Mobility specification

Country:Portugal

Institution:Lusófona University

City:Porto

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2023/2024

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Social Studies / Department of Media Studies and Journalism

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?none

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?It's really all in Portuguese, but the locals are generally quite benevolent, so they often adapted the teaching to us, even though we were in a class with Portuguese students.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Compared to other universities in Porto, we hardly had that at all. At the beginning of the semester there was only a welcome day, which was about getting acquainted with the university. I participated in all the activities through ESN, which has an extremely great organization in Porto.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:15000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

Do you have any tips on how to save money?In Porto, it is free for students up to 23 years old, including public transport. You just need to get a confirmation from the university. From the cheap shops, I mostly went to Lidl, Pingo Doce or Continente, but otherwise food in Portugal is at similar prices as in the Czech Republic.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?almost without problems

How does public transport work in the city?neutral

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Omio is great for buying tickets for trains out of town, then Flixbus works in Portugal, and I've mostly used Google maps for city connections. Public transport tickets are paper but have a chip in them so they are reusable. They are bought by zone, and the number you need is on a chart at each vending machine

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Sunset at the Jardim do Morro and also at the Palácio Cristal, bus ride 501 to Matosinhos to the beach (a kind of sightseeing ride in a double-decker bus), view from Torre dos Clérigos and the Base outdoor bar below, Mercado do Bolhão market.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?To Aveiro, it's called the Venice of Portugal, and to the Costa Nova, where there's a beautiful beach and colourful houses. There's also the beautiful surfing town of Ericeira. And don't miss the Azores.

Share your best experience:I think my best experiences have been at events with ESN, like ENM, which was a four-day trip to the Algarve to meet international students from all over Portugal. Then I really enjoyed the Azores, specifically the island of São Miguel, which has breathtaking nature.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?Probably not, the local metro goes directly from the airport to the centre of Porto.

Can you pay by card?in most places

What not to forget when packing?Pack warmer clothes than you think. I was in Porto for the spring semester and wore a coat and sweaters for half of my stay. Portugal isn't that warm of a country, the weather changes a lot and it's often windy too.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Porto has been chosen as the Erasmus Destination of the Year 2024 and fully deserves it. The combination of local culture, the ocean and students is the perfect combination for a semester (or two) abroad.