Virgen de la Concha Hospital in Zamora: how to get to an appointment from Toro, Benavente, Sanabria and Sayago, with which options and how a transfer with waiting time is organised
Virgen de la Concha Hospital, in the city of Zamora, is the main hospital of the Zamora Healthcare Complex, the reference for almost the whole province, and every day it receives patients from districts more than an hour away: from Puebla de Sanabria it is 111 km and about 95 min; from Benavente, 68 km; from Bermillo de Sayago, 41 km; from Toro, 38 km. The bus from those districts runs a few times a day and does not fit an early appointment or a test that ends mid-afternoon. Medical transport is prescribed by the doctor when there is a clinical reason; for everything else, the transfer with a driver is a car with a fixed price, waiting during the appointment and the return to the village, from 58,84 € from Toro.
Written by Ridelta - Taxi y VTC · reviewed on 27 October 2026
What is Virgen de la Concha Hospital and whom does it serve?
The Virgen de la Concha is the main hospital of the Zamora Healthcare Complex, run by Sacyl, Castilla y León's public health service; alongside it work the Provincial Hospital, in the capital itself, and the Benavente District Hospital, which serves the north of the province. It lies in the eastern part of the city, on Avenida de Requejo, with car access from the ring road and parking nearby that fills up mid-morning. It is where specialist appointments, tests and operations for almost the whole province are concentrated, which is why every working day patients arrive from Sanabria, Aliste, Sayago, Tierra de Campos and the Tierra del Vino.
The province page describes it plainly: the Virgen de la Concha receives patients from Sanabria, Benavente and Tierra de Campos who often drive more than an hour for an appointment, and for some specialities patients are referred to Salamanca or Valladolid. Zamora is also one of the most aged provinces in Spain, with many patients who no longer drive, who live alone in small villages and whose children work away. For them, the problem with a nine o'clock appointment is not the consultation but the kilometres to be covered before and after it.
How long does it take from Toro, Benavente, Sanabria and Sayago?
The figures are those of the route engine, in daytime and with no incidents. The nearby districts: Toro to the hospital, 38 km and about 31 min along the Duero road; Fuentesaúco, in the Tierra del Vino, 40 km; Villalpando, in Tierra de Campos, 52 km. The north: Benavente to the hospital, 68 km and about 50 min along the A-66, the trip for anyone with a speciality the District Hospital does not cover. These are journeys of under an hour that a car makes effortlessly and the bus turns into half a day of waiting and changes.
The west and the north-west are another matter. Puebla de Sanabria to the hospital is 111 km and about 95 min, along the A-52 to Rionegro del Puente and the N-631 to Zamora, with mountain stretches that have ice and fog in winter. Bermillo de Sayago to the hospital, 41 km along the Sayago road, and from Fermoselle, in the Arribes, considerably more. Alcañices to the hospital, 62 km along the N-122, the Portugal road, with no large town on the way. These are districts where the province page says the bus to the capital runs a few times a day, and often on weekdays only.
What options are there for getting to an appointment: bus, your own car, medical transport or a driver?
The intercity bus is the cheap option and the one that fits a medical appointment worst: from Sanabria, Aliste or Sayago there are few departures, arrival in Zamora rarely matches an early appointment and the return means waiting hours in the city after a test. Your own car requires someone to drive, park near the hospital and be able to wait; for an older person going alone, or for someone leaving a test after sedation or with an eye patched, it is not an option. Non-urgent medical transport exists, but it is not an on-demand service: the doctor prescribes it when the patient's condition justifies it, Sacyl manages it and it has its own timetables and shared routes.
The transfer with a driver is an ordinary car, not medical transport, and it serves most appointments, tests and check-ups where the patient can travel seated without medical assistance. You book with the appointment time, the driver collects at home with the margin for the journey, drops at the hospital door, waits for as long as the appointment lasts and takes the patient back to the village; the price is fixed before booking and includes the waiting time stated. A son or daughter can book it from away for their mother, with her phone number on the booking, and ask for an adapted vehicle if a wheelchair is needed. What the platform does is on the help page and the over-65s page.
