University of Salamanca

I spent last summer in salamanca and loved it and hope to return. i would reccomend studying at the university as do many college students and the classes and teachers are great. salamanca is a great city because it's not as big and intimidating as madrid (plus it can be hard to find your way around some big cities)or some of the other big cities but it still has so much to do. the nightlife is great too. i would recommend going to gran via (one of the main streets just a block away from the plaza mayor) to find clubs. medievo is the "american" bar and not many locals go there but american students go there during the week when the local bars (discotecas( arent open. dont get the sangria there because it comes from a carton that you can buy in a grocery store and if you're gonna have it, find a place that makes it fresh. there's free beer and other drinks there during certain days of the week (tuesdaythru thursday i think??)so that's basically the appeal. everyone goes out on fridays and saturdays so much that there are tons of people in the street and the clubs are packed and its a big deal so kind of get dressed up, dont go in jeans and a t-shirt; this is important cause you'll stick out as an american and that can be bad. go to desperado for cheap drinks that are really good. if you like sweet stuff try a pitufo (malibu+tropical blue mix stuff) or kiwi mix stuff+vodka and go to pluto's (off of gran via)and peter's (on gran via). be careful if you decide to go into charro's. its really cramped and small so its easy to get a purse or wallet stolen there. the town's activities are centered around the plaza mayor and it's great for people watching or getting ice cream, coffee, or a meal but its very expensive so i wouldnt eat there all the time. there are also good restaurants and shopiing right off of the streets leading to the plaza. im not sure about the weather in the winter because obviously i wasnt there at that time but i dont think it gets too cold there and the spring and summer have really nice weather. if you're planning on getting an apartment, i would try to find one close to the plaza because then youll either be doing alot of walking or spending excess money on taxis. i lived with a host family which was nice since we got all of our meals and laundry done but it definitely limits your independence. it depends on the person. i hope this has helped and i hope you have fun wherever you go, but i hope its salamanca because i had the time of my life there!