Student age
These ages are averages from recent years, a guide rather than a guarantee for your visit.
11 nationalities
United States
10%
Germany
9%
Brazil
8%
China
6%
France
5%
Japan
4%
Italy
4%
Sweden
3%
United Kingdom
3%
Netherlands
3%
This mix of nationalities is an average from recent years, a guide rather than a guarantee for your visit.
Learn Spanish inside a 16th-century monastery in the heart of Salamanca, Spain's university city. Don Quijote Salamanca keeps classes small, between four and eight students, and backs its teaching with both FEDELE and Instituto Cervantes accreditation.
Exposed stone walls and a rustic courtyard sit alongside modern classrooms, a library and a cafeteria. A weekly programme of cooking classes, dance sessions, museum visits and excursions around Castile fills the hours after class.
Don Quijote is right for you if you…
This boutique monastery school in central Salamanca suits adult students who want a focused, academic atmosphere in small classes. It stays compact rather than campus-scale, so students drawn to a larger school environment may feel more at home elsewhere.
Start with the students. Start date, trip length and language level are set per student next.
See how busy the school typically is throughout the year and choose the month that best suits your preferences.
One of the calmer months. A good fit if you like a relaxed school where it is easy to get to know your teachers and the people around you.
Busyness describes how full the school is, not class size or who you will study with.
The offering of Don Quijote
Everyday classes for speaking, listening, reading and writing. The starting point for most students.
From €225 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 5 coursesEveryday classes for speaking, listening, reading and writing. The starting point for most students.
From €132 per week
See the 10 coursesOne teacher, one student. Content and pace follow whatever you need to work on.
From €460 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 2 coursesTargeted practice for official exams, built around the exam dates.
From €375 per week
Longer stays cost less per week.
See the 2 coursesTargeted practice for official exams, built around the exam dates.
€665 per week
Read about this courseA building full of other students, with shared kitchens and common rooms. Easiest way to meet people.
€325 per week
Sunday to Saturday.
Read about this stayYour own room in a flat with housemates. You cook for yourself.
€299 per week
Sunday to Saturday.
Read about this stayA private room in a local household, with meals at the table. The most of the language you will speak outside class.
€260 per week
Sunday to Saturday. Your family is matched after booking.
How host family matching worksMonday morning begins at 08:00, before your timetable has even taken shape.
You will have already completed a written placement assessment online about a week before arrival. On site, a short oral test confirms that result, and the school uses it to place you in the right class and build your timetable for the week.
The School Director welcomes new arrivals with a tour of the campus and the surrounding neighbourhood, so you get your bearings around the monastery building and its corner of the historic centre before lessons begin. You then meet your teacher and the other new arrivals, and receive a welcome pack to get you started.
The activity programme runs through most of the week, mixing culture and socialising with the lessons. A free guided walking tour of the city kicks things off, followed by cooking sessions, dance classes, museum visits and the occasional film night. Saturdays are reserved for excursions, with destinations ranging from León and Astorga to Madrid and even over the border into Portugal.
Weekly activity programme
Cultural workshops, cooking and dance classes, museum visits and film nights run through the week, giving you regular chances to spend time with other students outside the classroom.
Courtyard and common lounge
The monastery's rustic courtyard, patio and common lounge are natural gathering spots between classes.
Cafeteria
The adjoining cafeteria, serving local cuisine, is an easy place to grab a bite and chat with classmates between lessons.
Included for free
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Lessons follow a communicative, student-centred method built around practical classroom use. You work on vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, listening and pronunciation in small classes of 4 to 8 students. Each class lasts 55 minutes, and standard group lessons run from 09:00 to 13:00. Depending on your level and the time of year, some classes shift to the afternoon instead, with your exact timetable confirmed once your course starts.Your level is set before that first class. A written online assessment completed ahead of arrival is followed by an oral test, placing you into one of six CEFR-aligned levels, from complete beginner (A1) to proficient (C2), so lessons match what you already know.
Don Quijote Salamanca draws a genuinely international crowd, with students arriving from dozens of countries and no single nationality dominating the mix. The average age shifts noticeably between seasons, with a younger crowd in summer and more adult learners during the rest of the year. Set inside a renovated monastery with a boutique, academic feel, the school keeps its courtyard and corridors compact enough that familiar faces become easy to recognise over the weeks. The weekly activity programme and the shared courtyard, terrace and cafeteria give you regular, easy chances to meet people beyond the classroom.
An even mix of men and women.
United States
10%
Germany
9%
Brazil
8%
China
6%
France
5%
Japan
4%
Italy
4%
Sweden
3%
United Kingdom
3%
Netherlands
3%
A weekday here, as most students experience it.
