Things to Know

Shopping

You will find the freshest food in Salamanca in the Central Market, or Mercado Central, located next to the Plaza Mayor. There is also the San Juan Market, 19 Calle de Valencia. There are several chains of supermarkets all over the city. The closest grocery store to Mester is Carrefour, 82 Calle Toro.

In the city center on Calle Zamora, Calle Toro and Calle Azafranal you can find international and national clothing stores, accessory stores, bookstores, etc. You can also find several shopping malls and department stores; El Corte Inglés, 71 Calle María Auxiliadora; El Tormes, Santa Marta de Tormes; Vialia, Paseo de la Estación; and Los Cipreses, Calle Alfonso IX. There you can go shopping and enjoy their cafeterias, restaurants and cinemas.

Stores open in the mornings between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and close around 2 p.m. for lunch. In the afternoon they’re open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. however smaller stores tend to close beforehand. On Saturdays many of the smaller stores are only open during the morning.

Movie Theaters

In Salamanca there are 4 movie theaters:

• Van Dyck Tormes (Centro Comercial El Tormes. Carretera de Santa Marta s/n)
• Van Dyck Joven (Paseo del Doctor Torres Villaroel, 45)
• Van Dyck (Paseo del Doctor Torres Villaroel, 40)
• Box Vialia Salamanca (Centro Comercial Vialia. Paseo de la Estación s/n)

Showings are usually at 6 p.m, 8 p.m, and 10 p.m. Please check the particular theater’s website for the actual movie times.

Tapas

Tasty tapas are available all over the city! We recommend that you try two of the most famous tapa bar areas in Salamanca:

• Calle Van Dyck and surrounding area: you will find lots of bars offering delicious grilled meat.
• Plaza Mayor and surrounding area: the bars offer traditional and more sophisticated pinchos (snacks).

Night Life

We recommend you go for a walk at night to see Salamanca´s Villamayor stone illuminated. Salamanca has a variety of different bars and clubs.

• Calle Varillas and Plaza de San Justo Area: Here there are many bars where you can listen to British and American music. University students often frequent this area. These bars are more alternative than the bars in other parts of Salamanca. When the weather is nice you can usually find people hanging out in the streets.
• Calle Gran Via Area: Each bar in this area has it´s own distinct style. No matter what mood you´re in, you are sure to find the ambiance and music style you are looking for! Salamanca locals and people ages 25-30 regularly go out in this area.
• Calle Bordadores Area: Sometimes bars in this area offer live music. These bars have very multicultural and international atmospheres where Spanish locals, international students, and tourists meet up to enjoy the Salamanca fiesta.

Parks

• Campo de San Francisco
• Plaza de la Merced
• Huerto de Calixto
• Melibea Parque Fluvial
• Plaza de Anaya
• Parque La Alamedilla
• Parque Huerta de los Jesuitas
• Parque de la Aldehuela

Medical Assistance

Pharmacies are always marked with a green cross outside. Information about pharmacies that are open during the night, is published daily in the local press or on signs displayed in the pharmacies´ windows. It is obligatory for all pharmacies to have a qualified pharmacist on site to advise you.

If you need a doctor during school times, you must visit the school management office where they’ll provide a teacher to accompany you. Outside of these hours, you can visit any emergency department, at any hospital listed in the city.

You can also call the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) who will come to you and, if necessary, take you to the hospital. In the two central hospitals (University of Salamanca Hospital and Santísima Trinidad Hospital) there is a 24/7 emergency service. You will have to cover any expenses; your insurance should refund you at a later date. In case of an emergency, the emergency services can be reached at 112 from any telephone.

 Libraries

Biblioteca Municipal, Plaza Gabriel y Galán 14, 37005, Salamanca. Tel. 923 205 200

Biblioteca Municipal, Paseo Olivos 10, 37005, Salamanca. Tel. 923 282 069

Bicycles

Salamanca’s Town Hall offers a Bicycle Lending System http://salamanca.onroll.info. There is also an association that organizes bicycle day trips, visit: www.amigosdelabici.es.

The international dialing code for Spain is ‘0034’ (+34). Numbers that begin with ‘900’ are free. But be aware that ‘906’ are very expensive. Telephone booths found in the street and in the square accept both coins and phone cards. These can be purchased at the school, in tobacco shops, or at newsstands. There are a variety of phone companies to choose from when purchasing your local phones or phone SIM cards.

Mail

To send postcards and letters you can buy stamps at post offices or at tobacco shops. Once you have stamped them you can drop them in the yellow mailboxes found all over the city or deliver them to a post office. The main post office is: Gran Via, 25 and Avenida de Portugal, 75. For more information, visit: www.correos.es.

Visa Information

If you are coming to Spain for longer than 90 days, you will need to apply for a student visa at the Spanish Embassy or Consulate in the States. You can find a list of the Spanish Consulates online at: Gobierno de España

Security

In the event of a problem there are three police forces:

• The Local Police have responsibility for traffic inside cities and minor criminal cases. Telephone: 112. Address: 43-63 Avenida de la Aldehuela. Telephone: +34 923 194 440
• The National Police are responsible for criminal cases in general. Telephone: 112. Address: Calle Jardines, s/n Salamanca. Telephone: +34 923 127 700.
• The Guardia Civil is the police in the countryside and in charge of traffic control on major roads and motorways.