Experience in Barcelona, Spain by Maria

What is it like to live in Barcelona? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

There are many things that are great about Barcelona, so if you live there, I would recommend to take a day or two on each week that you will stay in the city to visit it. Maybe one day you go to eat to restaurants and bars that are the most popular, another day you could go sight seeing (although you will need much more than one day), you can go partying, etc.
Barcelona is a very special city, if you know where to go, it can really be beautiful.

What is the student lifestyle like in Barcelona?

Well, before COVID it was amazing. Now it still is but there are things that for now we can’t do. We could go out with our friends all the time, there are many places you can go to hang out, even walking around the neighborhoods is a cool plan, because they are so beautiful. There are also many commerces, nightclubs, parks, beaches, and places you can go.

How much does it cost to live in Barcelona?

It depends on the quality of lifestyle that you have. If you want to save and stay on your budget, you can find rooms in shared apartments for 200-400€ per month, restaurants can be expensive, but not all of them, you can easily find menus in restaurants for 14€. But the best way to save up is going to buy food at the supermarket (I think that the cheapest is Lidl, then Mercadona).
If you aren’t on a budget then you can find really cool studios or apartments for yourself from 600€ (although the best places are more than 800€).

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Barcelona? Is there any advice you can give?

It’s not very difficult, you can find places in Idealista, Habitaclia and many other websites. On Instagram there are accounts only for people who looks for roommates and that rents rooms, and you can send an offer easily.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Delicious. Bravas are the best, but also paella, chipirones, musclos al vapor, fish made ‘al suquet’, croquetas, potato omelette (that one is provably my favorite, but there are many ways to do it and it’s hard to find a place that REALLY does it well), and many many other dishes.
Do NOT go eat at any restaurant at the Raval street, they are extremely expensive and the quality is extremely low.

What places would you recommend visiting in Barcelona?

The Gotic neighborhood, the Ciutadella park, the Casa Batllo and the Pedrera, the Gaudi Park, the Sagrada Familia (I recommend to go inside, but you have to pay for it), the shops at Portal de l’Àngel, at Passeig de Gràcia.

Is it good to eat out in Barcelona? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Yes. It’s great and I love that there are many places that have very different kinds of food. My favorite is Nomo, a restaurant that makes a fusion between Japanese food and Mediterranean food.
Sagàs is a restaurant that makes delicious and ecologic sandwiches, they have really good quality.
There are many others but I can’t say all of them.

Is the nightlife good in Barcelona? Where is good to go?

It’s amazing. Razzmatazz is just perfect, no dress code, different rooms with different styles of music, and all the students go there (specially on Wednesdays). Apolo is also great, then there’s Pacha (most turists go there).
The ones that are most elegant and posh are Bling Bling, Sutton and Costa Breve.

What advice would you give future students heading to Barcelona?

Just enjoy