Trains to Salamanca

Salamanca train station

Opened in 2001, Salamanca train station is a modern transport space to the north-east of the city. With plenty of amenities to make travel simple, the station’s three long platforms serve trains that connect the central-western city at a regional, national and international level. With no airport of its own, most people visiting Salamanca arrive via Madrid or Valladolid. The Spanish capital is about 90 minutes away through breathtaking scenery with seven direct, high-speed trains between Madrid Chamartín and Salamanca daily. From Valladolid, the journey takes between one and two hours, with 12 services operating each day. There are also eight daily connections from Zaragoza Delicias taking a minimum of 3h45mins. Travelling from Porto, the fastest trains take 6h50mins, with two services daily, and the journey time from Lisbon to Salamanca is in the region of 6h20mins. Outside the station, bus number 1 can be picked up to reach the major tourist attractions in centre of the city.

Main attractions near Salamanca train station

One of the most captivating Renaissance city destinations in Spain and all of Europe, Salamanca is best explored on foot, and this can easily be done, starting from stepping onto the platform. Taking the main road from the station and continuing straight, visitors will find themselves lured into the peaceful green spaces of Parque de la Alamedilla after a 15-minute walk. This is an ideal spot to relax, but those looking to sample some local tapas should continue to the pedestrianised shopping area and eating hub of Calle Toro. This avenue of balconied buildings leads to Plaza Major, the nerve centre of the city. Here, just over a 20-minute stroll from Salamanca train station, a plethora of tapas bars and restaurants provide the perfect excuse to sit and take it the extraordinary, warm sandstone architecture of what’s considered one of Spain’s most elegant central squares.

Salamanca university was founded in 1218, making it one of the oldest in the world, and today the student spirit lives on, palpable in the energetic nightlife found in the bars and clubs of the Old Town after dark. The city is especially magical at night, when it’s lit up. For a taste of the intellectual prowess that has shaped Salamanca historically, visitors should head to Fonseca College, under a 10-minute walk west of the central square, and marvel at the grand double archways around a central grassy courtyard. It’s almost impossible to miss the city’s majestic Gothic/Plateresque/Baroque cathedral, which towers over the city and the Tormes river. Taking the streets leading south from Plaza Major towards the river, this jaw-dropping building is less than a 30-minute walk from the train station.