My Experience in Burgos, Spain by Rocio

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What's it like living in Burgos? Would you recommend it?

Burgos, the historic capital of Castile, is a fantastic city in my opinion, above all from an architectural, culinary and landscape point of view.

It's located directly on St James's Trail and is one of the cities with the highest amount of green areas in all of Spain.

The city is an elegant one, situated on the Arlanzón river. It is steeped in history and has an unending list of monuments which are must-see sights, such as the Gothic Cathedral, Saint Mary's Archway, Saint John's Monastery, the Cardinal López of Mendoza Institute, the Paseo de la Isla and Burgos' old city wall.

The recent discoveries of more prehistoric archaeological sites in Atapuerca have transformed Burgos into a city of worldwide interest.

I would describe Burgos as a comfortable place to live. It's a city that has everything, rather large in size with 180, 000 inhabitants, but it's no seething metropolis like Madrid. Of course, this all depends on what your personal preferences are, but if you like peace and quiet sometimes, you'll definitely find it here. A walk along the Paseo de la Isla is very calming, and if you want a good dose of entertainment, go out for tapas late on a Friday night or go to one of the many concerts organised by El Hangar (another little jewel of Burgos, a practically brand new music centre where hundreds of musicians perform every week, which enjoys the latest technology and a main space where artists from all over the world can display their work) and you'll see what I mean.

If you're one of those people who hate having to take three metros and spending two hours getting to work, you'll enjoy living in a place with amazing things to discover, and if you're a foodie, you've definitely found the right place.

What's the student life like in Burgos?

The student atmosphere in Burgos is very good. There are several universities, such as the UBU (University of Burgos), the Polytechnic and the Art School, so a wide variety of students is always guaranteed.

In Burgos, we have our own party day every week - a Thursday for the university students. It's the day all students go out on, and on certain Thursday you can go to events organised by different faculties, such as themed parties with free drinks.

How expensive is it living in Burgos?

Burgos is a pretty affordable city, in that accommodation, food, transport and leisure activities are all cheap.

Accommodation: The typical student budget usually restricts you a bit in this area, but don't worry, you definitely won't have any problems finding somewhere to live - you can rent a flat with friends or stay in one of the student halls of residences.

Food: There are loads of places to eat here. It's true that there are no ultra cheap places you can just go to every day, but supermarket prices are fine, the food is good quality and there's lots of choice available. My personal advice to you would be to go to Mercadona. It's an excellent supermarket which offers good value for money, where you'll also find a good selection of cosmetic and beauty products. It even has its own brand, Deliplus, which is very affordable and offers a good variety of products.

Transport: There are only buses in Burgos. At first, this might seem a little strange, but as it's not a huge place nor does it have a huge amount of inhabitants, a metro isn't really necessary for you to be able to get from one place to another comfortably. With a family bus card, you pay as little as 6 cents for one journey, and with single tickets, it will costs you 1. 10 euros.

Leisure: It's true that Burgos is lacking a bit in this area (in my opinion), since it's not a city which hosts a lot of events, but the ones it does have are fantastic. You can go to the cinema for six euros, spend the day at the ice rink for three euros and go for tapas for ten euros.

Did you find it hard to find somewhere to live in Burgos? Do you have any tips for flat-hunting?

If you're a student looking for accommodation in Burgos, you have two options:

1. University Halls of Residences. There are multiple options here, with some halls more affordable than others. Here's a list of the options, and links to where you can find descriptions of them and contact details.
   • University Hall 'Camino de Santiago' (Zone 1)
   • University Hall 'San Agustín' (Zone 2)

   These are the only two I can give my opinion on, since I have friends who live there and have therefore been able to check the places out first hand. It's a fantastic residence, the building is lovely and it has lots of benefits such as a floor with study zones, a library, an art room, a computer room, WiFi and a photography room. There are also vending machines, two TV rooms and basketball and paddle courts for leisure time. There's also a gym.

   The only negative thing about these halls is their price - we're talking 620 euros per month for a shared room here, or 760 per month for an individual room (full board).

   • Colegio Mayor 'San Jerónimo' (Zone 3)
   • Hall 'Gil de Siloé' (Zone 4)
   • Hall 'Sunser' (Zone 5)
   • Hall 'Sagrado Corazón' (Zone 6)
   • Hall 'Estela' (Zone 7)
   • Hall 'Santa Rafaela Mª Esclavas del Sagrado Corazón' (Zone 8)
   • Hall 'María Inmaculada'
   • Hall 'Santa María Reina'
   • Hall 'Madres Reparadoras'
   • Hall 'Úrsula Benincasa'
   • Hall 'Santamaría' (Salesianos)

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2. Rent a flat. In my opinion, it's best to do this with a group of friends, as it'll be cheaper for you all and a much more enriching experience.

