Erasmus Experience in Lisbon, Portugal by Violetta

Why did you choose to go to Lisbon, Portugal?

Because of my interests of that region of Europe.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

Two months. 500 euro. Partly only.

What is the student lifestyle like in Lisbon?

It's very poor.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Lisbon to other students?

There are a few reasons, two of them are:

• to discover the region and culture
• to visit libraries and find out more about my interests. I don´t have access to local magazines and daily news.

What is the food like?

Lisbon's bars, restaurants offer fastfoods but also local cuisine which is very good, lots of sea food and also meat. If you like fruits this is a place when you can find fruits which are not popular in the northern part of Europe. There are fresh and taste very good.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Lisbon?

Yes. If you want to find an accommodation, you have to pay for registering on webpage.

How much does it cost to live in Lisbon?

It is very costly. For exemple:

1. Monthly accomodation is about 300 euro.
2. Transport card for 1 month (including: buses, tram and metro) - about 33 euro + issuing a transport card (normal) 7 euro.
3. National Library of Lisbon - card for one year 12 euro.
4. Daily expenses for food, it is about 10-15 euro.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available in the University?

I don´t know. I don´t have a Portuguese course. I can speak Spanish and English.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Lisbon from your city?

The easiest way is a plane (other ways are also expensive)- about 260 EURO (round trip).

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Lisbon?

Walk and visit an old town, near the Atlantic Ocean.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Lisbon?

Particularly no, all of them are located close to the old town. I like most of them.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

I recommend to visit the old town. Its a quite huge área with very wonderful buildings and monuments which are worth seeing.

Is there any other advice that you could give to future students who are going to Lisbon?

Not yet. I went to Lisbon 3 weeks ago.