Why Swansea?

Where am I going?

I have to say that when I chose this destination I didn't know a lot about the city apart from the fact that it's in Wales and that they have a football team in the Premier League. But believe me, Swansea has a lot more. If you're going to go to Swansea, I'm going to explain a little about what you'll find when you get here...

The weather isn't as bad as they say... but it does rain.

The first thing is the weather. It's not as bad as everyone says when you tell them you're going to Wales, believe me, but you have to be prepared. You're going to need a waterproof coat and some good shoes that won't get your feet wet. As for the rest, the winter is pretty cold, yes, but nothing unbearable. People still go out into the street and have a social life, so you can do it too. Remember to bear in mind that it's going to rain when you're packing your suitcase.

Student prices

The prices, like everything, depend on what you buy... If you keep in mind that you are in the United Kingdom, Swansea is a lot cheaper than other big cities, but if you compare it with Spain, of course it's a little bit more expensive.

The madness of accommodation

If you're going crazy looking for accommodation, don't get overwhelmed, I took a very long time to find a house because I was only there for one term and this cost me more. But, Swansea is very much a university city. There are streets that practically only have student houses on them. There are thousands of agencies that dedicate themselves to renting houses, so don't panic, just ask the university or someone that's done it themselves.

Also, you're going to ask where it's better to live in a house or halls of residence, but I can't compare them as I was only in a house. But honestly, I absolutely recommend this, make sure that you have house mates from different nationalities.

Are there places to party in Swansea? Yep, and they're not bad at all

When it comes to partying, and at the beginning your course (at the end of September), there are a lot of parties, but they end a lot earlier than in Spain. But in turn, they start earlier. You'll have to get used to the fact that the local places close at 3am. In the centre of the city there is a street, called Wind Street, which is full of pubs and it's where everyone goes (the main night out for students there is on a Wednesday, but there's a great atmosphere from Wednesday to Saturday anyway). If the plan is that you fancy going out for a drink, there is a place called Uplands, which is full of bars which I also highly recommend.

A lot of very pretty scenery

If you like going for walks, go to the cliffs on a sunny day. There are spectacular hiking spots (but wear good footwear as there is a long journey ahead! ) The Mumbles, which is the area right at the end of the Bay, is also very pretty and you can walk there (or run! ) along the beach promenade. You can also go to the Gower peninsular (but by bus) and there are a lot more places that you will discover, I'm not going to give them all away...

The United Kingdom isn't famous for its foodUnited Kingdom

The food, well, when you go to the United Kingdom you know what's awaiting you... It's a matter of getting accustomed and adapting yourself, do a Tesco shop, that you'll find open almost all the time, there is an enormous one next to the bus station in the centre and it's open 24 hours. When it comes to eating out, the pubs on Wind Street do nice food for all meals of the day, and they tend to have different special menus every day of the week.

Getting to Swansea, it's not all going to be good...

Getting to Swansea is a little bit complicated as you'll have to fly to Cardiff, Bristol or London... and you're going to have the National Express and Megabus pages (the two bus companies) as favourites on your browser, believe me...

In fact, so that you can save them, here they are:

http://www.nationalexpress.com/es/home.aspx

https://uk.megabus.com/

But once you're here, travel, travel and travel! Do it as much as you can. There are a lot of buses that go to both big cities and small towns. It's worth it.

• Cardiff: it's less than an hour away by bus and it's very cheap, go once, twice, or three times if you want, but definitely go.
• London: it's quite far and a bit expensive, but if you have the opportunity to go one weekend, don't pass it up!
• Bath: the university organises a lot of trips, and I went to Bath on one of them. We went to the Christmas market, because on your own it's a little bit elaborate but it's beautiful. If you can, go.
• Villages, villages and more villages!

In summary, try to travel as much as you can. You can't miss the opportunity to go to these places you don't know, and it can be organised by yourself, a group of friends or by the university.

A little bit on public transport

When it comes to the card that they offer for the city bus, my opinion is that it's not worth it. Swansea is small, everything is nearby, it'll take you half an hour at most to get from the centre to the university. My friends and I didn't have one and we didn't miss out on anything... Well, unless you study in the Bay Campus, that's another story... That campus is a little bit far away, and if you go there it's probably worth getting a bus card.

All in all

I hope that after reading this you know a little bit more about Swansea and that you fancy coming getting on that plane and coming here a bit more. If I could, I would do it all over a thousand times more without even thinking about it.