Experience in Granada, Spain by Álvaro

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

Granada is a great place to live, whatever it is that you like, Granada is the city for you. If you're someone who likes going out partying every weekend, you can do so since it's very much a university city (there's a lot going on for students on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and, especially, Saturdays). On the other hand, if you're a more laid-back person and you like good views, an evening lookout point, a park, a stroll, there are 2, 000 peoples where you can go, too, for example the Albaizin, the centre, the Paseo de los Tristes etc. There are also mountains and the beach that are only an hour and a half apart, so you can go from the cold of the mountains to taking a dip in the sea at the beach in no time at all. At the very least I recommend you go for a visit, it's a very safe and lovely city (depending on how you go, with whom you go and to which parts, but the same goes for anywhere else). I still haven't met anyone who has told me that they didn't like Granada when they went to see it, whenever I tell someone who has been to Granada that I'm from there, they always look like they're longing to go back. Right now I live with a Brazilian guy and an Argentinian girl and they both say that they loved Granada, but at the end of the day, talk is cheap, you have to go and see it for yourself!

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What is the student lifestyle like in Granada?

The student lifestyle there, like I said before, is really great, the faculties are organised into two separate campuses, they're not far from one another and there are buses that take you between them (although they get a bit full if you're travelling at peak times). If you go out on a Tuesday or Thursday, apart from student from the university, you'll see much younger people (from the high school), who are going out to drink in the streets (it was recently made legal for them to drink alcohol) and to some club. There are a lot of things put on by the faculty, too, you can sign up for them and you'll be able to meet a lot of people there and have a different kind of fun, because you won't be there for much of a party, but for things more like some kind of workshop or sporting activity.

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How much does it cost to live in Granada?

The cost of living here, like anywhere else, really depends on which places you're going, what area you live in, how often you go out, etc. It's hard to give an average price for living here, but a flat shared between a few people usually costs between €170 to €250, while if you live on your own it's usually more expensive. Then you have the bus, it costs €1. 20 per journey. Food from the supermarkets is the same as the accommodation, it depends if you buy things to cook yourself or pre-made stuff, I find that it's best to buy ingredients and cook it yourself, aside from being cheaper it's also much better for you, health-wise.

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Was it difficult to find accommodation in Granada? Can you give any advice?

Accommodation is usually easy to come by, as there are a lot of adverts for people renting out flats or those who are looking for flatmates on the university campuses, etc. That makes it really easy to find a flat, you only need to go on a few viewings to a few flats and look for something that is more or less in a good condition and that is going for a decent price.

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What is the food like there? What are some of your favourite dishes?

The food is really good in Granada, you have lots of choice for food, but as you have probably already heard, Mediterranean food is one of the most delicious kinds of food ever. One of the things that'll take your fancy the most is the tapas there, we often "ir de tapas" in Granada, which means going for a beer and they give you a little snack with your drink, there are so many different kinds of these snacks, you'll probably never try them all, so you should just go to your favourite bar and try whatever the tapas that they have there! But you should, of course, try the speciality of Granada and all of Andalucia, gazpacho and pomegranates! And let's not forget to mention the Spanish classic: paella, Spanish omlette, etc.

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What places would you recommend visiting in Granada?

There are lots of things you have to see in Granada, whether you're someone who loves a great landscape or not. To name a few, I'd recommend Sierra Nevada, the beach (it's not a beach with sand, but if you're into diving, Granada is a really good place for it), la Alpujarra, Albaizín, Paseo de los tristes, la Alhambra, all, and I mean all, of the lookout points (not just the one at San Nicolás that everyone already knows about), the ones that go up to the cemetery and the 2, 000 others throughout the city, Plaza Nueva, the city centre, Gran vía, calle Recogidas, the park del Triunfo, calle Elvira, etc. I would recommend you go to all of those places and since it depends on what kind of person you are, you'll be more keen to go to some than to others, but you have to see them all!

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And it eat in Granada? What were some of your favourite places?

Like I said before, there's a lot of choice of foods in Granada. For "tapas", there are a lot of good bars that do decent tapas, but if you're after a good restaurant, you might get tired of them as well, there are Italian places, in a town called Huétor Vega there are inns you can get meat and Alpujarreño dishes (chorizo, morcilla, papas a lo pobre... ). It's all about going to places and trying them out, there are also a lot of small restaurants that serve their home cooking, they're usually really good as well.

Where would recommend for a night out in Granada?

As for places for going out, there are also thousands of them. If you're coming here on your Erasmus (or even if you're not), what people normally do is having a "botellódromo", which is drinking alcohol and then going to a club, of which there are some close by and some that are further away, but we do go to them. The ones that are furthest away have buses that can get you there or you can get a taxi between a few of you and it ends up being pretty inexpensive. People go out to the Plaza de Toros quite a lot, again, for some tapas and then to a pub for a drink. As always, it depends what you're into.

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Do you have any advice for students going to Granada in the future?

I'd tell them to enjoy their stay there. They should chill out, it's a beautiful city and they should do whatever they feel like doing there. If they want to go out partying, they should, but if they just want to relax the day after, they should. Don't let yourself get too caught up in the Erasmus madness and end up wrecked or in some kind of trouble. There's time for everything and it's a city that doesn't just deserve to be seen through partying, you have to go to the more laid-back areas, too. Whatever you come here for, I hope that it all goes well!