from 145€
/person
July 22, 1812
Salamanca battlefield full-day tour
A whole day touring the most emblematic places of the most legendary battlefield!
Salamanca Battlefield Tour
Salamanca battlefield
Where the war turned the tide
Known as the decisive moment where the war truly turned the tide, the events of July 22, 1812, unfolded on the dusty plains south of Salamanca, specifically around the distinctive hills known as the Arapiles.
Here, the multinational army led by the then Earl of Wellington—a complex coalition of British, Spanish, Portuguese, and German troops—finally stood its ground against the formidable Armée du Portugal.
Commanding the French forces was Marshal Marmont, a Marshal of the Empire and personal friend of Napoleon I, who was determined to crush the Allied resistance once and for all.
The weeks leading up to this clash had been a tense game of cat and mouse.
The French had been maneuvering with exceptional skill for more than a month, effectively outflanking the Allies and forcing them back from the strategic banks of the Douro River.
The situation was critical; Wellington was dangerously close to being cut off from his supply lines and faced the grim prospect of a forced retreat back into Portugal if he failed to secure a decisive victory.
Marmont, fully aware of his advantageous position, grew confident—perhaps too confident.
He believed the British commander was strictly defensive and incapable of seizing the initiative.
As the summer heat bore down on the troops, the tension reached its breaking point.
With the fate of the peninsula hanging in the balance, the question on everyone’s mind was not just about survival, but about strategy: Would the “Iron Duke” spot the fatal flaw in the French deployment and finally find the resolve to launch a devastating offensive?
Heritage site
Salamanca is one of the few protected battlefields in Spain, so it remains practically the same as 200 years ago.
Official Tourist Guide
Specialist on the battlefield. Know every inch of land in the place after many visits.
Interpretation Centre
In which a great model about the battle, explanatory diagrams of the different phases and a video of the previous actions are exposed.
Optional visit to Salamanca city
For those who do not know the city we can extend the visit to enjoy it in the afternoon.
Rates
Cancellation policy
Payments will be made at least 72 hours in advance. If canceled within 72 hours, 70% of the amount will be refunded. In the last 72 hours no cancellations or modifications to the reservation are allowed.
Itinerary
Meeting point
Once you have made the reservation, we will tell you the meeting point
Battlefield tour
We will make the tour by car, because the battlefield is too big to walk. We will stop in several places to know the point of view of both the Allied and French sides
Interpretation Center
We will visit the Interpretation Center located in the village of Arapiles, with a model with more than 5000 miniatures
End of visit
We said goodbye (until our next tour!)
“This was an outstanding tour guided by Raul.
We were a party of 4 and engaged Raul privately.
We found him via a Google search. His website is absolutely accurate. Peninsular War Battlefields Tours - el primer Edecán (elprimeredecan.es)
His English is very good and all communications (phone and email) prior to our tour were easy, clear and helpful.
Raul’s knowledge, ranging from the background and historical context of the conflict to the intricacies of the battle, was immense.
His choice of viewing locations, together with his pleasant company, photographs and diagrams made for a most enjoyable and fascinating 4 hours.
There was little in the way of strenuous walking involved save for a hike (only for those who wished) to the top of the Greater Arapiles for an awesome view of the whole battlefield.
Unhesitatingly we recommend Raul as the go-to person for this tour.”
John Anderson
Written in Google
Reserve your place
Tell us when you would like to go and how many people you would come to the tour and we will organize it in a personalized way.
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7 Comments
Jill
Our visit to Los Arapiles was the highlight of our visit to Salamanca.
Raul was an excellent guide to the events of July 22nd 1812 as he combined detailed knowledge of the battle with an infectious enthusiasm. As we walked the Battlefield we could almost see and hear the armies as they marched into position.
The sun was setting as we stood at the Memorial stone and we felt we had honoured the memory of all who had fought.
Thank you, Raul,for a memorable tour.
Richard
We thoroughly enjoyed our recent Salamanca battlefield tour with you. Your enthusiasm was infectious. And your detailed knowledge was most impressive.
The scale and strategy of the battle came across very well. As did your portrayal of the personnel involved. Altogether engrossing and most informative.
Karen
What a fantastic way to learn about the Battle of Salamanca. Raul was a brilliant guide with a huge amount of knowledge about the Peninsula Wars. We visited a number of locations so that we could appreciate the perspective of both sides and Raul’s narrative brought the battle alive. Highly Recommended for anyone who loves history!
Duncan Rose
Superb guide. Well prepared, knowledgeable and happy to be guiding.
He was a consummate professional. Highly recommended.
Jon Riley
I really can’t recommend Raul’s tour highly enough.
My wife and I are both interested in military history. At school, I had done a project on the 43rd and 52nd Light foot Regiments, who along with the 95th Rifles made up the Light Division. They featured heavily in the Peninsula War. I had long known the name of Salamanca as a pivotal battle. Last year (2022) we visited the battlefield and the interpretation centre. I realised this wasn’t enough to understand the battle.
Raul’s knowledge and expertise brought the whole battle alive. It really is extraordinary to be able to stand where the various commanders stood, to see what they would have been able to see, to understand the difficulties in communication and the scale and distance involved in the battle. From the initial skirmishes to the conclusion to the final conclusion this was an enlightening afternoon.
Although I knew something of the era, it was truly a wonderful tour that broadened my knowledge and understanding.
Ellen
The quality of your experience will vary with the storytelling abilities of your guide. My grasp, and appreciation, of the Battle of Salamanca is now profound thanks to Raúl Bellido. Should you ever be interested enough to spend four hours climbing hills and rambling through an enormous valley due south of the Spanish university town, he’s your man.
Nigel
Many thanks for yesterday’s tour of the Battle field at Salamanca, both Ed and I found it fascinating and very educational. Your ability to describe the battle and explain the difficulties involved with such an engagement was very impressive.