Erasmus Experience in Lisbon, Portugal by Viktoria

Why did you choose to go to Lisbon, Portugal?

Firstly, I was in Caldas da Rainha, where I had my Erasmus experience for a year and it couldn't be better. I had the best year of my life!

I moved to Lisbon last year because I met the love of my life, but I must say my experience of Lisbon is a bit different, maybe because Erasmus was over for me and everyone went home and, when it comes to fun and people in general, I definitely preferred Caldas da Rainha. Lisbon is a big city, so people are colder, busier, etc. I felt like I moved to another country not another city. And life in Lisbon is quite expensive, the metros don't work quite often because of the workers going on strike. It happens at least once per month.

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

I had my scholarship through the entire year, but since my school has a lot of problems and never sticks to the dates, so did it happen with our scholarship. In Caldas was enough yes, but I can't imagine surviving in Lisbon with the same amount!

You can get really cool apartments, but you need to share with 5 people and there is usually 1-2 bathrooms. For Erasmus students you have a nice choice of flats, the problem starts when your Erasmus year finishes. But in Caldas I payed 150 euro per month for a really big room. You need to know that almost nobody here has a central heating, it's very wet in the morning and almost every house it's like that. Don't buy the little cheap Chinese heaters cause they will cost you a lot of electricity and won't do much!

What is the student lifestyle like in Lisbon?

I don't like it that much. It has beautiful places to visit, beautiful bars, but I get quite bored. Same music all the time, and I haven't been on a good party in Lisbon. Everyone goes from bar to bar so you feel like a tourist all night, which is ok but not every night.

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

To be honest, no. Come visit it definitely, it's breathtaking, and the whole country is really breathtaking, but I would not live here, and would not change my Caldas experience for nothing!

The difference between people is enormous.

What is the food like?

The food really sucks, even my landlord told me that once you could have eat in Lisbon really good, but with the recession now it's really bad.

Restaurants are really badly put together, I got a impression of bad hygiene in quite a lot of them and the staff is super rude. Can't generalize, if you go to a super rated place it will be awesome, but at some most beautiful spots like Porta do Sol, they have this shitty little restaurant with a super rude dude that works there, barely looks you, he brought me everything wrong, and the place was simply dirty, which is odd for such a spot in Lisbon.

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Lisbon?

Oh yes, everything costs here, remember that, best is to go to Uniplaces, but of course you pay the fee.

How much does it cost to live in Lisbon?

Mucho. Get your monthly metro ticket that goes for train and buses as well, cause otherwise you will spend a lot.

Lidl is awesome! Or Aldi, trust me, if you like to cook and have good and fresh food all the time, don't buy at Pingo Doce! Doesn't seem much in the beginning, but in a month your life in Lisbon will suck if you don't take care of your budget.

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

We had, but I never went.

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

By airplane.

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

Pink street, streets of Bairro alto, LUX can be interesting. I personally get super bored, super stuck up people there, no sense of real party!

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Don't go to Urban Beach, unless you like to hang out with kids and pay 12 euro so you can listen to the worst music ever.

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

No. I eat in sushi restaurants, or pizza restaurants. If Portuguese people tell you it sucks, then trust me, it sucks.