13. Salamanca, Spain

Why Salamanca, Spain

Salamanca is a college town (oldest university in Spain) that is rich in history and has many old buildings and churches that are still standing. And of course the food and culture is completely worth it.

Where

Salamanca is located just north west of Madrid pretty close to the northern Portugal border. It is in the county of Castilla y Leon, just south of Valladolid.

How To Get Here

By Train

Renfe, the national rail of Spain has service between Madrid and Salamanca. The ride takes just over 2.5 hours and is pretty inexpensive.

By Plane

The closest airport is Madrid, Spain (MAD), the home of Iberia Airlines (IB). As Madrid is a major international airport in Europe, there are flights from almost every major area of the world. Once in Madrid, you can rent a car, take a bus or even the train to Salamanca.

The following airlines has service to Madrid:

Aer Lingus (EI), Aegean Airlines (A3), Aerolineas Argentinas (AR), Aeroflot (SU), Aeromexico (AM), Air China (CA), Air Algerie (AH), Air Arabia Maroc (3O), Air Canada (AC), Air Europa (UX), Air India (AI), Air Moldova (9U), Air Transat (TS), American Airlines (AA), Avianca (AV), Blue Air (0B), British Airways (BA), brussels airlines (SN), Bulgaria Air (FB), CEIBA Intercontinental (C2), Conviasa (V0), Cubana Airlines (CU), Czech Airlines (OK), Delta Air Lines (DL), EygptAir (MS), EasyJet Airlines (U2), El Al Airlines (LY), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Etihad Airways (EY), Eurowings (EW), Evelop Airlines S.L. (E9), Finnair (AY), flybe. (BE), Iberia Airlines (IB), Icelandair (FI), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), LAN (LA), Links Air (W2), LOT Polish (LO), Korean Airlines (KE), Lufthansa (LH), Meridiana Airlines (IG), Monarch Airlines (ZB), NIKI (HG), Norwegian Air Shuttle (D8), Norwegian Air (DY), Pegasus Airlines (PC), Qatar Airways (QR), Royal Jordanian (RJ), Royal Air Morac (AT), Ryanair (FR), S7 Airlines (S7), Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV), Swiss Airlines (LX), TAM (JJ), TAP Portugal (TP), Tarom (RO), Tunisair (TU), Turkish Airlines (TK), Ukraine International (PS), United Airlines (UA), Volotea (V7), Vueling (VY) and Wizz Air (W6).

By Bus

There is bus service from Madrid. The service is called Groupo Avanza.

By Car

If you are already in Europe you can take the drive. Just use a service like Google Maps for directions. It’s about three hours drive.

 

 

Where To Stay

There are a number of chain hotels as well as local brands. I stayed at the NH Palacio Castellanos which is located in the middle of all the attractions of the city. It is a walking city and you can’t help but stop everywhere as you walk.

==>> You can find a list of hotels from TripAdvisor here.

==>> Try Airbnb.

 

Where To Eat

It’s Spain, so red wine, tapas and beef are in order. On my trip to Salamanca, and this region of Spain, I had beef every night. Note that in this region they don’t really do well done, so don’t be afraid to ask them to do it to your taste. There are many bars and restaurant all over the place. Just walk around and follow your nose and listen.

The place to go to have dinner is the center of the city Plaza Mayor. We dined at Restaurante Don Mauro and the food was divine. Give yourself time to sit and have a good meal as the Spanish believes in dining late and relaxing at dinner. It’s a time to catch up with your family and just relax. Don’t rush the waiter.

One other night, we also ate at the Doze Restaurant at a table outside. This was great as we could watch people go by and I guess they could watch us too. Great ambience.

The University Cafeteria is a little place that is under a column; its very small and cozy, you don’t really want to leave when you go there.

==>> You can find a list of restaurants from TripAdvisor here.

What To Do

The Old City of Salamanca is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site, so its pretty amazing to see the old churches and other buildings.

Also ensure that you visit the University of Salamanca campus, especially the Old Library; it’s pretty amazing.

 

See El Cielo de Salamanca; this is a painting on a ceiling within the walls of the University. You are not allowed to take photos in the exhibit. it’s pretty moving though.

==>> Here is a list of things to do from Trip Advisor.

==>> Here is a list of Tour offered by Viator.

Additional Information

Spain Tourism Board

Salamanca Tourist Office

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