Details

• Spain
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

I looked up the city where I wanna go, where to live and how much it would approximately cost. I travelled by plane, as Valencia is quite far away. Taking the train would have been too long and complicated, especially with all the luggage.

2. Accommodation

I got my accommodation through a friend who had been in Valencia the semester before me, so I had direct contact with the landlord and the search was pretty easy. The accommodation was private, a flat with three bedrooms. I lived at the beginning of Malvarrosa, a 3 minute walk to the beach and a 15 minute walk to the university. By bus it only took me two stops. People say that Malvarrosa is not the safest area in Valencia because there are also some complexes where lower income residents live, but I never had any problems and felt safe the whole time. The main area for students is Blasco Ibáñez, which is probably the best place to live because it is also close to the university and all the bars and clubs are there. However, from where I lived it was only about 10 minutes by bike.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus facilities where great, cafeteria and the library where quiet nice. But the sports facilities where really good, there was a big offer of Sport courses, like surfing which I did. Or you could play on your own with friends on the tennis/ paddle court or football field. The teaching/ academic culture at the UV was a bit different in comparison to the WU. All of the courses were more continuous assessment based, like PI courses at WU. even if those courses where first semester courses. Also the class was never bigger than 60 people and I felt a bit more like school and not university. Als the atmosphere was more informal than in comparison to Vienna. One thing I didn't like was that the professors where really intransparent, wh had to do many group works during the semester but got in some courses no grade until the end of the semester. So it was hard to comprehend if what I did was correct or not. But it would have helped for the open exams to know if what I did during semester was good or not so I can adapt for the exam. Courses: "International Negotiation" - easy to pass, low effort and professor was really nice "international business management" - huge workload, would not recommend "foundations of business management" - course of the first semester, the content was easy

5. Every day life in the host country

The public transport was quite good in Valencia, a ticket for 10 rides was 5,4€. You could also buy a cheap monthly ticket, but it was quite complicated to get, so I didn’t use it. I mainly used “Valenbisi”, the city bike system, where you can get a subscription for about 30€ per year and then use the bikes around the city. I had the feeling Valencia was very safe. I never had a situation where I was concerned about my safety. Valencia was a great city with lots of events and activities. For example, on Valencia’s National Day there was a big fireworks display. The nightlife is good, with many bars and clubs. You can play a lot of beach volleyball, and the beach itself is simply great. Sports are really big in Valencia. There are many courses offered by the university, but the city is also great for running, especially in the Turia park. There is also the possibility to go swimming in the sea or in the 50 m pool at the UPV for only 3,6€.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester in Valencia was a great mix of academic experience and personal growth. Living close to the beach, meeting international students and experiencing the Spanish lifestyle made it very special. The combination of university life, sports and social activities created a balanced and unforgettable time. Overall, it was a unique experience that I would highly recommend to others.