My Erasmus Experience in Zaragoza, Spain by Anaïs

Why did you choose to go to Zaragoza, Spain?

I had the choice between Seville, Cáceres and Zaragoza. As I study languages, there's a huge demand for Spain and the choice isn't really down to me, it's down to the teachers. But, I have absolutely no regrets!

How long's your stay? What financial aid do you receive?

I went in September and was there until the end of June, so that's 10 months. I was lucky enough to receive a lot of bursaries: a regional bursary of 1000€ (I'm from le Pays de la Loire), 1200€ from the AMI bursary, 1500€ from CROUS, as well as my monthly grant of 150€. I think that the 1500€ CROUS grant is given out to nearly everybody, you can only receive the AMI bursary as a scholarship student and the regional bursary depends on each applicant (I don't think that those who have a double nationality can get one).

What's the student vibe like in Zaragoza?

It's pretty fast-paced compared to where I come from in Nantes and there's a lot of students. There's plenty of neighbourhoods with different types of bars, different atmospheres and different music styles like Casco, Tubo, Zona, the bars next to La City (San Franciso campus), Magdalena, etc... I could go on! There's something to do practically every evening and from Thursday onwards, the streets are full with people every night. The Erasmus community is really influential, but it's easy to break yourself away from it if it's not your cup of tea.

Would you recommend the city or university to other students?

I visited quite a few other cities during the year and even if Zaragoza isn't the Spanish city you dreamed of going to like Seville or Barcelona, I do think it's one of the nicest cities to live in. It's not very big but it has everything you can dream of.

What's Spain's food like?

Oily!

Was it hard to find accommodation in Zaragoza?

I found my accommodation when I arrived in September! Don't panic, it's really easy to find somewhere! I recommend using the very economical couchsurfing for a place to sleep for the first few days whilst you find somewhere to stay. Other really useful websites are: Easypiso, Cipaj, (to look through accommodation adverts), and Unizar Alojamiento. It's better to visit and see your accommodation before getting the apartment!

What are living costs like in Zaragoza?

It's a lot cheaper compared to French accommodation! You can find a place to share from 180€ a month (with or without bills) but it can go up to around 400€. You should search around a bit, as there's some good apartments out there!

With regards to price in general, I would say things like tobacco, alcohol, petrol and food are a bit cheaper than in France,

What's it like learning the language there? Did you take part in a language course organised by the university?

I didn't take part in a language course because I was already studying languages, so my Spanish was already pretty good. I saw people who, at the start, couldn't speak any Spanish and by the time they left, could get by pretty well. With that in mind, I really wouldn't worry about getting your Spanish to a certain level- it'll happen. The only thing I would avoid is staying with people of the same nationality as you, even if it's the easy answer at first!

What's the most economical way to get to Zaragoza from your home town?

We travelled from Nantes by car, which costs around 60€ each way. However, I think that Euroline has some good prices, but it's more annoying when you have a lot of bags.

Where do you recommend to go out in Zaragoza?

At the start of the night you should go to El Tubo for a bit of a quiet drink and some tapas. Others would always join us at the Bodegas Almau bar, where you can stay on the terrace, and sit at the barrel tables. After that, everything pretty much depends on your tastes. Old Casco has bars open until 4am which play your standard commercial music and is where you'll find a lot of Erasmus students! Zona and Magdalena are a bit more diverse. There's also quite a few bars at the University Campus where they put on concerts regularly. If you're not a big fan of nightclubs, Sala Zeta is a rock music bar that shuts at 7am on the weekend, you'll find it by heading towards Gran Via.

And to eat in Zaragoza? What are your favourite places?

There are a lot of tapas bars, the more well-known ones are in El Tubo, but to be honest I don't think that they're the best. We once tried tapas in the Las Delicias area, which is quite far from the centre, and they were a bit more special, really tasty, and a lot cheaper!

I found that Zaragona lacked a lot of cuisines from all over the world. There's Chinese and Japenese restaurants, but only self-service buffets. There's quite a few Italian restaurants too. If you want to find a specific cuisine, you need to look on the internet because there's isn't an area with a big focus on restaurants. There is a couscous restaurant in La Magdalena area.

And what cultural places do you recommend going to see?

All of the ones that the tourist office suggest, and the trips that the Erasmus association suggest at the start of the year.

Any advice for future students going to Zaragoza?

Don't stay with people from your own country!