Erasmus Experience in Madrid, Spain by Николай

Why did you choose to go to Madrid, Spain?

To be honest I haven't chosen it. It was the only option that was relevant to my subject domain. But I didn't reject that opportunity because Spain culture seemed interesting for me.

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

Period of scholarship is 5 months and it was 850 euro per month and 550 euro for travel costs and health insurance.

I've recieved first part of scholarship - it's 70% of total after about 20 days being in Madrid. So I've spend some of my own for this period.

What is the student lifestyle like in Madrid?

I was living near the city, but not exactly in Madrid. I had little time to have fun or travel. I was studying and working a lot. Other guys and my friends from Russia that came with me got more lifestyle experience.

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

I can't say that Madrid is a bad city. The most diffficult part is to find living place. After that everything is up to you. Spain is really beautiful and cheap, in my opinion.

What is the food like?

Food in Spain is the highest quality food I have ever tried. It's cheap and very good. Meat, vegetables, fruits - all of them are really nice. I had my own pleasure to cook during my stay in Spain.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Madrid?

I was very lucky to find an accommodation near my campus. It was expensive - 780 euro per month. But I had really good living conditions.

How much does it cost to live in Madrid?

As I'm not a party-man and I had no chance to travel - my only purchases were transport (20 euro per month), food (about 25 euro per week) and accommodation (780 euro per month).

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

If you know English it's not a big problem to learn Spanish for begginers level. Courses at UPM are available and prgrame Erasmus covered my payment for them.

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

Buses. Transport in Madrid (as is its food) is one of the best in the world. Buses arrive and depart precisely according to the timetable.

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

I only walked a little in Madrid. Central districts are beautiful. I liked CityCentral - it's culture center. It has free entry and free wifi - nice place to have a cup of coffee and work.

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

I've been once in oldest restaurant in the world. It's in center of Madrid it's called "Sobrino de Botin".

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Madrid - is the capital. All the Cathedrales are beatifull. I've beed in Alcala it's city near to Madrid homeland of Servantes.

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

Think through your budget for the first month of your stay. And think about your accomodation. The easieast way to find it is to coordinate with other students somehow and try to find something for a big company at once.

And, even before you go to Madrid, register beforehand to receive your transport card.