Erasmus Experience in Madrid, Spain by Michael

Why did you choose to go to Madrid, Spain?

I felt like Madrid would be a little different than the usual study abroad trips to Australia or America as I had the chance to learn a new language, experience a completely different culture to mine back home in Wales... and see some sun!

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

My exchange began back in August and ended in December. I received around half of the Erasmus grant that you would usually receive if you did a year long exchange with Erasmus, which did help significantly with living costs and helped me to enjoy my experience more.

What is the student lifestyle like in Madrid?

The student lifestyle is very good, and with there being a lot of different nationalities living in Madrid it is very culturally diverse. So making friends in the city is very easy and helped me to settle in straight away. Malasaña and Argüelles are the main hotspots for students to stay.

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

I would highly recommend the city to other students looking to study abroad, not just for the weather! There are plenty of things to do and other cities close by so you'll never get bored. My university Pontificia Comillas ICADE was good and would recommend.

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What is the food like?

The food is amazing, and with variety. You can find the usual Spanish tapas places everywhere but if you also wanted something closer to home you can find Italian, American, Asian restaurants just to name a few.

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Madrid?

I sorted my accommodation out before I came to Madrid and it didn't cost me to find it so I was lucky!

How much does it cost to live in Madrid?

It doesn't really cost that much to live in Madrid as you can find cheap accommodation pretty easily if you look early enough. As for nights out they can get pretty pricey depending on where you go! Transport is very good as the metro is very easy to use and cheap too with the 20$ a month transport card.

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

I had never been taught Spanish before I came to Madrid so that was a bit of a challenge but after being taught it in university and trying to speak in Spanish the best I could with locals I soon got to grips with the basics and you soon realise you're better than you think!

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

The best way for me to travel to Madrid from the UK was to fly obviously and it didn't cost too much for a return flight either, around 150$.

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

There are plenty of different options depending on what you are into but I would recommend Kapital, Mondo and Moondance to name a few, if you don't mind spending over 10$ a drink...

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

You'll never be short of options when looking for places to eat in Madrid, but I would recommend the Txapela on Gran Via, which is a Basque Tapas bar with a wide variety of tapas and the hot dishes cooked fresh for you.

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What good cultural sites are there to visit?

There are a load of different sites to visit around Madrid so you will never be bored. The Debod Temple, the Royal Palace and the Plaza de Mayor are all must sees. For museums I would go to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía to see the famous Guernica painting by Picasso.

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

When on your study abroad experience if you choose Madrid I would advise you to take the advantage of visiting other places in Spain as you are fairly close to a lot of other cities such as Barcelona, Valencia and Seville.

Other places very close to Madrid such as Toledo and Salamanca are also well worth a visit too to really see the Spanish culture.

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