Liverpool Year Abroad > Best and Worst

Spain

What did you do? Erasmus student
Where did you live? Flat with other students
What was the accommodation like? Quite good
What was the cost of living like? Rent and food comparatively low
What was the transport system like? Excellent bus service and frequent trains to Madrid
How was the social life? Brilliant - although many of my friends were other British students. It's a good idea to make an effort to make friends with local students.
Favourite place to eat?
Favourite place to drink? Kingston's bar
Favourite place to visit? Madrid
What not to miss? Get to the south of Spain especially Andalucia and the Alhambra
What to avoid? Going out alone at night
Any advice to students? Try and mix as much as possible with local students

What did you do? Erasmus student
Where did you live? Flats
What was the accommodation like? Lots of choice at a high standard and cheap
What was the cost of living like? Normal
What was the transport system like? Good
How was the social life?
Favourite place to eat? Pollo de Alcala
Favourite place to drink? Everywhere!
Favourite place to visit? Madrid
What not to miss? Anything organised for exchange students- you make loads of contacts
What to avoid? Don't go anywhere alone
Any advice to students? Be well prepared before you get there and arrive at least two weeks before term begins. Have all the documents you need at hand.

Alicante

What did you do? Erasmus student
Where did you live? Shared flat
What was the accommodation like? Very nice. In good area (campoamer) and quite central. 150 euros per month plus water and electricity
What was the cost of living like? Very reasonable especially food and drink
What was the transport system like? All buses pass regularly. Discount with NUS card (carne jouen). But there is only one bus which goes to the uni so it is always busy
How was the social life? Fantastic - most definitely the best aspect of the city
Favourite place to eat? Lizarran - tapas bar - on La Rambla
Favourite place to drink? Havana and La Mision because they place good music and give discount cards to students
Favourite place to visit? The beach because it was only a 20 min walk from my flat
What not to miss? The visits organised by the international office (at the university) to other cities
What to avoid? Walking along the beach front at night
Any advice to students?

What did you do? Student
Where did you live? Shared flat
What was the accommodation like? Very good
What was the cost of living like? Reasonable - food and drink is cheaper than Britain
What was the transport system like? Excellent
How was the social life?
Favourite place to eat?
Favourite place to drink? El Barrio el Puerto
Favourite place to visit? Castillo - excellent sculpture collection
What not to miss? Las Fallas on 24th June
What to avoid? Beware - there are lots of bag snatchers
Any advice to students? Enjoy yourself - don't just study

Barcelona

What did you do? Student
Where did you live? L'Eixample
What was the accommodation like? Good
What was the cost of living like? More expensive than other areas of Spain
What was the transport system like? Very good, metro easy to use and good bus service
How was the social life? Brilliant!
Favourite place to eat? Mussol or El Glop
Favourite place to drink? Calle Mari Cobi and Satalo area, Paza del Sol or Born areas
Favourite place to visit? All typical Gaudi features
What not to miss?
What to avoid? Walking around on your own at night
Any advice to students? Beware of your belongings and valuables - there are lots of pickpockets

What did you do? Erasmus student
Where did you live? Flat with other students
What was the accommodation like? Quite good
What was the cost of living like? Rent was comparably low as was food
What was the transport system like? Excellent metro system and buses
How was the social life? Brilliant - although many of my friends were other British students. It's a good idea to make an effort to make friends with local students.
Favourite place to eat? Spanish fast food - places like Kodilla, Pant & Company, Boccatta
Favourite place to drink? Morencjnum complex
Favourite place to visit? Hospital de Sont Plu
What not to miss? Go to the south of Spain - Andalucia
What to avoid? Eating out alone or walking alone at night
Any advice to students? Try and mix as much as possible with local students and go to places they go. Join local clubs.

Cordoba

What did you do? Student
Where did you live? In a shared flat with other Spanish students
What was the accommodation like? Clean and spacious. Very cheap and good value for money
What was the cost of living like? Much cheaper than the UK - plus this is also one of the cheapest areas to live within Spain
What was the transport system like? Efficient and cheap
How was the social life? Lively but not many clubs, mainly bars. Not a great students social scene, more a mixture of ages
Favourite place to eat? Casa Pepe de la Juderia, Dona Elena tapas bar, Ciudad Jardin
Favourite place to drink? O'Donnahughes and places around Cuidad Jardin where the students go
Favourite place to visit? The Alcazar Gardens, Salon de Te in the Juderia and Arab baths
What not to miss? The Feria in May. Semana Santa processions and the Festival of Patios also in May.
What to avoid? Sectur Sur - the area on the south of the river
Any advice to students?

