Spain Plaza Mayor, Salamanca

History
Plaza Mayor in Salamanca was built in the 18th century as a showpiece for royal power and civic life. King Philip V ordered it, work started in 1729 under architect Alberto de Churriguera, and it was finished around 1755 by Andrés García de Quiñones. The square wasn’t just for strolling and coffee; it was originally designed to host bullfights, which it did well into the 19th century. Salamanca’s historic centre, with the Plaza Mayor as its heart, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Architecture
This is Spanish Baroque at city scale. The square is almost oval, wrapped in arcades with 88 arches sitting on sturdy Doric columns. Every façade is lined with the same warm sandstone from nearby Villamayor, which gives Salamanca its nickname “La Dorada,” the golden city — because the stone literally glows at sunrise and at night under the lamps. The town hall side, finished by García de Quiñones, anchors the whole space, and the façades are decorated with sculpted medallions honouring famous figures. The uniform height, repeated balconies and arches, and carved ornament turn the plaza into one continuous architectural frame instead of four random streets meeting by accident.

Photography (and how to shoot it without crying later in Lightroom)
This square is basically a light laboratory. At dawn you get the plaza empty or nearly empty, soft light, long shadows under the arches — perfect for wide shots from ground level with almost no people. At golden hour (late afternoon into sunset), the Villamayor sandstone turns warm and honey-coloured, so you can lean into colour and texture. After dark, the arches and façades are lit evenly, which gives you those classic symmetrical night shots with reflections on the paving stones; bring a tripod or stabilise on a café table, because exposures get long. A wide lens (something in the 24–28 mm full-frame range) helps you take in a whole corner without having to stand in the exact middle of the square, while a short telephoto is useful for details like the medallions and balcony ornament. Locals and students fill the plaza in the evening, so blue hour is also prime for candid street scenes.

The usual entry point is Madrid-Barajas Airport. From Madrid you can take a Renfe train (including faster Avant services) or the Avanza intercity bus to Salamanca; typical travel time is around two hours, give or take the service.

Trains from Madrid arrive at Salamanca’s main station, which is modern, and from there it’s about a 20-minute, mostly flat walk with rolling luggage to Plaza Mayor. You can also just grab a short taxi if you’re carrying gear. Once you’re in the historic centre, you’re on foot: Plaza Mayor sits in the pedestrian old town, and everything (cathedrals, university façades, side streets full of tapas bars) radiates out from this square.