Erasmus Experience in Paris, France by Amalia

Why did you choose to go to Paris, France?

I wanted to get out of Spain and to explore other places, any destination would've been ideal, but I put Paris as my first choice, because it's a big city that's is impossible to get bored of. There are lots of way to get around the city, if you buy your ticket a bit in advance, you can travel to anywhere in France for a reasonable price, a Paris-Lille return ticket costs €20, for example.

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

I was in Paris for 8 months, from September to April, my grant was for 10 months. They gave me €3, 000.

What is the student lifestyle like in Paris?

My classmates were a bit boring and they weren't very sociable, but there was a group in my faculty who did some really fun things, trips, parties, outings, going to happy hours, among other activities.

Would you recommend the city and the university of Paris to other students?

I was in Créteil precisely, it's a small city south of Paris. It's connected to Paris by the metro line 8.

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What is the food like there?

In France, in general, the food is good and you can find everything you need in the supermarkets, you can go out to eat for less than €10, but just for more studenty things: McDonald's, sandwich from street vendors and things like that.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Paris?

It's quite difficult to find accommodation in Paris.

You have to be careful with apartment scams, the owner will tell you that you have to pay before you see the apartment and it ends up being a scam. It happened to me, I saw a small, well-priced, furnished studio online, it caught my eye so I got in touch with the owner by email. He asked me for my personal information and for €900, I answered with my personal information and I told him that I was coming to France to continue studying and that I had a family member who would come and see the studio to make sure that it looked how it looked online. He replied saying that I should send him the €900 beforehand. That's when I realised that the ad wasn't real and that it was a scam attempt.

In a lot of other places, they ask you for your income or a family member's income to check that you'll be able to afford to pay for the apartment.

You can also look for a residence, I think that they have financial aid services, such as the CAF, that will pay half of your rent for you.

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How much does it cost to live in Paris?

I paid €300 for a room in Créteil. In Paris, the minimum you can pay, if you look carefully, will be €600 for a very small apartment or room.

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

My classes were all in English, because I didn't speak any French, so I went on a language course at the university. In the end, I picked up the basic words needed to communicate quickly, they're the words you'll have to use day to day, to go shopping, doing tourist activities, to get to meet people or to just improve your French.

Where would you recommend for a night out in Paris?

The Latin Quarter, Châtelet, Bastille. I used to go out around Châtelet, because there were bars that had €3 pints, like the Hide pub, which is also full of Spanish people.

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What good cultural sites are there to visit?

"Le Sacre Coeur" is the perfect place to drink a beer sat on the steps to look out over Paris and, with a bit of luck, listening to a bit of music in the background; it's a picturesque neighbourhood, so you have to pay attention to your surroundings.

The Eiffel Tour, the Champs Élysées at Christmas, the Louvre museum (it's endless), the Opéra, Notre Dame; there are a lot of museums, exhibitions, neighbourhoods, bars, monuments, churches, etc. in Paris, all of the different places has its own charm.

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