Details

• Portugal
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

Book accommodation timely, since rental market is tight and prices jump. For travel, I took the plane from Vienna to Lisbon.

2. Accommodation

I started looking about four months before the exchange began, which gave me plenty of time. I found my room through Erasmus Life Lisbon and can recommend them. The process is simple and you can reach out to them anytime. The only downside is the fairly high fee they charge. I rented a room in a two-person shared flat. For location I'd recommend the Santos and Cais do Sodré area or Bairro Alto. If you can reach Cais do Sodré station on foot you'll save a lot of time commuting to Nova, since the direct trains take around 18 to 25 minutes. I always felt safe getting around, including in the evenings.

3. Academic life at host university

Nova SBE is in Carcavelos, a town right next to Lisbon. The campus is impressive and probably one of the biggest upsides of studying here. It sits right next to the ocean with a direct "beachway" leading from the uni down to the water. On campus there are a few restaurants, a cafeteria with cheap meals (around 4€), a gym, and surf lockers. Courses are split into theoretical and practical sessions. You usually have one or two exams per course, plus group assignments and attendance counting in the practicals. I can recommend Global Business Environment and Organizational Behavior.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport is free for students (you have to get the Navegante card). The trains along the Cascais line run often and get you between Lisbon and Carcavelos easily, and within the city the metro, trams, and buses cover everything. Uber and Bolt are very cheap compared to Vienna. Rides to Uni cost around 10€ and rides in the city will cost you around 3-4€. Lisbon felt save and I never had any problems. There's a lot going on socially. Erasmus Life Lisbon and similar groups organize events, trips, and parties constantly, so it's easy to meet people early on. Bairro Alto and Cais do Sodré are the go-to areas for nights out, and the city has a great café and food scene to fill the days. For sports and leisure, the beach is the big one. Surfing is right there at Carcavelos, and you can rent gear (I paid 180€ to rent boards and wetsuits for the whole semester) or take lessons easily. There are multiple Padel courts in Lisbon/Carcavelos that run around 25€ per hour per court. On the beach you can find several Beachvolleyball and Football courts and NOVA also has a gym which costs around 30€ per month. Beyond that there are weekend trips worth doing like Sintra, Cascais, and the Algarve, all easy to reach by train or car.

6. Testimonial

My semester at Nova was easily one of the best times of my studies. Studying next to the ocean, surfing before class, and exploring Lisbon and Portugal on the weekends made it special. But what stuck with me most were the people I met along the way. If you get the chance to go, take it.