Madrid

What did you do? University. First semester in Paris, second semester in Madrid.
Where did you live? Sol (centre), Flat with 4 other girls
What was the accommodation like? Centre of city so always busy. Big flat but not very modern (like all Spanish flats though!) Very cheap rent for location.
What was the cost of living like? A lot cheaper compared to Paris and quite cheap considering its a capital city. Food in supermarkets is a bit more expensive.
What was the transport system like? Metro system, buses and trains. All very efficient, modern and clean. My metro pass cost a bit more as my university campus was outside of Madrid (69 Euros). If you are not 21 until May of that academic year you can get a Joven pass which is more or less half the price.
How was the social life? Excellent nightlife. Quite expensive compared to Liverpool but worth it. About 15 Euros entrance fee but with 1 or 2 free drinks. Lots of student nights through the week. Individual bars are quite cheap though.
Favourite place to eat? 100 montaditos (restaurant which serves warm baguettes with over 100 fillings, very very cheap and nice food)
Favourite place to drink? Lots of places! nightclubs: Joy or Kapital. On a Wednesday there is a student night in Orange Cafe. You will probably spend a few nights in Dubliners Irish bar in Sol too!
Favourite place to visit? Not much to do in Madrid of a day. There is the palace and museums etc. but Toledo is worth a visit.
What not to miss? The nightlife! Although there is not as much to do in Madrid in the day, you will find something to fill time, even if its just sitting in Retiro park.
What to avoid? Walking alone at night. Don't carry lots of money around or use mobile/iPod in crowded places.
Any advice to students? Just be aware of who is around you, there is quite a lot of pickpockets but other than that its a safe city. Act confident when you are out in the streets and as if you know where you are going. Try not to walk around with a map in your hand!!!

What did you do? I was a student
Where did you live? In private accommodation
What was the accommodation like? Very difficult to find but otherwise OK
What was the cost of living like? Cheap compared to Britain and more expensive than the rest of Spain
What was the transport system like? Very good and cheap
How was the social life? Very good as well, lots to do at any time of day or night
Favourite place to eat? Quite a few veggie restaurants but everywhere else was quite difficult if you're vegetarian.
Favourite place to drink? Anywhere, there are tons of bars and cafes in Madrid
Favourite place to visit? The Reina Sofia art gallery and Plaza del Oriente
What not to miss? Try to go to the old towns around Madrid; Toledo, Segovia, El Escorial
What to avoid? Be very careful of pickpockets and thieves as they are rife in Spain as a whole
Any advice to students? Try to sort out accommodation in advance if you're going as an independent student

What did you do? I was a student
Where did you live? Private accommodation
What was the accommodation like? Difficult to find but central and not too expensive
What was the cost of living like? Much cheaper than the UK
What was the transport system like? Excellent metro system and regular buses
How was the social life? A lot of fun and places to go
Favourite place to eat? An Italian restaurant near Sol
Favourite place to drink? Irish pubs
Favourite place to visit? Reina Sofia art gallery
What not to miss? Trip to El Escorial
What to avoid? Certain areas of the Retrio park
Any advice to students? Live with Spanish people and spend as much time talking Spanish as possible - it's easy to spend the year with virtually all English speakers

