Erasmus Experience in Lisbon, Portugal by Diana

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Why did you choose to go to Lisbon, Portugal?

I chose Lisbon because I had many friends in Portugal, who made me truly excited about it. I also wanted to live in a country that had a different culture from mine.

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

My scholarship was 5 months long, it was 380eur/month. It was enough to cover my flat and metro pass.

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What is the student lifestyle like in Lisbon?

Lifestyle is very vivid with all the parties that are going on. Also, studying and classes can occupy some of your time abroad. I suggest you choose your learning agreement wisely (that means, free Fridays/Mondays if possible so you can travel more)!

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

I would definitely recommend it! The UoL is very student friendly and a pretty good uni when it comes to actual studying. Facilities in my faculty (FLUL) are clean, new, you have a nice canteen where you can eat lunch for 3eur!

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What is the food like?

That's not even a question, food in Portugal is always good. If it's your first time in Portugal, you should definitely try bacalhau espiritual, à Brás, com natas... All recipes of bacalhau are delicious. In Belem it is very worthy to try pasteis de Belem! Also, when travelling to the north you have to try Francesinha (Piolho cafe on Square of Lions). Other dishes I loved were caldo verde, sopa da pedra, and bifana.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Lisbon?

I found my accommodation on Facebook, it was a nice apartment with 5 people inside. There were 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living room and a cleaning place (where the washing machine was). I suggest you not to choose a party apartment since (trust me) there will come an era in your Erasmus where you'll be tired of parties.

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How much does it cost to live in Lisbon?

I was paying 350eur/month for my apartment, 36 eur for my metro pass and then approximately 400eur for the rest (parties, food, travelling).

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

Portuguese is the hardest language I have ever learned but with the help of my friends and language course from my faculty I think I got some of it. The course was 75eur for one semester, 2 times per week. At the end we got a certificate.

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

The cheapest option for me (I live in Ljubljana) was taking a shuttle to Venice, then taking TAP Portugal to Lisbon. It was approximately 200eur/return trip.

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

There are many places to recommend! So definitely Bairro Alto for drinking and then moving to Cais do Sodre for partying. There are some clubs I absolutely loved: Titanic Sul Mer (but only for ESN Lisboa's random parties), Urban Beach (entrance fee 12eur - minimum consumption), Lux (3 floors with different types of music) and Lust in Rio.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Lisbon?

I recommend Marco in Cais do Sodre, CR7 corner for football lovers (see a match there) and UMA, which is close to Rossio and offers awesome seafood.

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What good cultural sites are there to visit?

You should see Belem, centre of Lisbon, Oriente, Cristo Rei,... Out of Lisbon, definitely go to the Açores (I was on São Miguel, worth every cent), Madeira, Évora, Porto, Santarém, Algarve (specially Lagos and Faro), Aveiro, Gerês and Coimbra (if you have a chance go there for latada).

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

Just go people! I definitely had the best 5 months of my life there. Besides, join ESN Lisboa, go for their events and party like a sardine on fire!