Erasmus Experience in Bilbao, Spain by Carmen

What is the student lifestyle like in Bilbao?

Studying in Bilbao can be really tiring if one isn't used to the long hours of classes and doesn't know already the language well enought to follow the lectures, but the university offers free language courses and it's easy to find nice people to hang out with.

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

If you have the possibility to go somewhere else, then do it. It's not like I hate Bilbao or the UPV/EHU, just I don't think it offers the best experience.

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What is the food like?

Food isn't great. Local food has a taste either too strong or too bland and if you want to eat well you have to spend a lot -but then again, I guess it's the same almost everywhere? You can find little typical street food, unless you want to consider pintxos part of it.

Really, there's a lot of pintxos of any kind and of any size in every bar and they are also very cheap (especially on Thursday, in case your interesed). So, if pintxos are you jam, buen aprovecho!

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

Yes, there are language courses for free at university in Bilbao. The language can be easy or difficult depending on the mother tongue of the student. As an Italian I could get used to castillano fast enough -but it's still hard for me to speak it- and I know a lot of Erasmus students from Portugal and France that had near no problem to attend the Advanced Spanish Class.

Euskera, on the other end, is very difficult.

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

It's extremely difficult to reach Bilbao from my city. I took a flight to Madrid -Barcelona could have worked as well- because it was cheap enough, and from there I took a train to Bilbao.

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

Personally I love calle Somera. Probably the only street where you can chill with your friends and have a beer.

Also I'd recommend Muelle, on the river side near casco viejo. Nice place and good music, if you like "nice" stuff, but not too indie, you'd love it.

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

Bring an umbrella and a tank top, 'cause it's going to rain for weeks and then it's going to be hot (even in February!. )And bring a lot of patience as well!