Legends and Real Stories Self Guided Tour of Salamanca

4.3 (3 reviews) 2–3 hours Free cancellation

out of 5

3 reviews

4.3

Legends and Real Stories Self Guided Tour of Salamanca — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Legends and Real Stories Self Guided Tour of Salamanca, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

A stone frog sits on a skull on the façade of one of Europe's oldest universities, and thousands of tourists squint at it every day convinced it will help them pass their exams. The tradition is completely made up. This self-guided audio walking tour of Salamanca tells you what actually happened, and the real stories are stranger.

Walk 20 stops through Spain's Golden City with a narrator who separates legend from history at every turn. You'll hear where Columbus was told his maths was wrong, stand where a philosopher faced down a general during the Civil War, and learn how lectures in these halls gave birth to modern international law.

Start whenever you like, pause for coffee or a hornazo, and finish at your own pace. No fixed schedule, no group to keep up with. The app works offline with GPS maps, audio, and photos at every stop.

Over 20,000 travelers have used self-guided tours. The tour comes with a full refund guarantee.

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At a glance

Duration: 2–3 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 50 people
People per booking: 1–30
Audio guide: German, Russian, Portuguese, English, Italian, Polish, French, Dutch, Spanish
Operated by: Tourific

Ages: Adults (12–60 years)

What is included

Included

Included: 1-year access to audio on iOS & Android. Listen to the tour anytime, as many times as you like
Included: Audio and written guide included
Included: 100% Satisfaction Guarantee: If you don’t love the tour, write to us for a full refund
Included: Offline access to the tour (no internet connection needed) once tour is downloaded
Included: Images to identify stops and in app interactive map for navigation

Not included

Not included: Any physical devices or headphones
Not included: Human tour guide at location
Not included: Transport

Itinerary

Plaza Mayor

10 min

Stand beneath eighty-nine stone portraits and find the one that was chiselled off by angry students.
Stop 2

Passing by

Find out the significance of the carved skulls and learn how a philosopher died steps away from this very façade.
Stop 3

Passing by

See the unfinished palace that became so influential aristocrats across Spain copied its style.
Stop 4

5 min

Step inside a church built around a painting shipped across the Mediterranean from Naples.
Stop 5

5 min

Count three hundred carved shells and uncover the military ambition they were designed to advertise.
Stop 6

Passing by

Climb a tower called the Ladder to Heaven, built for Jesuits who were expelled from Spain in a single night.
Stop 7

5 min

Meet the poet who supposedly returned from five years in prison and resumed his lecture mid-sentence.
Stop 8

Passing by

Search for the stone frog everyone believes brings exam luck, then hear why the whole tradition is invented and see where a friar publicly told the Spanish Empire it had no right to conquer the Americas.
Stop 9

10 min

Walk the street where students once bought forbidden Enlightenment books smuggled from Flanders.
Stop 10

5 min

View the door doctoral students prayed they would never have to use.
Stop 11

5 min

Piece together what really happened when a philosopher confronted a general and an entire hall fell silent.
Palacio de Anaya

Passing by

See the building where Franco's regime made its first radio broadcast using a Nazi transmitter.
Torre del Clavero

Passing by

Look up at the tower that survived a royal demolition order because someone thought it's too beautiful
Iglesia de San Pablo

5 min

Encounter the monks whose mission was to cross the sea and buy back kidnapped Christians.
Convento de San Esteban

Passing by

Hear how Columbus arrived seeking funding and was turned down by men who were right.
Cueva de Salamanca

10 min

Descend into the cave where the Devil supposedly taught magic and kept one student as payment.
Huerto De Calixto & Melibea

10 min

Smell the plants described in a masterpiece of Spanish literature and decide if the lovers ever walked here.
Stop 18

5 min

Cross stones laid two thousand years ago and find the headless Iron Age boar a politician once threw into the river.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

This is a self-guided audio tour on the "Tourific self-guided tours" app. To activate the tour, check your email for instructions from Tourific or your booking platform sent right after booking. Can’t find it? Search for “Tourific” in your email inbox and spam folder. OR contact us via support.

End point

The tour ends at the Basilica of Saints Justus and Pastor

Using your ticket

Know before you go :

•⁠ ⁠You will need to download the "Tourific self guided tours" app from the Google play store or App store

•⁠ ⁠Right after booking, you’ll receive an email from Tourific or the tour booking platform with instructions to access the tour.

•⁠ ⁠Having trouble finding the email? Just search for “Tourific” in your inbox or spam folder.

•⁠ ⁠For any issues - contact [email protected]

•⁠ ⁠The tour is valid for 1 year and can be listened to any number of times. So feel free to download tour and experience a few stops before going on the tour.

•⁠ ⁠Fully charge your phone and carry your headphones for the best experience

•⁠ ⁠The tour follows a set route that we recommend that you follow. Once the tour is downloaded, the introduction will guide you to your starting point

•⁠ ⁠Change of plans? Enjoy the tour on a different day or from home

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
All stops will be visited from outside without entering into any locations
The total time taken for the tour includes walking between stops and time at each location to listen to the commenetary