Experience in Madrid, Spain, by Sara

What's it like living in Madrid? Would you recommend it?

Rather than just being a city to visit, Madrid is a city to live in. The people, the bars and the leisure spots help define the Spanish capital. The public transportation and the city's organization makes Madrid an easy city to navigate for foreigners and I certainly recommend it.

What's the student life like in Madrid?

Madrid is definitely a university city; there are students from all over the world and the city offers various options in terms of leisure, nightlife, cultural experiences and training in a multicultural location.

How much does it cost to live in Madrid?

Life, in general, is more expensive than in other Spanish cities, but comparing with other European capitals, Madrid is a lot cheaper, especially the food and the transportation.

Was it difficult to find housing in Madrid? Do you have any advice?

No, I found many web pages that made it easy to find housing, I found http://www.idealista.com to be especially useful.

Before confirming that you'll rent a room, I recommend calling up various landlords and compare prices, rooms and the neighbourhoods in which these apartments are found because many rooms can be without windows or are very small.

How's the local food? What are your favourite dishes?

The food is delicious, both in Madrid and in all of Spain. In general, I can definitely recommend tasting the Calamari sandwich (bocadillo de calamares), the tortilla de patatas, the patatas bravas, the cocinillo de Sevilla, the gazpacho, the Asturian favada, potatoes with alioli sauce, paella, huevos rotos, jamon with eggs and potatoes, to name a few. To drink, Madrid and Spain offer many specialties, such as sangria, tinto de verano, the various locally produced beers and many more things.

What sites would you recommend visiting in Madrid?

Definitely the Retiro Park, the Templo de Debod (try checking the temple out at sunrise! ), Gran Via, which is always full of people from all over the world, the neighbourhoods of Lavapies, Chueca and Malasaña. The Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, the Segovia bridge, the Las Letras neighbourhood.

And what are your favourite restaurants?

My favourite is the restaurant "Al-Ahmbra, " with Madrid's best sangria, and the "Risueña" brewery, a unique place.

I would definitely recommend checking out the tapas bar "El Tigre" (there are a few but my favourite is the one on calle Hortaleza).

Another well-known place is the chocolatería "San Gines" and the napolitanas from "La Mallorquina".

Where would you recommend going out in Madrid?

There are many places to go out and party in Madrid, especially for Erasmus students: from the most famous nightclubs like "Kapital" and "Pacha", to other places like "La Fontana de Oro", "La Lupe de Huertas" and places like the Plaza de España and the Templo de Debod, where lots of students gather to drink before going out.

Any advice for future students going to Madrid?

Madrid is a city where you live, night and day. Enjoy everything this city has to offer, which is a lot!