Erasmus Experience in Lleida, Spain by Mid (Mikey)

Why did you choose to go to Lleida, Spain?

I went there because of research related reasons which was in areas of forest fires and remote sensing.

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

It was a research internship for 3 months.

What is the student lifestyle like in Lleida?

It is pretty nice and okay I would say. Lot of international students visit the university each semester. Thanks to the Erasmus programs!!!

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

Depends on students' interests. Lleida is a very nice and safe place. It is a self sufficient city and as long as you have good friends (which is easy to make) there, life should be fun. However, you can't compare the vibes here to other cities like Barcelona or Paris. Lleida is a very calm and tranquil city in that regard.

What is the food like?

Food options are decent; additionally, you can get almost all other major/popular cuisines like Mediterranean, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, vegan, etc as well.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Lleida?

No, the university staff helped me with it.

How much does it cost to live in Lleida?

You can get a pretty decent single room in a shared apt near the main city/campus for around 200-350 Euro/month.

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

Yes, you will automatically get the vibes and learn the languages (you will probably have to take some classes in Catalan which are mandatory for exchange students - but it can be fun). Since it's a student city you will find there a lot of English and Spanish speakers (as well as some German, French, etc erasmus students) apart from Catalan speakers.

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

Flying to Barcelona and taking a blablacar from there would be the most viable option; it will take only less than 2 hours. There are a lot of trains and buses too available from Barcelona, Madrid, etc.

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

Not a lot of options I would say in terms of places to visit. However, numerous bars will be open and you can have a nice time hanging out with friends and chilling there. I know of some people who regularly go for dance/salsa sessions as well.

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

There are a lot lot lot! You won't run out of options I guess. The density of restaurants/pubs are pretty good.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

There are a couple of places to visit like La Seu Villa, etc.

Check this site for more:

https://www.meetup.com/mou-te-lleida-cat/

Nearby cities such as Tarragona, Girona, etc are pretty nice too.

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

Lleida, like I had mentioned is a self-sufficient city. It is very affordable as well. You will get all the basic things to live there itself. Almost all the major areas are walkable. I had a really good time there and was able to make a lot of great friends. So, finding fun people is the key; try to join meetup groups or find whatsapp groups or attend student events/meetings/gatherings for making more friends outside your class. Because, there are not a lot of things to do or places to visit within Lleida. However, if you love traveling and exploring, you have the mountains at one side and the beach on the other. You can take blabla car or rent a car with friends and go visit all these places on weekends or holidays. Nearby cities are also nice and you can take trains or buses; Barcelona and Madrid are only a few hours away. Talking of that, once you are in Barcelona, you can find cheap flights to any other part of the Europe as well; I used to make use of this and fly around often. Other than that, maybe the weather is something to keep in mind. It gets very foggy in Lleida (primarily during Jan - March) and some people don't like it; though I never found it an issue. And in the Summer it gets kinda hot too.

In sum, I would recommend visiting/living in Lleida for programs which are for 6 months or less.