Erasmus Experience in Madrid, Spain by Catalina

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Why did you choose to go to Madrid, Spain?

Going to Madrid was a last minute choice for me. I had some personal issues that disabled me going to my first choice country, which was France, and after 3 year, I gotta say I do not regret anything!

Coming to Madrid for studies was the best thing that could've happened to me.

What is the student lifestyle like in Madrid?

Madrid is a very active city, more so during the night than during the day I would say. Lots of students from all over the world, a bunch of cool bars and clubs to go to and have fun.

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

If you want to come study to a Spanish University, in Spanish, and you have a good level of Spanish, then yes, this city is for you.

On the other hand, if you lean more towards an international university or a Spanish university with a program taught in English, and you don't have a basic knowledge of Spanish, it's gonna be a bit hard to communicate with the locals because almost nobody speaks English here, besides the students and some young people. So maybe get some Spanish classes before coming here.

Other than that, it's a really nice city!

What is the food like?

The food is great! That's if you like seafood. Spanish people love their fish and seafood! You'll also find they have great beef meat! And you'll definitely fall in love with their tapas!

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How much does it cost to live in Madrid?

I am usually comparing Madrid with Paris when referring to prices, since that's the city I have lived the most, besides my hometown.

Renting accommodations in Madrid is way cheaper than in Paris for example. Food is also cheaper if you're talking about the veggies and the fruits. But the meat and the fish is a bit more expensive. The rest, the basic stuff like bread, milk, water, it depends, sometimes it's the same price, or cheaper, depends on the stores you're buying them at.

Transport is, on average, in the same price range as in Paris, if you buy a single ticket.

If you're a student thought, you pay only 20 euros per month and you can travel all over the city, and even in some small cities outside Madrid, such as Avila, or Cercedilla.

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

• If your mother tongue is a Latin based language, then yes, it will be quite easy to get the grip of Spanish.
• If your mother tongue is Germanic, like English, Dutch or German, it might be a bit harder, especially the pronunciation.

But Spanish courses are available all over the place, and most of the Universities offer them. My University for example made it mandatory to choose a foreign language, and for the Madrid Campus, it's obviously Spanish. I had to take 4 months of Spanish, and it helped me a lot!

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

Since I am not Spanish, but from the Republic of Moldova, the only way to get to Madrid is by plane. The flight takes about 3. 5 hours on average, if it's a direct flight. But the flights have layovers most of the time, so it will extend you airport journey to about 6 hours, or more, depending on the company you flight with.

There's also the option of coming by bus, but it's exhausting! The trip lasts 3 days!

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

If you want Spanish food, just go to Plaza del Sol and you'll find there a bunch of restaurants, bars and cafes, that serve tapas, paellas etc.

Be sure to go to ones that are full, since those are the best ones! You'll have to wait a bit in line, but it's worth it if you want good quality food.

If you want some american style food, Tommy Mel's is the place to go. Really good apple pie there!

And if you want some amazing fish & chips or avocado toasts, go to Federal Cafe! It's a really nice place, and they have really good cakes as well!

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