.m.
The Interpretation Center of the Salamancan Walls will host, starting from July 10th, the family dynamization ‘Become an archaeologist’: on Thursdays and Fridays, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The program is complemented by several proposals grouped under the heading More Salamanca:
The Oeste neighborhood will host, on Fridays in July, at 11:00 a.m., the activity «Walk through the Urban Gallery.» And in August, on Sundays at 12:00 p.m., you can enjoy the dramatized tours ‘Safari West,’ through the Urban Gallery.
The Archaeological Park of Botánico will reopen in the evening on Fridays to host an astronomical evening where you can review the sky to learn about the most prominent constellations and observe with computerized telescopes. There will be two sessions, at 10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Invitation Reservations
Most of the organized activities are free, and invitations can be reserved on the website salamancaymas.es. The activities that are not free are: the night tours at Scala Coeli and Ieronimus, where the Photographers’ Night will also be held; and access to the cathedral, Edificio de las Escuelas Mayores, and Universidad Pontifica to see the dramatized tours of the Baroque Altarpiece Constellation.