Getting Around Salamanca
Salamanca is a compact city, and its main attractions cluster closely together in and around the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For most visitors, that means the simplest and most rewarding way to get around is on foot. For the few journeys that stretch beyond a comfortable stroll, the city offers taxis and a network of local buses, and the main railway and bus stations are both within easy reach of the centre.
Walking the City
The city is not too big to see on foot, and the principal sights sit quite close to one another. Because the historic core is where most of the interest lies, you can plan a visit largely around walking, dipping into other transport only when you want to reach the stations, the hospital and university medical campus, or the outer edges of town.
Rail
Salamanca's main railway station, the Estación de Salamanca, sits about a kilometre northeast of the city centre. It is small but modern, with a couple of cafés and a car-rental office; note that there are no left luggage facilities, so plan accordingly if you are arriving or leaving with bags.
From the street outside the main station, local buses connect you to the rest of the city: Bus 1 runs to the old centre, while Bus 11 skirts it west along Paseo de San Vicente toward the hospital and university medical campus.
There is also a second stop, Salamanca La Alamedilla, which functions only as a drop-off for the slower trains. These trains continue a short distance southwest from the main station to terminate and reverse there. You can ride through to La Alamedilla to shorten the walk into town, but you cannot board the eastbound return service from there.
For arrivals from further afield, Alvia trains run from Madrid Chamartín roughly every couple of hours, while slower services take a longer route from Madrid Príncipe Pío. There is no metro or tram network in Salamanca; rail and bus are the public transport options.
Buses and Public Transport
Salamanca has numerous bus routes serving the city. Tickets are cheap, and you can buy them directly from the driver on board, which makes the buses easy to use without any advance planning or special pass.
Two useful routes for visitors connect the transport hubs with the centre. Bus 1 links the train station with Plaza Poeta Iglesias, which is right next to Plaza Mayor, and it also runs to the old centre from outside the main station. Bus 11 skirts the centre west along Paseo de San Vicente toward the hospital and university medical campus.
The city's bus terminal, the Estación de Autobuses, sits about a kilometre northwest of the city centre at the corner of Ave de Filiberto Villalobos and C Pena de Francia. Unlike the railway station, it has left luggage facilities, along with cafés, toilets, ticket counters and ATMs. Long-distance coaches connect Salamanca with Madrid and many other Spanish cities, as well as with destinations in Portugal and France.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
For slightly longer journeys, taxis are available, and you will find a few taxi ranks around the city. You can also use the app called Pide Taxi to call a cab. Passengers pay with cash at the conclusion of the ride, so it is worth having some on hand.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Salamanca's own airport, Salamanca Matacan (SLM), lies east of town and only has occasional summer flights, such as services to Mallorca operated by Air Nostrum, an Iberia subsidiary. Because scheduled service is so limited, most visitors arrive via Madrid instead.
Madrid Barajas (MAD) is the nearest practical airport for reaching Salamanca. It is well connected domestically, within Europe, and to the Gulf States and the Americas. From Madrid, the onward journey to Salamanca can be made by train or by bus.
By train, Alvia services run from Madrid Chamartín roughly every couple of hours, and slower trains also connect the two cities. By bus, Monbus runs hourly from Madrid Estación Sur, and some of these services start from Madrid Airport itself at Terminals 4 and 1, which means you can travel directly from the airport to Salamanca without first crossing Madrid. Avanza and Alsa coaches also serve Salamanca from other parts of Spain and from abroad, so the bus terminal is a practical arrival point for many travellers.