Photo spot in Salamanca
The Plaza Mayor at blue hour
An enclosed baroque square, arcaded on all four sides, floodlit at night while the sky is still deep blue.
About The Plaza Mayor at blue hour
Get directionsBuilt between 1729 and 1756 by Alberto de Churriguera and his successors, the Plaza Mayor is a closed rectangle of golden Villamayor sandstone with eighty-eight arches at ground level, three storeys of balconies above, and medallions of kings, explorers and writers set between the arches. The town hall breaks the north side with a bell gable.
The reason to shoot here in the evening is that the square is properly floodlit. For about twenty minutes after sunset the lamps are on and the sky still has colour, and the sandstone goes from honey to copper. Later, once the sky is black, the contrast is much harder to hold.
The other window is early morning. By eight the square is nearly empty and the arcades run clean in both directions; from about eleven it is full of terrace tables, tour groups and people crossing.
It is a public square with no restrictions on ordinary photography, and the arcades give shelter when it rains. The Plaza is the natural start or end of a walking session: the cathedrals, the Casa de las Conchas and the university are all within five minutes on foot.
Best time to shoot
The twenty minutes after sunset when the floodlights are on and the sky still holds colour
Tips
Two windows work: about eight in the morning, when the square is empty, and blue hour. Between eleven and sunset it is full of terraces and groups.
Other spots in Salamanca
The cathedral façade and the Patio Chico
A cliff of carved late-Gothic stone on the west front, and a small quiet square behind where both cathedrals meet.
The Roman bridge over the Tormes
A low arched bridge across the river, with the whole sandstone skyline of the old city stacked behind it.
The university façade and the Casa de las Conchas
A plateresque wall carved like silverwork facing a townhouse covered in more than three hundred stone scallop shells.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know The Plaza Mayor at blue hour — free of charge.