Santa Marta de Tormes, Alba de Tormes and Carbajosa de la Sagrada: getting from Salamanca's southern towns to the station, the hospital, Matacán and Barajas

Why do Santa Marta, Carbajosa and Alba de Tormes form a case of their own?

The province of Salamanca revolves around its capital, and these three towns are the ones living closest to it on the side of the Tormes facing south-east. Santa Marta de Tormes lies across the river, now almost joined to the city, on the road out towards Ávila. Carbajosa de la Sagrada, also in the Campo de Salamanca, has grown with housing estates and with the El Montalvo industrial estates, which it shares with neighbouring municipalities. Alba de Tormes, by contrast, is a historic town with a life of its own, on the banks of the same river but further out, known for holding the tomb of St Teresa of Jesus. For all three, the hospital, the station, the university and much of the paperwork are in the capital.

The difference lies in distance and in the kind of journey. From Santa Marta and Carbajosa the trips are short and urban: what people want is to avoid parking by the station or the hospital, catch an early train or get home late without depending on the metropolitan bus. From Alba the trip to the capital is already a road journey, and for anyone who does not drive an appointment or a train can take half a morning if they wait for the bus. All three also share the same way out towards Madrid along the A-50 towards Ávila, without crossing Salamanca, and the same dilemma when flying, between Matacán, which is very close to them, and Barajas, which concentrates almost all the flights. This guide goes through each town and then what they have in common.

How do you get from Santa Marta de Tormes to the station and the hospital?

Santa Marta is, for practical purposes, one more district of Salamanca across the Tormes, with bridges linking it to the city and a population that works and studies in the capital. Salamanca's railway station, near the centre, has direct trains to Madrid-Chamartín and connections with Valladolid and Ávila, on timetables published by Renfe. Early on weekdays incoming traffic builds up on the bridges, and for an early train with suitcases a car with a driver saves the search for a parking space. To the Complejo Asistencial Universitario, the reference hospital for the whole province, a transfer from Santa Marta costs from 18,00 €, with a drop at the door of the outpatients' building.

For an appointment, the usual approach is to book both ways with the approximate time you expect to come out, knowing that waits at a large hospital can run long; if that happens, you let the driver know and the pickup is adjusted. It is not medical transport: it is a car with a driver for someone who can travel seated and does not want to or cannot drive, for example after a test under sedation. Santa Marta is also very close to the historic centre, and during the September fair and fiestas, with concerts and plenty of night-time movement in the centre, the small-hours returns to the surrounding towns are among the most sought-after journeys. As traffic in the centre is restricted, it is worth agreeing the pickup point on an access street rather than in the square.

What changes from Carbajosa de la Sagrada, among housing estates and industrial parks?

Carbajosa de la Sagrada combines the core of the old village with residential estates and, around it, the El Montalvo industrial parks, within the Salamanca area. That creates two kinds of journey. The first is residents going into the capital: the station is 6 km away, and for an early train the metropolitan bus does not always fit. The second is people arriving to work at or visit a company in the industrial parks from the station, from Barajas or from another province, who need to reach a particular unit at a fixed time. For those cases the transfer can be booked on a business account with a monthly invoice, and the business page explains how it works.

For families in Carbajosa, closeness to the city does not avoid a familiar problem: with small children, an early flight at Barajas means leaving in the small hours, and the train to Madrid arrives at Chamartín, from where you still have to cross to the airport with suitcases and child seats. A car with a driver leaves home at the time the flight demands, with the child seats requested when booking and a boot of the right size. The price is per car, so a family of four shares a single amount instead of paying for four train tickets. For healthcare, Carbajosa belongs to the area of the university hospital, and the trip to an appointment is short, but for anyone who does not drive it is still the simplest way to arrive on time.

How do you organise a trip from Alba de Tormes?

Alba de Tormes is a town with a long history: fortified since the Middle Ages, seat of the dukedom of Alba, with the keep of the dukes' castle standing over the town, and above all a place linked to St Teresa, who founded the convent of the Annunciation of the Discalced Carmelites there and died there, and whose remains are venerated in it. The neo-Gothic basilica, begun at the end of the 19th century, was left unfinished. All this draws pilgrims and visitors throughout the year, many of whom arrive by train in Salamanca and carry on to Alba by road. From the town, Salamanca station is about 27 min away in daytime, and a car with a driver connects with the train without depending on the district bus timetable.

The patron saint festivities of St Teresa, around 15 October, the saint's feast day, have been declared of tourist interest in Castilla y León and fill the town with visitors for several days; Turismo de Castilla y León publishes the dates each year. On those days it is worth booking both arrival and return well in advance, and setting the pickup point away from closed streets. For residents of Alba, the health reference is the hospital in the capital, and an appointment with the wait and the return can take the whole morning. Towards Madrid, from Alba the usual route heads out to the A-50 towards Ávila and continues along the AP-51 and AP-6, without having to enter Salamanca.

Matacán or Barajas, and how do you get to Madrid?

Matacán airport lies east of the capital, at Villagonzalo de Tormes, and shares facilities with an air base. It is the closest to the three towns: from Santa Marta the transfer costs from 40,44 €. The problem is what it offers, because it has very few scheduled flights and they vary by season, so before booking the transfer you need to check with Aena that the flight leaves from there. For most destinations people fly from Barajas, a little over two hundred kilometres from the capital. The advantage of these three municipalities is that they sit precisely on the side of the city where the A-50 leaves, so the way to Madrid starts almost at the front door.

The way to Barajas runs along the A-50 to Ávila, continues on the AP-51 and AP-6, which crosses the Guadarrama through the tunnel, and in Madrid joins the M-40 or M-50 to the terminal. From Carbajosa the journey takes around 162 min in daytime. For early flights no train reaches the airport in time, and the pickup is usually in the small hours; a car from home avoids spending the night before in Madrid. On the way back, the driver waits in arrivals with a name sign and follows the flight if it is delayed. For someone travelling alone to central Madrid at mid-morning, the direct train from Salamanca to Chamartín is still a sensible and cheaper option.

What is worth knowing about the university year, Holy Week, children and older people?

At the start and end of the university year, in September and June, thousands of students arrive and leave, including those living in Santa Marta or Carbajosa, and trips with suitcases to the station and to Barajas multiply; in those weeks it is worth booking ahead and stating the number of bags. In Holy Week the processions cross Salamanca's historic centre and close streets as the brotherhoods pass, on dates that coincide with many holiday departures to the airport; anyone leaving from the surrounding towns should avoid setting the pickup in the centre on those days. In winter, fog on the plateau and early-morning frost can lengthen the trip along the A-50, and for an early flight it is worth leaving earlier and checking road conditions with the DGT.

For older people living alone in Alba or Santa Marta whose family is in another city, the transfer to an appointment can be booked in their name from elsewhere, with their phone number so the driver can let them know on arrival. If they use a wheelchair, an adapted vehicle is requested when booking, and the calculator takes it into account in the fixed price. For families with children, the useful thing is to say how many seats are needed and what luggage is coming. In every case the price is known before confirming, VAT included and with an invoice if requested, and the waiting and cancellation conditions are on the help page. What the service does not do is replace an ambulance: it is a car with a driver for someone who can travel seated.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Turismo de Castilla y León · Alba de Tormes en las Huellas de Teresa (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Ayuntamiento de Santa Marta de Tormes (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Renfe · trenes de Salamanca a Madrid-Chamartín, Valladolid y Ávila (consulted on 29 October 2026)
• Aena · aeropuertos de Salamanca-Matacán y Madrid-Barajas (consulted on 29 October 2026)