Salamanca train station

Salamanca train station is on Avenida de la Estación, outside the old town, inside the Vialia shopping centre managed by Adif. It is the fastest way to arrive from Madrid: Renfe's Alvia trains take around 1 h 36 min, and from the station you can walk to the Plaza Mayor in about twenty minutes.

Trains to Madrid

Renfe has daily connections with Madrid. The Alvia trains leave from Madrid-Chamartín and run on the electrified line from Salamanca to Medina del Campo, which brings the journey down to 1 hour 36 minutes, according to Turismo de Salamanca, 63 minutes less than the previous 2 h 39 min. There are also slower medium-distance trains leaving from Madrid-Príncipe Pío. Timetables and prices change by day: check them at renfe.es before buying.

If you arrive by plane at Barajas, Turismo de Salamanca explains how to get to Chamartín by metro: line 8 to Nuevos Ministerios and there line 10 to Chamartín. From the airport there is also a direct bus to Salamanca, which arrives at the bus station, not this one.

From the station to the centre

It is about a twenty-minute walk to the Plaza Mayor. With suitcases or at night, a taxi is the most comfortable option. If you need to connect with a coach, bear in mind that the bus station is at the other end of the city, on Avenida Filiberto Villalobos: according to Alsa, it is linked with the train station by city bus line 7 or by taxi.

Tips

Buy your ticket as soon as you have your dates, especially on long weekends, at Easter and during the September festivals, when the city fills up. If you are coming for the day, choose an early outbound train and a late return: with an hour and a half of travel, a full day in the city is comfortable. The station is inside a shopping centre, so there is somewhere to wait under cover, and shops.

Once in Salamanca

Without a car, you can walk all of Salamanca. Start at the Plaza Mayor, where the tourist office is, and continue along the Rúa to the Casa de las Conchas, the University and the cathedrals, with the Visitor Reception Centre at the Fonda Veracruz next door. If you want to stay near the old town, the Microtel Placentinos is three minutes from the cathedral. To get to the Sierra de Francia without a car, the bus to La Alberca leaves from the bus station.