I'm looking to study abroad in Spain and need advice on where to go.?

Question

I'm looking for a city that is not overwhelming (madrid and barcelona) but still has an urban and metropolitian feel. My choices are Grenada, Valencia, San Sebastian and Salamanca. The programs are basically the same, I'm learning advanced spanish so I can get closer to that Spanish major! Anyway, I want a city with a lot going on, but not overwhelmed with tourists and traffic, and those are the 4 cities I have to choose from. Thank you!

Answer 1

i studied in Madrid and it was amazing! there is only tourists in the central part but the areas where the student apartments are are not "too much", the night life is the best out of all of Europe!!!! (if ur into clubs and techno music), out of ur four choices ive been to Granada and San Sebastian, Granada doesnt really have too much except the Alhambra which is a major tourist attraction but its a must see its a huge arabic style castle its amazing, other than that granada is full of white houses and theres only one big street with shops and restaurants, people talk really fast in granada so its kinda hard to understand, there is a lot of arabic stuff there cuz it used to be the moorish center back in the day, san sebastian is a cute beach town it only gets really crowded around the running of the bulls cuz its close to the city where the festival is, they have really good food and the beach is really beautiful but the water is freezing, people are super nice other than that there isnt much there, i havent been to valencia but i know its by the beach also and its on the Mediterranean side so the water is probably nice and warm, its more of a big city than the other two, havent been to salamanca either but i know its famous for having a really old famous university .... whichever u choose ur ganna have the best time of ur life, i traveled all over the country when i was there and Spain is amazing

Answer 2

i would choose Grenada it has the best food and nightlife.

even after college and 3 kids i still go there for vacation.

i studied there for 4 years, best days of my life.

Answer 3

okay...out of your four choices...Salamanca.  Salamanca has one of the oldest universities in Europe...(University of Salamanca).  It is spread over a large area.  There are cars there but not so much that you get overwhelmed with traffic.  You can walk everywhere.  If you stay near the Plaza Mayor, you will be surrounded by great nightlife(Irish Rover, Camelot, Chupeteria, Jacko's, etc.) Salamanca also has lots of great shopping like H&M, Sephora, Zara, Stradavarius, etc.  Lots of great cafes to study in.  Salamanca also has a lot of internet cafes...it also has a bowling alley, movie theaters, and gyms, great opportunities to learn about the culture.  There is something for every interest out there in Salamanca.  It is a pretty big city but not so big that you will be overwhelmed like in Barcelona, or Madrid.  There are a lot of students there because it would be an equivalent to a college town here in the states but it has a lot to offer.  I think your best option is Salamanca.  San Sebastian is a neat place but not  a whole lot there except the beach and it is close to Bilbao where the Guggenheim is.  Granada...it has a different feel than the rest of Spain because it is in the Muslim History region of Spain...and the only thing there really is the Alhambra.  Valencia...I can't help you with because I didn't visit Valencia while I was there.  

P.S. If you choose Salamanca, ask about the frog!

Answer 4

Salamanca has no ocean and there are too many people from all over the world, so extremely touristy. SanSebastian, not the safest, basque country, and extremely touristy as well. Valencia, more foreigners than locals, so touristy it is, same as Granada. Just go with an unknown place by tourits for a more real feel. There will always be tourists, usually nationals, although mostly locals.

Spain is a wonderful choice and the program www.beautifulspain.com, one of the best if not the best of the programs offered abroad world wide. Location is a safe and most amazingly beautiful beach resort in Northern Spain.

Host families are extremely well screened and very loving. This program gets returnees year after year, so great it is.

Cost is really reasonable considering everything included (as long as you sign up with this program through their web site as there are organizations that sell the same program for much more so high quality it is).

Some of the activities and excursions it offers besides Spanish, cooking and dancing classes are: Guggenheim Museum, paella dinner, bullfight, fireworks on the beach, city tour, medieval towns, fishing villages, many beach days, Aquarium, tall ship vessel excursion, Roman village hiking trip, canoening down the river, shopping, and much more.

It offers you the possibility of enrolling with a friend with whom to share same host family home, or for you to stay alone at host family. Many host families count on children of similar age to participating students.