Erasmus Experience in Porto, Portugal by David

Why did you choose to go to Porto, Portugal?

I was interested in Portugal and i heard that Porto is a beautiful city so i decided to use the opportunity to apply for Erasmus.

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

I was supposed to be there one full year but because i got the offer for an internship i had to quit after one semester. I got 230 € p.month from Erasmus.

What is the student lifestyle like in Porto?

There are a lot of student and because the main evening events all happen around the same place in the city you meet a lot of them and not just the ones you are studying with.
Of course there is a lot of partying going on but i also enjoyed to be at my university. Life is not so hectic in Porto and people enjoy it.

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

Of course i would. The quality of the study was not better than at my home university but you get a lot of new views on what you do, in my case architecture. Architecture is thought differently in Porto but it`s good to have a different way of seeing things.

What is the food like?

Honestly i was not the biggest fan of traditional portugese food but of course i liked the food that you can get there fresh, like fish, vegetables and meat. I cooked a lot there with my roommates and that was really good, also because they were from a lot of different countries.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Porto?

No, i found it over Facebook.

How much does it cost to live in Porto?

Around 450 € with accommodation.

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

There is a good intensive course in the de tetras university, but it is difficult to learn the language so you should try to prepare yourself with a course already at home.

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

flying with ryan air.

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

i liked the candelabro bar in the center, it`s small but a really nice place with good music.

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

Prepare youself for the language and definitely do a surf course for erasmus students. there are good waves and it is pretty safe there to.