If you ever get the opportunity to go study abroad, you should definitely do it. If you’re going to study abroad in Salamanca, I have some good news for you. It’s the perfect city for Erasmus students. Why, you ask me? Here’s why.

Latest update: 23 June 2019

Why should you study abroad?

Studying abroad a life-changing opportunity. You get a chance to learn a new language. You make dozens of new international friends.

There will be a lot of stories you can tell your grandchildren when you’re old and you’re chilling in your rocking chair.

You become more independent. You get a thorough insight into a foreign culture.

Going on Erasmus is an adventure if there ever was one.

Are those enough reasons?

If yes, good. Continue reading.

If no, you might as well close this page right now.

1. The number of students on Erasmus in Salamanca

Salamanca is a true Erasmus city. Obviously, in order for a city to be qualified as an Erasmus city, it must be a university city first. Out of its 230,000 inhabitants, 30,000 are students, making them one of the primary sources of income for the city.

Out of these 30,000 students, you’ll find that around 9,000 students are on Erasmus in Salamanca.

That means that one in every four students is studying abroad there.

Let that sink in for a minute.

This, in turn, means that there are tons of things to do for these people. In other words: as an Erasmus student in Salamanca, you’ll never be bored.

There are two main Erasmus-oriented organisations in Salamanca: ESN and Nuve Erasmus. Both offer a great variety of things to do and trips.

On top of that, there’s this event called “Nochevieja universitaria”, which translates to “Academic New Year’s Eve”.

The concept of this event is that a lot – and I mean A LOT – of students, from all over Spain, gather in Salamanca to celebrate New Year’s, at the beginning of December.

If you have other friends who are studying elsewhere in Spain, this event is a fun way to see them again after a few months apart.

It’s surprisingly easy to be an Erasmus student in Spain. You’ll meet new people, make awesome friends and have the time of your life.

2. Salamanca is a small city

Like I said before, Salamanca has about 230,000 inhabitants. Now, for some people, that might be a lot, but compared to other major cities in Spain (or in Europe, for that matter), Salamanca is relatively small.

This can be both a positive and a negative aspect of life in Salamanca. On the one hand, you’ll get to come across people you know in the streets, you’ll basically know everyone and you’ll get more personal assistance in classes.

On the other hand, however, you might feel like you don’t have any privacy and you’ll want some time for yourself.

In the end, it all comes down to what kind of city you prefer.

3. The Salmantinos don’t have an accent

In Spain, it’s a well-known fact that the inhabitants of Castilla y León are generally considered to speak the standard variety of Spanish. In other words, they don’t have a specific location-based accent.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

If you’re going on Erasmus, you’re probably looking to learn a new language (or at least enhance your knowledge of a language you already know).

In that case, I highly recommend going to a city located in Castilla y León. And, what do you know, that’s exactly where you can find Salamanca.

Another plus is that it’s relatively easy for a foreigner to understand what someone from Salamanca is saying, because they don’t really have any specific vocabulary or pronunciations.

As for me, improving my Spanish knowledge was more or less the only objective of my studying in Spain. And look how that turned out. 😉

4. Salamanca’s old city centre

Basically the entirety of Salamanca is made of the same kind of stone.

Most, if not all, of the buildings in the city centre consist of the same blond sandstone. There’s a reason why people call Salamanca the “Golden City” (La Dorada).

Despite – or maybe even because of – the recent oxidation and deterioration of the stone, Salamanca is still more than worth visiting. Or living in, for that matter.

In 1988, the Old City was proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage for “retaining its key attributes of authenticity in terms of form, design, materials, and substance”.

(Tip: Check out the Roman bridge at the south of the city, stretching over the river Tormes!)

5. Cleanliness

Coming from a city where the authorities don’t really go out of their way to keep the city clean, it’s safe to say I was impressed at how clean Salamanca really is.

Every night, city workers set out with the mission to clean the streets – and they do a terrific job every single day.

It’s kind of funny to see these cleaning cars do their thing while you’re still going out at 3 am.

When I – and the other people who were on Erasmus in Salamanca – got my orientation at the beginning of the semester, we were told over and over again that Salamanca was a clean city.

I thought they were exaggerating, but as it turns out, they were more than justified to do so.

6. Safety

In those same orientation sessions, the chief of the police corps was also there to tell us all about how Salamanca worked.

In his five-minute speech, he must have said “Salamanca is a very safe city” at least ten times. It was a bit much, but he did get his message across.

During my four-month stay, I didn’t find out about any big crime once. That might be a coincidence, but I do believe Salamanca is generally a very safe and secure city.

My female friends told me they didn’t feel nearly as oppressed and viewed when they were walking home alone at night as they did at home.

7. Varillas

If you’re a healthy mom looking into Erasmus destinations for your dear child, you might want to look away now. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Everyone who has spent some time in Salamanca knows about Varillas. It’s a restaurant that is pretty much only opened at night, where you can get French fries, kebab and hamburgers.

Located in Calle Varillas, right in the centre of the Salamanca nightlife, its main clientele is made up of drunk students who want to eat something greasy before they head home and wake up with a hangover.

I must admit, every single time I found myself in this restaurant, I was in that situation exactly. And I have no shame or regrets. Getting number 24 (fries, meat and sauce) here was often the best part of a night out.

Sitting at a table, engaged in drunk conversations with my friends while munching on some greasy food? Those are the things I’ll remember.

Studying abroad in Salamanca

Looking into a place to study abroad in Spain, where people know each other, you can have a LOT of fun and your Spanish will increase drastically?

Go to Salamanca.

If I haven’t managed to convince you in this blog post, I’m afraid nothing will.

If you do go on Erasmus to Salamanca, feel free to send me a message or leave a comment for specific tips and tricks.

And as always, thanks for reading!

-S

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