What did you do? Erasmus student
Where did you live? What was the accommodation like? In a flat in Goya within main area in Madrid. I lived with 2 German girls, a Spanish girl and friend from Liverpool.
What was the cost of living like? Expensive! Compared to rest of Spain (about 80 a week but I had a huge room!) you can find cheaper accommodation in Madrid but I was right in the centre.
What was the transport system like? Brilliant! Metro gets a bit annoying when you are constantly on it but very reliable and makes it easy to get everywhere .
How was the social life? Brilliant! a lot of international student nights but they are hard to find out about really.
Favourite place to eat? Kebab shop! in sol. Kebab, chips and a beer for only 5 euros! Also VIPS, nice yet cheap food.
Favourite place to drink? Irish bars
Favourite place to visit? Segovia or Toledo
What not to miss? Visits to Segovia and Toledo, and visit the Reina Sofia, Thyssen and Prado museums.
What to avoid? Don't go home on your own at night, and if you do make sure you get a taxi to your door ask the taxi driver to wait while you go in. Taxis are really cheap as well!
Any advice to students? Goya was a brilliant area, lots of shops nearby and only 4 stops from Sol, but it took a while to get to university. I learnt a lot from my year abroad including a lot of grammar! We went to Antonio Nebrija University and you definitely learn a lot there. Try to speak as much Spanish as possible but its quite hard in Madrid as they are so many people from other countries there (mostly Americans and Germans).

Malaga

What did you do? Student
Where did you live? A flat which was advertised in the local newspaper
What was the accommodation like? Basic but spacious and have everything I wanted
What was the cost of living like? Very cheap 25-30 per week
What was the transport system like? Very good - buses and trains very reliable
How was the social life? Fantastic - loads of bars and clubs

Mallorca

What did you do? Work Placement
Where did you live? Palma de Mallorca in shared flat with other students
What was the accommodation like? Compared to others, our flat is huge! Area not the safest place to be after dark but there's weekly market about 2 minutes away for really cheap fruit/veg and we're close enough to shops etc. either 10-15 minute walk or bus stop to centre about 500m from the flat
What was the cost of living like? It's ok, the most expensive thing is accommodation but it's quite easy to find somewhere cheaper if you have a limited budget, probably with other students who are in the same boat! Weekly shopping isn't so expensive especially if you use the local markets for all your fresh fruit and veg. If you fancy a meal or few drinks out, it won't break the bank as there's some great tapas bars which are really good value for money
What was the transport system like? Really good. Bus service for all major routes of city which is really reliable and cheap (with your bus card only costs 0.40€ or less)
How was the social life? Good fun
Favourite place to eat? Loads! La Lonja has loads of restaurants from Italian to Tapas so always find something nice to eat there. Great Sushi Bar past C/31 de Diciembre where can eat all you want for only 8€ and El Botxo is fab for really nice meal and few drinks - there is beer pump in the middle of all the tables which of course is great fun!
Favourite place to drink? Again there's a few....Hogan's is great if you fancy a drink in pub atmosphere and I really like Kaelum, where you can have a drink and a boogie later on! Favourite club is Abraxas or can always check out Magaluf when it's summer season
Favourite place to visit? Beaches are always good - Illetes is really nice, easy to get to and has some great views
What not to miss? There always seems to be some sort of event planned from live concerts to easter celebrations so try and get involved and enjoy something a bit different
What to avoid? Going out alone at night and nagging neighbours! Also when your out and about keep an eye on your bag
Any advice to students? Palma is a great city and there's always something to do. If you ever fancy getting away from the city, that's dead easy as there's buses or renting a car here is quite cheap. Also when you can, make friends with local students as it will help loads with your language and gives you a group of friends to go out with! I hope I have learnt to live on my own and deal with life's little everyday problems! Made lots of new friends that I wouldn't have otherwise met and hopefully improved my language skills

