Erasmus Experience in Granada, Spain by Fiona

Why did you choose to go to Granada, Spain?

I chose to study in Granada because I wanted to improve my Spanish and living for a while in a southern country, because I love their way of living, culture and language!

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I spent in total 5 months in Granada and received the scholarship money from Erasmus. I received around 200€ per month, but as I have noticed, the amount depends on your university and home country, since there are other students who even get more.

What is the student lifestyle like in Granada?

The student lifestyle in Granada is simply amazing! There is a community of around 6000 Erasmus students per semester and despite that, even more Spanish students who come to study in Granada. So there are tons of student activities, parties and organisations you can join. Basically you can go out to a party every day, since there is always something organised! There are plenty of Erasmus organisations, who organise events, parties and bigger trips for the weekends to other cities in Spain, or even Morrocco! So you will definitely never get bored in Granada!

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

As mentioned in the question above the student lifestyle is unique in Granada and therefore I would definitely recommend Granada to spend your semester abroad!

What is the food like?

Tapas, tapas, tapas! It's all about tapas in Granada! Basically every café, bar or restaurant you go to, you order a drink and get a small tapa for free with it! Of course the quality of the tapas differs, but most of the times it's really good!

But there are of course as well any other options of international food and restaurants.

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Granada?

Since Granada is such a big student city with especially so many Erasmus students coming and going every semester, it is actually quite easy to find accommodation. Especially a room in a shared flat with other students, which I would definitely recommend!

How much does it cost to live in Granada?

That very much depends on your lifestyle and personal expenses, but Granada is in comparison with other big cities not too expensive in general.

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

Well, I already had some spanish knowledge before I came, which definitely helps! Daily communication is quite easy, and you will for sure practice your Spanish a lot since most Spanish people do not speak English!; -) But in the beginning it takes some time to get used to the acento andalú!

When it comes to university lectures, I would recommend to have already a solid spanish knowledge, otherwise lectures can get quite difficult.

But there are also language courses offered by the University, but which you need to pay for unfortunately. But I have heard that after successfully completing your Spanish course, you can hand in the certificate and will get your money back from Erasmus.

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

From Germany, and most other countries, the easiest and cheapest way to come to Granada is definitely taking a flight to Malaga and from there a bus to Granada (about 1, 5 - 2 hours). It usually gets even cheaper if you take a flight to Madrid and then a bus to Granada, but that takes 5 hours.

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

There are plenty of clubs to go out to in Granada, like Mae West, Camborio, Vogue, Campus, Boomboom room, Copera, etc. Usually you can find something for every music taste.

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

If you come in winter, you should definitely bring warm clothes, since it can really get cold in Granada and in most of the appartments the heating systems often don't work quite well, so even there it can be pretty cold...