Salamanca Travel Information

Salamanca is located 2,5 hours from Madrid in the western part of Spain close to Portugal and has a population of 180,000 people . The city was named Europe's Cultural Capital in 2002 and also was declared as World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1988. Salamanca enjoys a cultural and student atmosphere; it’s prestigious University is said to be the third oldest in Europe.

Money

Spain is part of the Euro region and you can find a very good conversion tool for your currency into Euros here. You'll find a bank machine almost on every corner of the street which makes it very easy to withdraw cash whenever you need to. Credit cards are widely accepted but mostly restricted to Visa and MasterCard.

Getting around

Salamanca is a nice small city where everything is reachable on foot, so you will not need to use public transportation. However there are several bus lines available. A ticket will cost approx 1 euros (or 55 cents with pre-paid card).

You can find more information about it here: http://www.gruporuiz.com/plantillas/salamanca/

Climate

Salamanca has cold winters and hot summers. It's softened by the altitude and dry throughout the year. There’s a larger difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures than you would find on the coast.

Airport

The easiest way to reach Salamanca is to fly into Madrid Barajas airport. From there you can take either a bus from Mendez Alvaro bus station (there are some limited services directly from Madrid airport to Salamanca city as well), you can check them here: www.avanzabus.net or by train from Chamartin train station: www.renfe.com

Salamanca has it’s own airport Matacán but receives very limited flights from Paris and Barcelona only. From Salamanca Matacán airport you can take a taxi or a bus.

Electricity

Spain has a 220V network and you may need an adaptor if you come from the UK or a non European country.

Daily expenses

Salamanca is not an expensive city compared to other destinations in Western Europe. The following overview provides a guideline for typical expenses excluding your accommodation cost:

Breakfast: croissant + coffee: € 2.50
Lunch: sandwich (bocadillo) + drink: € 3.50 or
Lunch: menú del día: € 10.00
Dinner: grocery shopping: € 5 or
Dinner: "cheap & cheerful" restaurant: € 15
Transportation cost: € 1.00 each trip (with pre-paid card: 55 cents)
Glass of wine / beer: € 2.00

Once you include other costs such as telephone card, entrance tickets to museums / cinema etc. a minimum daily allowance of € 25 is the minimum to survive on [excluding accommodation].

Working and Visa

No visa is required for anyone holding a EU passport. If you are from the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland you can stay up to 90 days without a visa.

If you want to stay longer or you are a citizen from another country, check with your local Spanish consulate or embassy. You can find a list at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign affairs at www.mae.es.

Holders of an EU passport can work in Spain without a work permit. All that is required is to apply for a registration number (N.I.E.) and a social security number which is an administrative formality. Non EU passport holders cannot work without a work permit.

 

Babylon Idiomas Top 5 Places to Visit

1. Cathedral of Salamanca
2. Plaza Mayor
3. Casa de las Conchas
4. Casa Lis
5. Van Dyck (for tapas)

Want to know more...

If you want to know more about Salamanca as a destination, Babylon Idiomas recommends you buy the Lonely Planet Spain (Full Color Country Travel Guide) It has a section on Salamanca and the surrounding area so that you can be sure you don't miss a thing.