Experience in Huelva, Spain by Szilvia

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

Huelva basically compared to the other Spanish cities is quiet small and very industrial. However it is near, only 20 min bus drive, to Punta Umbría which has an amazing ocean side, with almost no tourists, so you can enjoy the ocean and the water without having to many people around you. The weather is just awesome, even in November and December we were still swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. The city itself is a bit dirty, but has very nice architectural buildings, very colourful, with palm trees and orange trees. It has also a couple of parks, where you can go to take a relaxing walk in the warm sunshine. It is like 90% of the year of sunshine there, but when it's raining then it's raining for a whole day or even 2, and a lot. However I liked my Erasmus in Huelva, it is also very good that it's only 100 km away from Sevilla, from where Vueling and Ryanair fly to all other destinations for very low prices. Portugal is close to visit and the buses/trains are good organised.

What is the student lifestyle like in Huelva?

First 1, 5 month we went out to party like 3-4 times a week, there are not so many pubs as in bigger cities, but a couple and they always had special drink prices and free entrances for Erasmus students. The university UHU has an awesome building, I loved to go there for uni sessions, and has also quiet rooms to stay studying, or reading, or whatever. Around the school in the inner city there is free WiFi, so at the beginning when no one of us, students, had yet internet in the flat, everyone was hanging out in the park in front of the university to get some free internet, and well, it was working, you were getting to know people having a couple of drinks together and it was warm outside.

How much does it cost to live in Huelva?

I think it is comparable to my hometown Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, very cheap. And they have really good apartments, as most of the flats are bigger, have 3-4 bedrooms and always 2 or more bathrooms when the flat is bigger, and most of the living rooms are big and have a balcony. I'd say that with everything together (rent, internet, electricity, phone, food and partying) you could spend approximately 450-500 euros, however if you also count the travelling and visiting, for example, other Erasmus in different cities, then you come close to 600-700 euros per month.

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Is it difficult to find accommodation in Huelva? Is there any advice you can give?

Well, to be honest, it was kind of difficult. We entered to a similar organisation like ESN for students, and they gave us a list of flats with tel. nrs. and a map and told us 'OK, now you can go visit the flats'. But as we were new in the city, we got lost for a couple of times, and the disadvantage is that when you don't speak Spanish, you can hardly understand the landlords, as no one of them speaks English, they were mostly older people renting their flats. So when we finally found our flat after 2 days of being in Spain, we asked our coordinator in the uni if he could help us to find someone who would read the renting contract and who would help us to talk with the landlords about details of the apartment renting. It turned out OK, but we misunderstood each other at the end about how long we wanted to stay, so watch out for this. If you are looking for a flat, try to find one where in the contract there's no specific renting time, or if it doesn't go easier cos you don't know if you will stay for 4 months or 5 months, rather put just 4 months, and at the end when you will have known you will stay longer, just tell it to the landlord and prolong the contract for 1 month more. They not gonna say to you 'no you can't' because it's plus money for them. However if you have put 5 months and want to leave earlier they will make you pay the whole 5 months.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Well, mostly we cooked at home, as, honestly, I didn't find even one normal restaurant in Huelva. However there are some very good tapas bars, but of course you can't just always eat tapas. My favourite were black sea mussels filled with cream cheese and some spices and anchovies with basil oil and Russian salad.

What places would you recommend to visit in Huelva?

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Is it good to eat out in Huelva? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Well... if you want tapas, then yes, if your family is visiting and you are trying to find a restaurant, then not really. Best is to ask some Spanish friends from the uni what they recommend. I forgot this! One good place for food and drinks is Buddha, which is on top of a hill and it's awesome at night, because you can see the whole city with lights.

Is the nightlife good in Huelva? Where is good to go?

Yes... I've already mentioned above some pubs and, well, there you can also dance. Buddha is also a nice Open Club.

What advice would you give future students heading to Huelva?

Well, if you're not so keen on being close to the ocean, then I recommend more Sevilla, but if you love the beach, then choose Huelva. Bring mostly summer stuff clothes and shoes with you because even in the winter semester there is awesome weather, min. around 15 ºC in January. And don't bring too much stuff, because everything is cheap in Spain: clothes, shoes, accessories... and you gonna shop a lot. Definitely, try the seafood but buy it only fresh in the markets in the mornings as Huelva was in the old times a fisher town and has a famous harbour.

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