María's Experience in Madrid, Spain

What attracts you to living in Madrid? Do you recommend it? What is it like?

Madrid is more or less a big city, although it's not as big as other European capitals. Truthfully, there is a good standard of living, the city is beautiful, and there is always something to do. In addition to this, the city is well-connected with the metro and public transport in general, and now it is much easier to move around (it costs me 20€ a month with a transport card). Everyone ends up falling in love with Madrid when they visit. I have lived here for many years and I wouldn't change it for the world.

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What is student life like in Madrid?

With regards to university life, Madrid is really good. There are lots of plans for parties at night, although you have to know where to look to find cheap nights out. There are loads of students in the city, coming from Madrid, other regions of Spain, or from other countries on an Erasmus exchange.

How much does it cost to live in Madrid?

Living in this city is a little bit expensive, be it in terms of renting a flat, going out to dinner, going to the cinema, or anything other thing, really... it's not cheap. But, you can always improvise with "low cost" plans or search for discounts.

With regards to flats/apartments, it depends on the area - there are people who pay 250€ a month, or even more, but that depends on the size of the flat and the number of people that you share it with.

Was it difficult for you to find accommodation in Madrid? Can you give any advice?

I haven't had to search for accommodation here, but many of my friends have done it. The thing that people look for the most are flats, obviously, because the student residences are more expensive and I don't think that they even offer places in them to Erasmus students. I would advise you to come to Madrid in advance of the start of the semester to see the flats first-hand and avoid possible scams. And obviously, if you meet someone who is already lives here who can house you in their flat, or even one of their friends' places, that would be great. I am sure that there will be some websites that you can use to search for a room, like Housing Anywhere, Facebook groups, or others, but I don't honestly know that many.

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What is the food like in Spain? What are your favourite dishes?

The food here is amazing. If you are foreign, you are going to love it. The sandwiches from Museo del Jamón, the calamari roll from Plaza Mauor, and just the Spanish food in general.

Obviously, my favourite Spanish food is 'tortilla de patatas', Serrano ham, Manchego cheese, croquettes, 'rabo de toro'...

Which places do you recommend visiting in Madrid?

In Madrid, in general, there are lots of things to see. The main thing, obviously, is to take a walk around the city centre and see the Puerta del Sol, and walk down all the streets in the area around it. You have to see:

• Gran Vía
• Plaza de España
• Templo de Debod
• Palacio de Correos next to the Plaza de Cibeles
• Bellas Artes
• Palacio Real
• Almudena Cathedral
• Retiro Park
• El Rastro
• Puerta de Alcalá
• Malasaña
• Bernabéu (football stadium)

I'm sure I've left some things out...

There are lots of people who come to Madrid who also take advantage of the opportunity to travel to Toledo or to Salamanca, both of which are cities that are not located too far away and are definitely worth visiting.

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And eating out in Madrid? Can you name your favourite places?

Look, you have caught me out with this one because when I go out to eat I am very much the person that repeatedly goes to the same place... I can recommend that you go to the Mercado de San Miguel, which is close to Plaza Mayor, and there you will find many stalls with really good food. As I said earlier, the Museo del Jamón is also very good; order a tray of chorizo (or anything really for that matter), of course accompanied by a pint of beer.

La Mallorquina also springs to mind, which is situated in the Puerta del Sol on the corner of Calle Mayor. There, you can buy any pastry-type product, which are to die for (especially the croissants), with a coffee, and you'll have a different, yet ready-made, breakfast.

Going away from the "typical of Madrid" a bit, I must say that I really like the Italian restaurant, La Tagliatella, of which there are several restaurants across the city. You can find the Mexican place that I love, Tierra Burrito Bar (they serve huge and delicious burritos), in Nuevos Ministerios, Alonso Martínez, or in Guzmán el Bueno. I also recommend a restaurant that is close to Bilbao metro station, on Calle Fuencarral 116, called SUMO - a Japanese place that has really good sushi.

Which places do you recommend for nightlife in Madrid?

The first place that foreigners visit is Kapital, which is really quite bougie with its tropical plants. Then, in the Nuevos Ministerios area, you have a lot of smaller nightclubs like Tartufo, La Nuit, Rococó, and Lemon, to name a few. It's not bad going on a night out there if you don't know the party scene very well. Then, for a more relaxed atmosphere, go from one dive bar to another in the Malasaña neighbourhood and see what you stumble across - I only went once and I really liked the vibe there. There are usually street teams working in Sol during the weekends that offer you wristbands for bar crawls, with shots or drinks included in the price. I have never done one, but I know people who have and they quite liked it. For those of you who like techno music, Fabrik is very famous for this genre of music. I have never been there, but it's absolutely huge and is far from the centre of Madrid. I have been, however, to Mondo and I had a great time there, so I also recommend going there.

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Is there any advice you want to give to future students in Madrid?

What I have put here in this post is what I consider to be the main things that anyone who is coming to Madrid has to know, but, when you are here, you will find lots more things to do and corners of the city to discover: Madrid has so much to offer.

Come prepared to enjoy yourselves, to be open to any and every plan, to meet people, and to have a great time!