Plaza Mayor de Salamanca

Salamanca's Plaza Mayor was begun in 1729 on the orders of the corregidor Rodrigo Caballero Llanes. Alberto de Churriguera started the work, his nephew Manuel de Lara Churriguera continued it, and Andrés García de Quiñones completed it in 1755. The square is an irregular quadrilateral with arcades and three storeys on each façade, with the town hall at the centre of the composition. Medallions with portraits sit between the arches: the Royal Pavilion shows Ferdinand III, and elsewhere there are military leaders and other prominent figures from Spanish history.

Many regard it as one of the finest town squares in Spain, and it remains the heart of the university city. You can have a coffee under the arcades and walk from here to the two cathedrals and the old university. The old town is compact, and the square itself needs just under an hour.