Living the Erasmus Life in Lisbon

Living the Erasmus Life in Lisbon

Hello everyone, I am Feride from Turkey. I am doing my Erasmus internship in MBC Portugal.  First of all, I would like to tell you why you should  chose Lisbon for Erasmus. Before you go to Erasmus, you will have a lot of questions and wonders. The fact that economic life and transportation  in Lisbon is attractive enough for a student.I think it is very important to research the city and country you are going to beforehand.  Therefore, I would like to talk about the issues that you may have in mind about Lisbon in general. 

Accomodation is one of the most common issues on the minds of many Erasmus students. “Should I stay at the dormitory or at home?”, “How much are the prices?”, “Where will I find a house?”, “Will I feel comfortable in the dormitory?” I know you're thinking. First of all, don't stress yourself out at all, you will definitely find a place to stay. But I suggest that you act early and find a place to stay in advance. As time gets short, it can be difficult to find the place you want to stay. The campuses of universities in Lisbon are not usually very large, so some universities offer private dormitories for their students.Prices are cheaper than houses. You can easily find a dormitory between 300€ – 400€.

Now let's get to the expenses. I can say that Lisbon is quite cheap compared to other European cities. If you exclude your house rent, eating, drinking, transportation and other similar expenses do not cost much. Market prices in Lisbon are very affordable, you can easily meet your weekly market needs for about 50 €. When you prefer to eat out, if you prefer places where the locals of the city go instead of eating in touristic areas, you can find many places to eat at affordable prices.

The weather is generally nice in Lisbon, with mild winters. That's why street parties are quite common. Unless it's raining, people love to grab their drinks from the bars and chat with their friends on the street. You can see many small bars side by side on the street, usually nobody sits inside because there is not much place to sit anyway. One of the favorite stops of Erasmus students is the bar called “Erasmus Corner” in Barrio Alto. In general, most people prefer to take their beer or drink inside and hang out in front of the bar. And this is so enjoyable. There is a colorful life in here. All of these are so important for a student.

Working as an intern at MBC is a great opportunity for me because I had the opportunity to visit many different places. So if you want to come Lisbon, don’t hesitate. Just come and enjoy it.

Feride Yalcin