Salamanca Nightlife

Cum Laude is another one of my favorite bars in Salamanca. It is much bigger than many of the other bars where you are crammed in with little ventilation and it has one of the most aesthetically pleasing dance floors in all of the town. The dance floor is a mini replica of the Plaza Mayor. You will have to dress a little better to get in here on the weekends!

Trastevere is situated right next door to La Chupiteria and after downing several shots, the crowd comes here to shake it out on the dance floor. The bar has a Greek theme with disco lights and streamers galore.

This is by far one of the most popular places to start the evening after walking from the Plaza Mayor with your friends. The Bar La Chupiteria is famous for its cheap shots, or chupitos, which go for a euro a piece. For the strange creature who does not take shots the bar also has a limited selection of beer, but expect strange looks if you go this route.

Camelot is a fun little place with medieval looking banners hanging inside. The coolest thing about this place is that it was originally an old church, but the owners purchased it from a nearby convent and turned it into a club that blares techno music until the sun comes up. This is a great place to go drinking and dancing, but is rather student dominated.

Gatsby is a really nice bar that is decorated with a mix of African masks and suspended puppets. It is such a nice bar to stop in and have a drink or dance to disco. The bar's specialty is leche de panera, which is gin, cognac, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Yummy!

The Irish Rover, or affectionately known as "The Rov," is a great bar in Salamanca. It is especially fond with the international students. Before 2 am the atmosphere is very pub like with people sitting at little tables drinking their beers, but around 2 am they clear out all the tables, close off the main doors, a dj mixes the music and the dancing gets started. This is my favorite bar in town.

During my second trip to Salamanca, there was a huge concert by the singers of Operacion Triunfo (Spain's version of American Idol) going on late in the month. They had a big tour that summer and happened to have a concert in Salamanca during the time I was there.

The show was in the local bullring. There was a huge line-up when I arrived at the bullring, but I ended up at a good spot in the ring close (but not too close) to the stage. They had a stage set up and everyone either stood in the stands (where the bullfight audience goes), or in the area where the matadors fight the bulls (that's where I stood).

The audience was mainly teenagers and young adults. There was concert merchandise available (t-shirts, bandanas, posters, etc. with pictures of the singers on them). Among the performers were David Bustamante, Manu Tenorio, Rosa, Chenoa, Nuria Fergo, Gisela, Manuel Carrasco, Beth, Ainhoa, Hugo, Tony Santos, Joan Tema, etc.

If Operacion Triunfo ever do a concert in Salamanca, I recommend going, especially if you like pop music. Tickets are usually sold at a Caja. Just look at the posters and ads to see where to buy them. You can reserve them by phone and pick them up later, or you can buy them on the last day of ticket sales if there are any left. At the concert I went to, the tickets were 18 Euros each, and sold at Caja Duero.

Also, during my first trip to Spain, there was a free concert in the Plaza Mayor. It wasn't Operacion Triunfo, but it was another popstar but I don't remember her name.

Dress Code: Anything goes. But most people wear trendy clothes.

At places like the Palacio de Congresos and the Colegio Fonseca, there may be events like Flamenco shows, concerts, and theatre going on, especially in the summer.

At the Palacio de Congresos, I went to see a small Flamenco company called Azabache perform Solo Flamenco. I very much enjoyed the show, and afterwards, everyone went to the outdoor bar at the Palacio for a drink.

Another time, I went to see the opera Carmen, performed by a Russian company. Aside from the fact that the singing was good, I was not very impressed (mainly because Carmen was much too old, at least 50! And the dancing wasn't very good).

One time, they had a Flamenco night at the Palacio de Congresos (at the outdoor bar), where Flamenco music played and a few of us practiced our Sevillanas. The people who didn't want to dance sat at the tables, drank sangria, and chatted. The atmosphere was nice, and it wasn't too crowded. But after a show in the Palacio (such as after the Azabache show), it can get very crowded.

At the Colegio Mayor Arzobispo Fonseca, I went to see Compania Aida Gomez - one of Spain's best and most well-known Flamenco dance companies. They performed 2 choreographies - Suenos and Salome. It was beautiful and I absolutely loved it.

There were other events going on at these venues, such as plays, but I didn't go see them.

Dress Code: Formal wear is not required, but you should dress nice. I usually wore a little black dress, or a short black skirt and black tank top, with dressy sandals and a red fringed shawl.