Experience in Salamanca, Spain, by Alex

How much does it cost to live in Salamanca?

Salamanca is really cheap compared to cities like mine, Bilbao, or any other city in the Basque Country, Madrid and/or Barcelona and Catalonia. Rent is around 150-200 euros, whereas in some of the aforementioned city it's more than 300. In terms of leisure, you can go get the menu of the day in restaurants, go out for drinks at the bar, go to the movies, etc., all of this is really cheap. There are many shops and restaurants, like Cien Montaditos and similar ones that make Salamanca really cheap. Even groceries are really cheap, there are a couple of Mercadonas and many Dia supermarkets as well.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Salamanca? Is there any advice you can give?

It was not hard for me to find a flat. I found one through the USAL web page dedicated to housing, but otherwise there are many ads posted in stores and boutiques and on walls throughout the city. You can also go check on http://www.idealista.com or other web pages. In fact, I lived in two flats throughout the year, though I wouldn't recommend moving mid-year seeing that it can be very expensive and complicated. If you know someone living in Salamanca or you have someone who can help you out it's probably more beneficial since people living there already know more about this stuff than I do. Some of my friends had a harder time finding an ideal flat and many of the houses here are really old.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

There's lots of good food though we all know that it isn't too healthy since it's based in meat and fatty food. Being from the North myself, I found myself missing fish, salads and vegetables. Salamanca boasts an abundance of cheap tapas, but even though they are cheap the food in many bars and coffee shops is not very good. This being said, there are many good restaurants, such as a Greek one, a vegetarian one, a Japanese one, a Chinese one, etc., that are of very good quality.

What places would you recommend visiting in Salamanca?

The Plaza Mayor, the cathedral, the gardens, the university buildings and just walking around the streets.

What are your favorite restaurants in Salamanca?

A Greek restaurant that's very cheap and very small, yet very close to the Plaza Mayor. On the same street, there's a spectacular Chinese restaurant. It's the best Chinese restaurant I have ever eaten in, and it's not even expensive! In fact these restaurants are always jam-packed!