Erasmus Experience in A Coruña, Spain by Fantine

Why did you choose to go to A Coruña, Spain?

I'm doing Erasmus with my sister and a friend, at first we had to go to Granada but the university only accepted 2 people, so the only other choice was A Coruña. We took it by default, but hey it's still Spain so we went for A Coruña and we weren't disappointed - only the weather was really horrible, otherwise everything else was perfect!

A Coruña, Spain

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How long are you staying for? How much is your grant?

It lasts 10 months, from September to June.

I receive about 500 € per month.

A street in A Coruña

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How is the student atmosphere in A Coruña?

It's very good! I admit that I prefer the atmosphere of the university (days out with the Spanish students etc. ) to the Erasmus atmosphere, but Erasmus associations set up in the campuses are very good, they organise many outings, for example, every week they hold are themed evenings (Tuesday is tapas night, which helps us discover more places to go out) they set up a lot of holidays too (Portugal, Asturias, Lisbon, Salamanca... ) it's excellent!

Students in A Coruña

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There are a lot of things to see in A Coruña

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Would you recommend the city and university of A Coruña to other students?

Yes I would recommend it, not for the climate obviously, but for the city, the landscapes and the surroundings. If the climate frightens you, I can tell you that I come from the island of Reunion, I hate it! But when there is a sunny day you appreciate it all the more!

I do not know about the other campuses, but I am at the INEF (Faculty of Sports Science and Physical Education) and it's great! The place is very beautiful, right next to the beach, the teachers are very attentive, the students are great.

If you do not like the urban/city side you should live on the Santa Cruz side, Santa Cristina (although it depends on where your campus is) if not, you can live in town, which also has a lot of advantages I suppose, everything is close by).

Did you have difficulties finding accommodation in A Coruña?

It was difficult in the sense that we had just arrived, with no point of reference, we did not really know if we wanted to live in the city or someplace nearby, what transport we would need to make the trips. Honestly, it was hard at the very beginning, but Athere is an association called "A Coruña Erasmus" which offered us a "mentor" to help us during our first few days in A Coruña, and they organized apartment visits in the city with an agency. In the end we chose to live outside the city, we did not need it (we looked on the internet).

What is the cheapest way to get to A Coruña from your city?

I live in Santa Cristina, in the day I usually take the bus to go to town, it is 1. 50 euros (half price if you get the card which you can buy at the bus station). There is no bus after 10pm, if I need to go to town in the evening, I take a taxi (the taxi is cheap if you share it with other people, usually I go with my roommates so it's not very expensive, less than 10€ in total).

Maria Pita square

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