Mobility specification

Country:Spain

Institution:University of Alicante

City:Alicante

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Arts / Department of Romance Languages and Literatures - Catalan

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?it's alright

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?I don't have experience with courses in English because I've had classes in Catalan or Spanish. What surprised me the most was that the teachers had much friendlier relationships with the students than usual in the Czech Republic, and that the teachers took a lot of consideration for the fact that I was an Erasmus student when assigning exams and papers. It was not a problem for them to adapt (lighten) the assignments for me. They were happy when I tried to write and speak Catalan and encouraged me to do so, even when I made mistakes. Grades, which eventually formed the final grade, were earned continuously for various homework assignments, essays and papers. So, not just for the final exam in the exam period like it usually is in my field in the Czech Republic. Of course, in Spain they also had a large selection of subjects that we don't have here in the Czech Republic at all, such as sociolinguistics.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?There is an orientation week at the beginning of the placement, during which you can get to know the campus, learn some information from local students and get familiar with the school's electronic system. Throughout the placement it is then possible to participate in events/trips from the ESN (Erasmus Student Network). This organisation organises trips to the local area, karaoke, picnics ... It is also possible to join the Voluntariat Lingüístic, which organises events related to Catalan (lectures, concerts...). In the first months at the university there is also a fair of organizations, volunteering... so it is possible to add your hand elsewhere. :)

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:12000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?no

Do you have any tips on how to find private accommodation?A great site to find accommodation in Spain is Idealista. It's best to arrange it directly with someone and not look for accommodation through agencies as they charge extra. A good idea is to call the person renting the apartment beforehand (video call) and have them show you all the rooms and ask questions. Regarding Erasmus in Alicante. There are apartments there without heating and it gets really cold in the winter. It is better to choose an apartment with heating or the possibility to "heat" with air conditioning.

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?The most surprising thing for me was that you have to spend a lot of money at the beginning to buy household items (blanket, pillow, bedding, food boxes...) which you have to leave at the end of your stay because they won't fit in your suitcase anymore :D

Do you have any tips on how to save money?You can definitely save money on food by cooking your own. You can also go to the cafeteria on campus, where they sell good and quite cheap lunches, but only after 2 pm, because they take longer to eat lunch there. When I was there during my stay, it was possible to get a tram card, which was free up to the age of 30 and valid for all trams and blue buses (so even the ones to the airport). One also saves a lot if one lives near a tram stop (Luceros, Mercado, Marq-Castillo, ...) because from there one can get to many places by tram and there is no need to use the bus. Pepco or Primark, which are in Alicante, are great for buying things to get you started (pillow, bedding, ...). Another way to save money was to get a European Youth Card and an ESN card. With these cards it was possible to get discounts on transport and on entrances to e.g. castles, or to go on a trip with ESN for less money.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?The Alicante Tram y Cercanías app (the orange one with the train) was great for finding tram and train connections around Alicante. Google Maps was the best for finding buses. For getting around Alicante by bus, the Alicante Bus - App Oficial (the light blue one with the bus) was the best app to use, and for train connections, the Renfe official website was the best place to look. Then in Alicante, free cards worked for trams under 30 and then on buses a kind of green card that was for young people who were European Youth Card holders. All these cards could be bought at the Mercado stop, at the TRAM Alicante branch.

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?In Alicante, the El Palmeral park or the Banyets de la Reina are definitely worth mentioning. Banyets de la Reina is located in the El Campello area, which is worth a visit in itself. However, if you decide to go swimming at Banyets de la Reina, it's a good idea to bring your water shoes and maybe a friend*. It's a beautiful place, but a bit dangerous. Be sure to visit Santa Bàrbera Castle, which is such a landmark in Alicante and hosts free concerts in the autumn. Also visit San Joan beach, which is very nice and completely empty in January :D There is a park in the San Joan part of town that is also worth a visit. If you speak Catalan or Spanish, visit the theatre in Alicante. The shows are not that expensive and the theatre has a beautiful interior. Don't forget to pack your hiking boots and climb El Benacantil. In September or October, it's lovely to have a picnic up there. At Christmas, go ice skating in the harbor and then after Christmas, be sure to go watch the Three Kings parade, watch them come into the harbor and have a Roscón with your friends.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Definitely to Torrevieja, where there is a beautiful pink lake, to Elx, where there is a big palm park, to Castell de Guadalest and Fonts d'Algar, where ESN will take you and it looks like a fantasy movie, to Dénia and Calp, where you can go in one weekend (I recommend staying overnight in Dénia and going to Calp the next day), to Benidorm, which is a city with a lot of tall buildings, to Cartagena, where ESN also does tours and shows you all sorts of sights, Villajoyosa, which is accessible by tram and has beautiful colourful shacks right on the coast, Altea, which I recommend going to in late November/early December as there are no more tourists but it's still beautiful, Orihuela, which ESN also goes to and is especially worth mentioning because it's a neighbourhood full of signs and paintings on the walls. During your stay, you'll also be able to visit Madrid and Barcelona. Madrid can be reached by train, which runs at 200 km/h, so you'll be there in no time. Barcelona is better to fly to and is especially worth a visit during Christmas.

Share your best experience:My favourite experiences are two. The first one is a trip to Onil, where I was invited by my friends who live in Alicante or Onil. We had lunch together, went sightseeing and then had ice cream at a local patisserie. We spoke Catalan together and it was a very pleasant afternoon. The thing that surprised me the most was how they eat lunch together there... the food is put in the middle of the table and everyone takes small bites on their plate. No one has their own plate to have a main dish and a side dish. It's a completely different way of dining. The second one I also have a connection with these girlfriends. Because one night we met outside, had dinner together, and then we drove in the car to where I was staying and sang Catalan songs out loud and laughed. It was an amazing opportunity to get to know the local culture.

💅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?If you go to Alicante for the winter semester, in August it flies directly from Pardubice quite often, but when you fly back in January it flies to Pardubice less often, because it is not the summer season, so you may have to fly to Prague. It's fine to fly with the Spanish airline Vueling, it's even possibly better than Ryanair and flies to and from Alicante more often I think. Otherwise the airport is a bit further from the centre of Alicante, but not that far. There's a bus service there too and if you can get that under 30 tram and blue bus card you'll get it for free. You'll just have to get it in the city, but you can pay by card on the bus from the airport. Don't be fooled by Google maps that say this bus only goes to Postiguet beach, because it only stops for a while at this stop and then continues on. So if you're staying near the Mercado, Luceros (i.e. downtown), or Marq-Castillo stops, definitely take a ride on and get off later.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Definitely don't forget your hiking boots if you like to walk, they will come in handy. Don't forget water shoes either, because you can have a good time without them, but you won't be able to go to some places. Don't forget warmer clothes either, because you think you're going to Spain and it's warm :D, but in winter it's not. They don't have heating in the school, often not even in the cafeteria... so if you don't have good clothes, you'll only get warm in a stuffy tram. :D

🥳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?An incredible ride that filled not only my phone storage with new photos, but also a piece of my heart with wonderful experiences.