Valencia

What did you do? Language Assistant with the British Council
Where did you live? Valencia capital, Russafa district, sharing a flat with a Spanish girl and two English girls.
What was the accommodation like? The flat is about a 10/15 minute walk south of the city centre (main train station, shops etc). The flat is on a busy avenue but its useful for public transport. Although one disadvantage is that there isn't a metro station nearby. It's about a 25 minute walk (short bus ride) to Blasco Ibaez (main avenue for student night outs) and to the uni (one of flat mates is an Erasmus student). The accommodation is cheap for what it is (180 monthly rent, 20 extra for bills and 15 for internet, cable, landline). But we've been a bit jammy. I looked round several flats at first and not many had access to internet etc. This flat is quite large and so a bit more than most. Most people paying between 130 and 200 a month. It's worth holding out for a nice flat. Don't panic and take the first and also its worth paying a bit extra for somewhere decent.
What was the cost of living like? Very cheap compared to England (and apparently France). The local supermarkets and market are very reasonable although the Spanish say everything has gone up drastically since the Euro introduced. I can buy monthly bus/metro pass for 23 euros (with carnet joven >26) and I can buy mobile pay as you go sim card for roughly 26 (15-18 credit to begin with). Alcohol is very cheap in supermarkets (a bottle of wine minimum 1.25 and a bottle of beer 0.95). It can be quite expensive to drink in clubs though especially in non-student areas (Barrio del Carmen: 6-8 a drink). You can eat out (3 courses for between 10-12). Taxis quite cheap - not often more than 7/8 as city isn't massive.
What was the transport system like? Transport is very good, much better than at home - punctual, clean, cheap and got TV's on buses! You can get around very easily but only problem is metro and buses stop quite early at night, especially considering Valencia is Spain's third biggest city. Around the Valencia region the transport is not bad either except on Sundays. I've been working in a quite rural town, where there is no train station and only a few buses a day from and to the city but it's still manageable. Valencia airport is the nearest, 10/15 minutes in taxi from city, Alicante next and then Barcelona. Be careful of flight times as public transport from both of these to Valencia city after 8pm isn't always great.
How was the social life? Fab. Lots of different areas and lots of variety. Valencian's don't stop and typically eat/go out very late. A pub here closes at 3.30am and nobody goes to clubs until after this (open until 7am or later). Student night tends to be Thursdays. A few Irish pubs Sally's, Finnegan's etc, were you will always hear English. Carmen is expensive to go out in (more Spanish and often older) but really nice. Blasco Ibaez has Warhol and much more (more students) and Gran Via has loads of Spanish pubs and clubs but often a bit smaller and very busy. Jam (club off Gran Via) gets loads of students and is very busy. Outside Valencia, main clubs are Bananas (bit tackier a lot of younger Spanish teenagers) and others like Guru are not too far away in taxi. Lots of Cinemas everywhere (4-5). Films in original version are shown in Cines Babel off Cardenal Benlloch (big avenue). Only when available but perfect for when you are sick of watching, eating, living Spanish! It will happen, occasionally. Also lots of football matches in the Mestalla Stadium, Avenida Aragon. Big club matches with Barcelona and Real Madrid as well as smaller clubs but bigger matches mean more expensive tickets.
Favourite place to eat? Some really gorgeous places around Plaza de la Reina and back streets of Carmen. Gorgeous tapas in "Segardi" Av. San Vicente Mrtir (top end near Plaza Redonda). Maramao is really nice little Italian restaurant off Calle Caballeros and Moma Cafe behind McDonalds on Plaza de la Reina. There are plenty more everywhere offering Spanish Paella, Tapas and Salads. Not many other types of food available but good pizzas, pastas etc in Diablitos C/Pollo y Peyrolo. Spicy food not very popular but sushi and other types esp. vegetarian(!) food on the increase.
Favourite place to drink? Most places... but Carmen nice although expensive and around Gran Via, oh and Plaza Xuquer off Blasco Ibaez.
Favourite place to visit? The river bed is really nice to visit on sunny days (most days!), lots of runners, walkers, footballers, cyclists, dogs, kids and families. You can also walk past Palau de la Musica and up to the Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias. Beware this can be dodgy in places and not recommended at night time. You've got to climb to top of Cathedral for birds eye view of Valencia only 1.20 but beware of old people on excursions and very narrow staircase. The beach is fab but not the nicest in the region - Gandia and those further south much nicer and Benicassim in Castelln region. Alicante is nice to visit out of season too, played down a lot. Go to La Albufera for a day out - so much to see in city but important to try and get out (particularly for Erasmus students) and about or will miss a lot of the region. I wouldn't have seen half as much if I hadn't have had to go out of the city to work.
What not to miss? See above but obviously Fallas too.
What to avoid? Bullfights if squeamish, old people and ground floor flats as noise can be ridiculous.
Any advice to students? This is a really nice city to live in. It's big enough to not get bored but not too big to get drastically lost or feel unsafe. I haven't witnessed much crime although several homeless people and beggars. Valencia airport isn't very big or accessible from the many parts of the UK cheaply but its a really nice part of Spain and is accessible from Barcelona and Alicante. The weather is fabulous all year round and it's still cheap in comparison with the bigger cities. Well recommended.

best and worst

Spain