From where you study to where you unwind: this is what you will find at the school.
Instituto Cervantes
External inspection, renewed every 3 years.
FEDELE
External inspection.
Behind the stone walls of the old monastery, the practical side of looking after students is handled quietly and consistently. Host families go through a vetting process before they are approved, and anyone staying in a host home needs to keep to a curfew. If something about your accommodation does not work out, the school works with you to find a solution rather than leaving you to sort it out alone.
Residences provide supervision around the clock, every day of the week.
Host families are reviewed again every year to make sure standards are maintained.
Calle Placentinos, 2, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Nearby
Fly into Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, the main international gateway for this part of Spain, then continue overland to Salamanca. The school can arrange a private pick-up from the airport straight to your accommodation, or you can take the direct coach service that runs between the airport and Salamanca if you'd rather make your own way.
Book a private pick-up with the school from the airport, bus station or train station straight to your accommodation (advance notice required).
Take the direct Monbus coach service between Madrid-Barajas Airport (Terminal 4) and Salamanca.
Or combine the Cercanías C-1 train from Terminal 4 to Madrid Chamartín with an onward Renfe long-distance train to Salamanca.
Pick up an official licensed taxi from the ranks outside the arrivals area at any terminal.
Ride-hailing services such as Uber, Bolt and Cabify can also collect you from the designated terminal pick-up areas.
“Was a great school and the teachers, students, accommodation (host family via the school), and the city were amazing. I did the super-intensive which was a really good mix of lesson types. The schedule of classes is a…”Jul 2025
“Was a great school and the teachers, students, accommodation (host family via the school), and the city were amazing. I did the super-intensive which was a r…”
“I am a Spanish teacher from Hong Kong, and last month, I brought 20 primary school students to Salamanca to attend a one-week course at Don Quijote. I wanted…”
“I really loved the atmosphere; it was so welcoming and big. The school has many different places where kids can play, so it was really fun. Everything was su…”
The key school facts, terms and travel information in one place.
After the school confirms your booking, you pay a 50% down payment within 5 days. The full payment is due 44 days before arrival.
A deposit of € 250 / $ 300 is non-refundable under any circumstances. Cancellations less than 4 weeks before the start date will incur registration fees plus the cost of 2 weeks of the program.
Cancellations up to 4 weeks before the start date: € 500 / $ 600 cancellation fee. Within 4 weeks: the full amount will be charged.
Cancellations within 2 weeks or 'no show': the cost of 4 weeks of the program plus any booked extras will be charged unless a cancellation guarantee has been purchased.
Special conditions apply for cancellations after the invitation letter for a student visa application has been sent.
All refunds are subject to a 9% administrative fee (minimum € 75 / $ 90). For overpaid amounts, a minimum administrative fee of € 35 / $ 40 will be charged.
No refund for the amount paid for the course/accommodation once the course has started.
Changes before the arrival date: € 100 / $ 120 administrative fee. After arrival: € 100 / $ 120.
Changes to start dates within 2 weeks before the arrival date: last-minute fees (2 weeks program cost plus any booked extras).
Vacation/course interruption: maximum of 1 week per 4-week block, with full accommodation costs remaining applicable. Other interruptions: € 100 / $ 120, with full housing payment required.
Not responsible for cancellations due to force majeure, health issues, or personal problems.
A deposit of € 250 / $ 300 is non-refundable under any circumstances. Cancellations less than 4 weeks before the start date will incur registration fees plus the cost of 2 weeks of the program.
Cancellations within 2 weeks or 'no show': the cost of 4 weeks of the program plus any booked extras will be charged unless a cancellation guarantee has been purchased.
No refunds or credits for cancellations of private apartment or hotel reservations.
No refund for the amount paid for the accommodation once the course has started.
Changes before the arrival date: € 100 / $ 120 administrative fee. After arrival: € 100 / $ 120.
Changes to start dates within 2 weeks before the arrival date: last-minute fees (2 weeks program cost plus any booked extras).
Vacation/course interruption: maximum of 1 week per 4-week block, with full accommodation costs remaining applicable. Other interruptions: € 100 / $ 120, with full housing payment required.
For Residents of the EU/EEA and Switzerland
For Non-EU/EEA and Swiss Citizens
Salamanca has the following national holidays. Please note that schools might be closed on these days. The school will inform you about the exact dates once you request a booking.
Practical answers about the school and your stay.
Pay easily with your preferred payment method
From €132 per week, including course materials. You pay the school price, with no extra charge.
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