Erasmus Experience in Zaragoza, Spain by Ece

Source

Why did you choose to go to Zaragoza, Spain?

It's cheaper than big cities to live there. And I always wanted to see Spain. Zaragoza is in between of Madrid and Barcelona. Whenever I want it tooks just 4 hours to visit the big cities. At the same time, as a person who enjoys small towns than big ones Zaragoza offers much. Even it's small and not crowded, you can find everything here. I heard it before I come from my relatives who was an Erasmus here, so I choose it and now I enjoy so much.

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

My Erasmus scholarship is about 300 Euros per month. (1. 700 Euro was given for one semester) The rents for rooms are 250 euros average. Living here is not so expensive but probably you will need some extra money if you want to live well.

What is the student lifestyle like in Zaragoza?

It's not the best place with thousands of parties. But still, if you follow the events, you will enjoy a lot to be here. It's a small and cheaper (than capital and Barcelona) city so as students, you will keep more money to yourself which can allow you to travel or enjoy Zaragoza, Spain. There are 2 universities in town so I can say that there are a lot of students, so a lot of opportunities for them too!

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

I can suggest them. Zaragoza University is in the center of the city.

What is the food like?

I am not a big fan of the food here (because I am a picky eater) but there is something for everyone. If you are not eating pig, it will create a little problem because Spanish people love to include it to a lot of meals but still, it's a big possibility to have a lot of options. There are really nice restaurants and cute cafes in here that offers a lot of different foods.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Zaragoza?

It took me four days after I arrive to find an apartment. But it was because I arrived a little bit late here. The other friends of mine found their apartments really fast and easy. You can use websites for it and contact with the people for the rooms that they are renting. Mostly houses will be around 250-350 Euros if you want to live in the center (which is better). If you want to rent a room, there is a high possibility to have at least 3 roommates. But it's possible to have it with more or less people too.

How much does it cost to live in Zaragoza?

In general, it is not so expensive to live here like living in Madrid or Barcelona. It's way cheaper than these places. But still, according to my scholarship which is around 300 euros per month, I don't think it will be enough after you pay your rent. So if you are planning to live with only your scholarship, it will be expensive for you but if you are planning to be in Spain for your Erasmus experience, it's one of the cheapest options.

Source

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

Universities here are offering Spanish courses (I couldn't learn Spanish well). In the town, it's a little bit hard to find someone who speaks English or any other language but they are all helpful. After few time, you will be able to understand basics and will be able to give your orders in restaurants etc.

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

I am from Turkey so there are two options. If you land in Barcelona, you have to have around 30 minutes of Metro (4. 5 Euros) and after walking for 4 minutes, you will reach the bus station. I don't know the train prices but bus is mostly way cheaper than train. If you book the bus before (You can book it 2 hours later than your landing) it will be around 15-20 euros. If you don't it will be max 25 euros and with a 4 hour long journey you will be in Zaragoza Delicias where you can take the bus to center.

If you land in Madrid, you should go to T4. People will show you the way to terminal 4, which has its own free public bus to get there. Once you get the free bus, it will bring you directly to T4 in 8 minutes which is a terminal for busses and trains. Again, I don't know the train but bus is cheaper than that and it will be around 15-20 minutes. In both ways I suggest Alsa, which is a really comfortable bus brand. After you take the bus (you can book it before you come to make it even cheaper) it will take again 4 hours to reach Zaragoza, and you will find yourself in Zaragoza Delicias again.

There are options for fast-normal trains too. I didn't use them so I can't inform you about it but if you can spend more money and if you want to arrive fast, there will be train options which probably will get you to Delicias too.

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

Alcohol is really cheap in Zaragoza but my favourite place for drinking is Espit(If I spelled right). It has really great shots with nice music but it is a really small place so it's not for dancing, it will be good for pre-drinking. Afterwards, I have been in Selfie which I don't recommend much (but you still can check). Supernova is a good place to party but its mostly too crowded.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Zaragoza?

There are a lot of Tapas places and restaurants that serves Spanish food. But also you can find some Italian food and Turkish food too. There are a lot of cafes which is really cheap but you can eat the most delicious cakes and donuts. I don't remember the names of the places but there is a lot to discover in Zaragoza and you will find more than one places to eat!

Source

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

I can't say it's as big as Rome or others as culture. But it has really unique attractions. You can visit Pilar, which is an amazing church and you can climb to it's high points to have a nice view of the city. Right next to it, you can see all beautiful old bridges that passes the river. There is a village near Zaragoza which is abandoned after the civil war and stays still then. You can also visit Aljaferia, if you want something which is a little different than pilars architecture. There is Park Grande with its beautiful stairs, green areas, fountains and trains if you need somewhere to rest without leaving Zaragoza. It is close enough to San Sebastián, Madrid, Pamplona, Barcelona, Salou and many others. You can take a bus or rent a car to everywhere after you see everything in Zaragoza. There are more attractions than, wrote down in here but you will have a lot of months too. So you should visit other cities too and since Zaragoza is in the middle of a lot of nice places, you should visit there too.

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

Come here and enjoy. It's cheap and easy to travel abroad or in Spain. If you love small cities, it's one of the best! I enjoyed it in here so much so I hope you will too.