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isla spanish courses - learning spanish in spain - the isla team writes:
SALAMANCA. FAQ
- What advantages does Salamanca offer as a city? Salamanca is a very charismatic university city. It is famous for its pure “accent-free” Spanish, is walkable, has a great nightlife and is relatively cheap.
- Does it have an airport? Yes, but there are only a few national flights. The nearest international airports are Madrid and Valladolid.
- How many students live in Salamanca? About 35,000 (including foreign students of whom there are a considerable number).
- Does it have a metro? Doesn’t need to as everything is reachable on foot. There is a good city bus system though.
- What’s the climate like? Continental rather than Mediterranean, so cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
- How many inhabitants does Salamanca have? About 170,000.
- Is it linked to Madrid by motorway? Not all the way, no, though the road in the non-motorway section is quite fast.
- What train links are there? There is a train from Paris to Lisbon (the “Southern Express”) that stops in Salamanca and regular trains to Madrid. Salamanca also has direct train links to other cities - including Barcelona.
- What day trips do you suggest from Salamanca? The area beside the Duero River on the Portuguese border makes for a spectacular and fun day trip (you can rent canoes), and the Sierra de Francia mountain range south of Salamanca is very beautiful at any time of year, as are the Gredos mountains - south east towards Madrid. Segovia is a very attractive and interesting city, and Avila makes an attractive fly-by.
- Can I go skiing nearby? The nearest ski resort is very small. Better to take a weekend trip to the Pyrenees or Sierra Nevada.
- Tell me something else about Salamanca. It was European Capital of Culture in 2002.
- Is there much industry in Salamanca? No, it is predominantly a university city.
- What is the nightlife like in Salamanca? Very lively! You can literally rock around the clock, even on week nights. There are great variey of bars, some studenty and some sophisticated, a few with live music and many with dance floors, but there are no “clubs” as such.
- Where is the nearest beach? In Aveiro on the Portuguese coast about 3 hours by car from Salamanca. A little further away, there are nice beaches on the Asturian coast in the North of Spain.
- Where are the tourist offices? On the Plaza Mayor and in the Casa de las Conchas opposite the Catholic University, the Pontificia.
- Is ISLA in the centre of town? Yes, just 5 minutes walk from the Plaza Mayor, on a beautiful garden square at the end of the Gran Vía just opposite the San Esteban convent.
- When are the fiestas in Salamanca? In September, for about 10 days. “Lunes de Aguas” is another typical local holiday at the end of Easter.
- What is Salamanca’s typical food? “Jamón Ibérico” the ham from Iberian pigs, roast lamb and suckling pig. And lentils!
- What are the opening times of shops and banks? Most shops open from 10.00 - 14.00 and from 16.30 - 20.00. Big supermarkets stay open until 22.00. Banks open from 09.00 – 14.00, on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings (except in the summer).
- Are there many tourists in Salamanca? Salamanca receives quite a lot of Spanish tourism at weekends but its foreign visitors are usually language students rather than tourists.
- Do you tip in Spain? Not usually, no, but you can leave a few coins to round off a bill. In expensive restaurants you can leave a little more but not as much as 10%.
- I’m coming alone. Is this OK? Yes. Most people come to ISLA on their own and thus are very open to making new friends.
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