How is a transfer with waiting time organised for an appointment?
With three details: the pickup address in the village, the appointment time and an estimate of how long it will last, which the calculator turns into a fixed price for the outbound trip, the wait and the return. If the appointment overruns, the patient or their family give notice from the app or by phone and the wait is adjusted under the published conditions; if it finishes early, the driver is at the door. For long tests, such as a contrast scan or a check-up across several clinics, it is worth saying so when booking. At the hospital, the pickup is agreed at the outpatients entrance or the main door, and the driver confirms by message when parked nearby.
For anyone with regular appointments, dialysis aside, which is medical transport, the recurring transfer is arranged once and repeated every week or month with the same driver when possible, which for an older person counts as much as the car. The province's care homes and day centres and the private clinics in Zamora can open an account and receive a monthly invoice with one line per service; how a recurring transfer is arranged is explained in the knowledge centre. In winter, from Sanabria and Aliste, the driver checks the state of the N-631 and the N-122 the day before and suggests leaving earlier if there is an ice warning.
And referrals to Salamanca and Valladolid?
Some specialities and tests are not done in Zamora and Sacyl refers patients to the University Hospital of Salamanca, south along the A-66, or to the Valladolid hospitals, east via Toro and Tordesillas. From Zamora to Salamanca it is 66 km and about 52 min; to Valladolid, 101 km. From Benavente, Salamanca is 134 km along the same A-66, and from Toro, Valladolid is 67 km. These referrals usually have a fixed date, first thing in the morning, and the train is no help: Zamora station looks to Madrid and Galicia, not to Salamanca or Valladolid.
A referral transfer is booked like one to the Virgen de la Concha, with the destination hospital and the appointment time, and the driver waits and brings the patient home the same day. For a scheduled admission, it is best to book only the outbound trip and leave the return for when there is a discharge date. For a relative travelling daily to visit someone admitted in Salamanca or Valladolid, the recurring transfer with the same timetable avoids deciding every morning how to get there. And for a second opinion or a private clinic in Madrid, the province's routes to central Madrid and to the Madrid hospitals are published with their price.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Puebla de Sanabria to Virgen de la Concha Hospital with a driver?
The published "from" fare is 148,89 € per car for 111 km; the calculator gives the exact price with the address, the appointment time and the wait. From Bermillo de Sayago, from 63,82 €.
Is it medical transport?
No. It is a car with a driver for patients who can travel seated without medical assistance. Medical transport, urgent or non-urgent, is prescribed by the doctor and managed by Sacyl; if your case needs it, ask at your health centre.
Does the driver wait during the appointment and take me back to the village?
Yes. You book the outbound trip, the wait and the return as a single service, with the appointment time and an estimate of its length; if it overruns, you give notice and the wait is adjusted under the conditions published on the help page.
Can I book the transfer for my mother, who lives in a village in Aliste?
Yes. You book in her name with her address and phone number, and the driver rings her on arrival; say whether she needs help with a walking stick or an adapted vehicle. From Alcañices to the hospital it is 62 km.
Do you do transfers for a referral to Salamanca or Valladolid?
Yes, with the destination hospital and the appointment time, with waiting and a same-day return if wanted. From Zamora to Salamanca it is 66 km along the A-66 and to Valladolid 101 km via Toro and Tordesillas.
Sources
- Sacyl · Complejo Asistencial de Zamora: Hospital Virgen de la Concha (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Sacyl · transporte sanitario no urgente: quién lo prescribe y cómo se solicita (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Junta de Castilla y León · transporte público interurbano de viajeros en la provincia de Zamora (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Ministerio de Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible · red de carreteras del Estado: A-66, N-122 y N-631 (consulted on 27 October 2026)
How we write, where the figures come from and how we correct an error: editorial policy.
The specialities each hospital covers, the referrals and the criteria for medical transport belong to Sacyl and change; what counts is what your health centre says. Distances and times are those of the route engine in daytime with no incidents; the exact price, including the wait, comes from the calculator with date and time, and waiting and cancellation conditions are those on the help page on the date consulted.