Experiencia Erasmus en Barcelona, España de Gabriel

Why did you choose to go to Barcelona, Spain?

Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in Europe because of the architecture, party and well known gastronomy of Spain also you can find whatever you want. Barcelona is a plural city with places for bohemian, hipsters, heavy, modern, rich, etc.

What is the student lifestyle like in Barcelona?

The students are nice and for sure you will know new people and always there will be time for party with classmates and other people, at night you will find always somewhere to go and every Thursday there are parties focused on university students although if you prefer Friday or Saturday are also good options.

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

Of course I recommend Barcelona universities as UB, UAB, UPC, UPF, etc which are considered as one of the best universities in Spain and in Europe are not far away of the top.

What is the food like?

The food is good if you want and bad if you choose that what I mean is that you will find everything, luckily it is a Mediterranean city and that means the Mediterranean diet will be present and it is easy to have access to that, furthermore Spain is famous because of the "tapas" and paella and Barcelona is not exempt of that.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Barcelona?

There are a lot of buildings and you can find different prices depending of the zone, the best option if you are a student is to share a flat with other students which is commonly done between students in Barcelona.

How much does it cost to live in Barcelona?

It is not cheap in the center of Barcelona but there are lots of options of price if you share the flat and the public transport is very good so if you don't live near the center you will arrive there quickly in metro.

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

You can always speak English with the students but only young people will speak English so you will need a minimum of Spanish to survive and the universities use to give class of different language so that is a good option but you will find other places to study Spanish.

Always you can ask a Spanish friend to help you with the language and avoid an academy the choose is yours.

Catalan is other language spoken in Barcelona between students you will sometimes listen it but with Spanish you won't need to learn Catalan although you always will be able to learn some word.

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

Depending of what are you looking for, it is insane how many options there are so you will find the place that fits you more if you search well.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

You can visit La Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, Casa Batlló, Parc Güell by Antoni Gaudi, also you can visit Montjuic with the MNAC and awesome views of the city, other place with amazing views is Tibidabo. Other option is to take Las Golondrinas in the port at the end of Las Ramblas other characteristic place of Barcelona. If you wanna go to shopping Passeig de Gracia and Portal de l'Àngel is your option and you will arrive to the Catedral of Barcelona from the middle age and it is localized in the Gothic neighborhood.

If you wanna go to the beach I recommend go to a town near Barcelona like Sitges, Garraf, Castelldefels, etc., going by train is faster and cheaper with the same ticket that going with metro, you should look with ticket option match best for you so I recommend you to ask before buy it.

Spain and Catalonia have great places to visit so if you have the time visit other places the train is always a good option.

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Barcelona in the future?

Enjoy the experience!