Do I need a car in Salamanca?
 

We will be in Salamanca for 2 weeks for a language course. I think we are staying somewhat away from the school, but I'm not really sure yet.

My question is - would I need a car for Salamanca? Is it small enough that the distances are mostly walkable? Also, are the streets very narrow and parking too difficult to make having a car worth it?

Thanks for any info!

No. In fact, you will want to kill yourself if you have one. You can walk or bus it anywhere.

And if you don't kill yourself as Claire says...you will kill us if we don't tell you that it's a very bad idea :)

Seriously, most of the city center is forbidden to traffic. And the parking thing is awful. Just walk and enjoy the city, it's beautiful and not as big :)

travelgirl2,
Just a 3rd resounding no to the need for a car in Salamanca. I couldn't agree more with what laclaire and kenderina have told you. Salamanca a very compact, wonderfully walkable city (I once was a university student there myself), and a car would be an absolute albatross for you. If you want to take excursions on your two weekends to places like Zamora, Avila, Ciudad Rodrigo, La Alberca de Salamanca, etc, you can travel by bus. And to Madrid, take the Auto Res express bus service- 16 euros, takes 2 1/2 hrs.
www.auto-res.es
And hope you have a great time in one of the heartland's most beautiful cities! :)

Thank you, laclaire, kenderina and Maribel! You have confirmed my thoughts.

I know what it is to want to kill yourself over driving and parking. We rented a car in Sorrento for 1 day and had 2 car accidents. Then, the next day (or so) our taxi side-swiped another taxi. Yikes! It was the memory of that unforgettable couple of days that made me ask about cars in Salamanca.

I am excited to spend some time in Salamanca. It sounds like a wonderful city.

Maribel - I am wondering why you recommended the bus over the train?

Hi travelgirl2,
I just like the express service on the Auto Res bus more. No particular reason other than it actually takes about 2 hrs. 15 min., and the seat configuration is 2 and 1, so if I'm traveling alone I take that single seat. I find it more comfortable-wide, leather seats, and they show a movie. The train takes 2 1/2 hrs. too and costs under 16 euros. The T.R.D. trains from Salamanca to Madrid are second (turista) class only.

Thank you, Maribel.

Hi Travelgirl2,

I want to add another benefit for traveling in bus over train. If you're like me and travel with suitcases that are not carry-on size you'll appreciate the bus! No need to pull ( or push) up the suitcase into the train and out of the train. It's very easy to load the suitcases in the "belly" of the bus!

I have traveled quite a bit by bus in Spain ( including the Auto-Res Madrid- Salamanca route) and really like its convenience and how comfortable they are.

Have a great time in Salamanca. You'll love it!

Out of curiosity, what language school are you attending?

Enforex. Do you know anything about it?

Hi,

When I was researching Spanish language schools for my son I received their literature. But it was for what they call "summer camps" for kids younger than 18. I assume that as an adult the school you'll attend is a different one.

I decided not to use them since they would not provide me with names of past students as references. There was no way I was going to send my 15 year old all the way to Spain without any feedback from other parents.

Sorry, I don't know anything more about them.

Hi cruiseluv -

My kids are going to the Enforex summer camp and I will attend their adult language classes. I also wanted some references and they said they didn't provide references, which I wasn't thrilled about. Other than that, they have been fine to deal with so far. We'll see how the camp and courses go.

I like the way they have structured the program. 60% of the kids come from Spain and take English classes. 40% of the kids go to take Spanish classes. They have about 3 hours of language courses in the morning and then a full day's worth of camp activities. The camp can either be a day camp or residential for 2 weeks.

If anyone has any feedback, I would really appreciate it. I have been unable to find out much about it, except on another forum where a teacher at a different Enforex camp felt that the focus was on making profits rather than the camp experience for the children and a resident of Salamanca whose neighbor's children attend the camp every year. Oh, and a poster on this forum whose sister (I think) brought her high school students from the US to study with Enforex every summer.

Hi Travelgirl2,

Since you are staying in Salamanca at least you'll be able to keep an eye
on things! I would really appreciate if you could post about their experience once camp is over. I have a younger daughter and once she's a little older I would like to also send her to Spain.
Too bad I don't have the "excuse" of staying to study Spanish as I'm fluent. I wouldn't mind staying a couple of weeks in Salamanca! It's a beautiful city!
Do you stay with the same family as your kids?

It's not an usual practice here in Spain to provide references for anything. In fact, they are not allowed by law to give any info about their customers unless there's an agreement but it sounds to me strange that people in Spain would agree, we are not used to :) Here things work by word of mouth , even for getting jobs !!

You are all going to really like Salamanca. It is a beautiful city and wonderful place to be, though I will warn you that its nature as a University town is not so conducive to learning Spanish. As Salamanca is such a great university, lots of kids from out of city/region go there (which is a rarity in Spain unlike in the US). They rent their flats during the year but spend their summers at home. Spaniards do not take a lot of summer classes, which is why it is relatively easy to get classrooms and instruction for foreigners there. Needless to say, foreigners go over there in droves just as the Spaniards are leaving. That said, I have never had a bad day or night in the city and the shopkeepers are still around and very Spanish. I say pick a grocery or something that you will visit daily (maybe a café) and chat someone up there. It is great practice and what a way to make friends!

Salamanca's beautiful, and it's also a great place to learn Castillian [='correct'] Spanish. My daughter was at the university there for 12 months and was fluent enough after a few months to do all her subjects with the locals. Her father and I went to visit her, and she warned me that I would have to learn a little more Spanish than my meagre amount as everyone would expect us to speak Spanish - and she was right!

We'll be staying in an apartment, not with a family...

Thanks for all the information about Salamanca. I chose it over Madrid, etc., because it is smaller and also supposed to be a charming city.

I will post when we return.