What to do in Salamanca

Salamanca combines two radically different landscapes within less than 100 kilometres. To the south, the Sierra de Béjar and Sierra de Candelario exceed 2,400 metres: Calvitero, at 2,425 metres, is the province's highest point and is reached from the village of Candelario on a 10-kilometre route with 1,100 metres of elevation gain. The village, wedged into the hillside, preserves its medieval canal system through which the slaughterhouse blood once ran — now an architectural detail that catches visitors off guard. To the west, the Arribes del Duero natural park frames a river that runs 800 metres below between granite walls. From the viewpoints, griffon vultures and black storks ride the thermals. Kayak opens up stretches of the Duero inaccessible on foot; several local operators run one-to-two-day descents from Aldeadávila to the Portuguese border. In the province's dehesa (open woodland pasture), equestrian tourism connects estates where holm oak and cork oak create natural corridors for half-day horse rides. The Vía Verde de la Plata covers 60 kilometres of a former railway between Salamanca and the Extremaduran border with minimal gradients, suitable for cyclists of all levels. The granite rock of La Peña de Francia to the south offers climbing routes up to 30 metres with views over the Gabriel y Galán reservoir.