What's the food like in Burgos? What are your favourite dishes?

Burgos was selected as the Spanish Gastronomy Capital of 2013. This proves that it's not just me being biased when I say that the food in Burgos is fantastic!

Almost everything is based around roast or grilled lamb (I know this is nothing to write home about, but trust me, save up and try the lamb one day).

My other favourites are the rice pudding and fresh cheese which carry the name of Burgos all over the globe, not forgetting cured sheep cheese, or legumes like the Ibeas red beans, used in one of the most popular stews from Burgos, 'olla podrida'.

It's so hard to choose what my favourites are! If we're talking about traditional food, first I have to say roast lamb, but I also can't neglect potato tortillas - I love them.

What places would you recommend visiting in Burgos?

Burgos, as I've mentioned already, has lots of places worth visiting:

• In pride of place is Burgos Cathedral. I've seen a fair few cathedrals in my time, and they're wonderful additions to any city. I can tell you now that you'll never see a more beautiful cathedral than the one in Burgos.
• Saint Mary's Archway is one of the main gateways to the city. Located across the river on Espolón Promenade (also highly recommended by me, especially at Christmas time when you can see all the trees lit up and everything looks magical), passing through the archway will lead you to the historic old town of Burgos and directly to the cathedral. It's been declared an Artistic and Historical Monument of the city.
• The Castle Viewpoint (Mirador del Castillo). The amazing views from up there are unmissable. The feeling of freedom, a mental photograph which you'll never forget, and the pure fresh air created by the immense trees which surround the viewpoint are all magical.
• Museum of Human Evolution. As I've said before, the recent discoveries at Atapuerca have brought Burgos worldwide fame. The museum is a magnificent building which takes you on a journey of discovery based around who we were and where we came from.

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I could carry on and name many other places worth visiting, but I'd need a fair few hours for that. I'll finish with my favourite place in Burgos: the CAB (Centre for Contemporary Art in Burgos). It's a fantastic place, with exquisite minimalist design. If you like art, you can visit multiple exhibitions here. It's not a very popular place (which is a shame), so if you fancy bringing a book with you and enjoying the surroundings while you read, this is definitely the place to do it.

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What about eating out in Burgos? What are your favourite places?

• El morito. Unmissable if you're visiting Burgos. Here you'll find the best patatas bravas in the city, Burgos black pudding, squid, mussels, all kinds of toasts (there's one with chicken, goats cheese and caramelised onion, tasty) plus all kinds of fried mixtures, such as ham and egg.
• Casa Ojeda. As I said before, splash out on the lamb here at least once. The best place for trying it is here.
• Ponte Vecchio. For Italian food lovers, this is the place for you.
• Pecaditos. This is a successful chain founded on the idea of quick nibbles. I think it's a great place, and all the pecaditos are tasty (recently baked baguettes with all different fillings are only a euro). Since it's become so popular there, they've introduced another starter menu where everything is six euros: toast with ham and virgin oil, anchovies, coated prawns, black pudding, stuffed eggs... The best place for going for a bite to eat, if you ask me. If fish is your thing, Pecaditos has a sister restaurant called La Sirenita which serves seafood.

What are the best places for partying in Burgos?

Burgos is a bit lame in this respect, and not because the people there don't like to party, but because although we have loads of pubs (around 200) in the city centre, there aren't any good clubs (something I really don't understand).

A club opened half an hour away from the city centre a few years back called Infiniti, but because it's so far away nobody from the city centre actually goes there.

Don't panic though - there are still lots of places worth going to.

The general clubbing area is split between Llanas and Bernardas: people tend to go to the clubs in Llanas between 1am until about 5am. For a longer night out, try the clubs in Bernadas.

It's true that we don't have any massive clubs here, but the long opening hours are good, since I've gone out to clubs before which were good but which closed at 4am.

Llanas area:

• La New Miel. My favourite club in Burgos, big, with good music and drinks, and a good range of ages.
• BNB. Also highly recommended by me. It's located in the castle area, so it has awesome views. The only downside is getting through the city centre if you don't go in the car.

Bernadas area:

• Quo. One of the best clubs in Burgos, big, with good music.
• Ñ. Similar to Quo, and is also well-situated.

Here's a link to a page listing the bars in Burgos, so you can take a proper look.

Do you have any advice for future students coming to Burgos?

If you're coming to Burgos to study, get excited, get ready to enjoy yourself to the max and for a fantastic year, but before you do any of that, get your suitcase ready packed with lots of warm clothes. It's really important.

I'll finish with a famous quote about this city: 'En Burgos te encontrarás con dos estaciones, invierno y la de tren. ' ('In Burgos, there are only two seasons, winter and the train. ' - in Spanish, the word for season and station is the same. What I mean by this is, it's only ever wintertime in Burgos! )

Enjoy!

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