Places to Study in Salamanca

It has been a struggle to find good spaces to study in the city. With the IES Abroad center only open until 7 p.m. Mon-Thurs and until 2 p.m. Fridays, it was necessary to set out and discover more study-friendly places to get work done so that I don’t have to resort to being cooped up in my homestay all the time. Since I am not enrolled in either of the local universities, I had limited access to some of the libraries. Below I have compiled a list of some of my favorite cafes and public study areas, WiFi passwords and all. De nada :)

Caledonia Coffee House (pictured above)

• Calle Peña Primera, 19, 37002
• WiFi Network: Caledonia CoffeeHouse
• Password: Caledonia2017
• Open Sundays? Yes
• This is a cute small space (maximum seating at about 30 people). They have a lot of options on their menu which includes bagels and smoothie/Acai bowls. The staff is super friendly too!

Manolita Café Bar

• Calle Palominos, 21, 37008
• WiFi Network: ManolitaCafeBar
• Password: manolitacafebar
• Open Sundays? Yes
• This is probably the most popular café amongst people in the program. It is a relatively large space that has both couches and tables available to do work. It is a very student-friendly atmosphere. They usually get busier around lunch time so if you prefer a quieter environment, try to go earlier in the morning or later in the evening.

Serendipity Coworking

• Calle Serranos, 35, 37008
• WiFi Network: serendipity_namaste
• Password: teteriacafeteria
• Open Sundays? No
• Serendipity is one of my favorite discoveries. This café has a kind of cool hippie vibe. Not only are there couches and tables available to work at, but there are also larger rooms in the back you can utilize (if it’s not already reserved). Their food and drinks are delicious too (I highly recommend the carrot cake). If you need a break from your homework you can always play with the old café dog.

Café el Alcaraván

• Calle Compañía, 12, 37002
• WiFi Network: alcaravan
• Password: 12karambola21
• Open Sundays? Yes after 3pm
• This café may not seem like much when you first enter however, continue upstairs for a more secluded area where you can focus on your studies, accompanied by a soothing jazz soundtrack. Just know that some evenings it may get a little noisy since it is a common meeting place for a game of cards.

Salamanca Coffee

• Calle Meléndez, 6, 37002
• WiFi Network: SALAMANCA_COFFEE
• Password: You have to ask for el clave for the 2 hours (weekdays) or 1 hour (weekends) of WiFi
• Open Sundays? Yes
• This will probably be the first coffee shop you check out once you arrive in Salamanca. IES Abroad students actually get 6 free drinks for the semester. Just bring your student ID card along with you. Their tables are a little small but it is still a nice place to meet up and work on a group project. However, since your WiFi access is limited it is not an ideal place to camp out at in order to battle the Sunday Scaries.

Café Becquer

• 7, Plaza San Marcos, 5, 37002
• WiFi Network: CAFE-BECQUER
• Password: 0391317525
• Open Sundays? Yes after 4pm
• This is a little café filled with cushioned wicker chairs and small round tables decorated with notes and doodles left by previous customers. It kind of has a stone-hut feel (make of that what you will). They also have a large selection of some pretty insta-worthy drinks. The downside is I have yet to locate an outlet, so arrive with your laptop fully charged.

Biblioteca Casa de las Conchas

• Calle Compañía, 2, 37002
• WiFi Network: BPSALAMANCA
• Password: None
• Open Sundays? No
• This small library is a very quiet space so save your group projects for another location. I recommend you go early on the weekends if you want to get a seat before lunch. Also when you enter, head to the table on the left. The right side is reserved for people reading the newspapers and magazines. I’ll save you the trouble of being scolded by a grumpy elder for sitting on the wrong side. Pro-tip: Sometimes the WiFi is spotty so you can hop onto the alcaravan network mentioned prior.

Peñuelas

• Cuesta Independencia, 1, 37002
• WiFi Network: USAL-Visitors
• Password: cop21usal
• Open Sundays? No
• This building is very close to the IES Abroad center. It is a large quiet space with a ton of tables. It also comes with a nice view. If you don’t feel like spending money to sit in a café, this is a great place to get a lot of work done. However, it is only open Mon-Fri.

Well there you have it! I hope this proves useful for my readers planning on studying in Salamanca. I know I definitely needed this at the beginning of the semester. Nevertheless I will be sure to update this post if I stumble upon anything new.

Cariñosos saludos,

Izzie