Details

• Spain
• MAWiRe-21
• Graduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Going to Madrid by plane is by far the easiest route and there are a lot of direct flights from Vienna. Definitely book your accommodation in advance because "figuring it out" when you get there is possible, but quite stressful, especially with the high accommodation prices. Also keep up with your mails from the university because you have to choose and register for all your courses before your semester starts - you can change them afterwards but if you want to attend a specific course I would recommend registering as soon as possible. The "Welcome Days" are mandatory, so make sure to arrive before them. If you're coming in the Summer Semester I would definitely recommend arriving before the 5th of January because there is a big parade (Cabalgata de Reyes) on that day celebrating the "Three King's Day", which is definitely worth a visit. Spain is in the EU, so you don't need any VISA or extra insurance, however it can make sense to get travel insurance (just in case).

2. Accommodation

Madrid is a city full of University Students, so finding an accommodation can be tricky - especially if you don't want to spent a fortune. I did my accommodation research a little bit in advance (September for the next upcoming Summer Semester), because I wanted to make sure to get a good place. I got a shared flat with 4 other roommates very close to the university in Argüelles, which was great because the university was about 15 minutes on foot away and all the supermarkets, etc were even closer. Madrid in general is pretty safe, especially the central part (everything within M-30) and I personally as a woman also felt safe to walk home alone at night. As a tip I would recommend to either stay close to the University (Comillas ICADE) in Argüelles or south of that in Malasaña or Sol. Because either way you're pretty close to everything in the city center and don't have a long commute. And make sure your flat has a communal area with places to sit and eat together (e.g. living room) so you can socialize better with your roommates and also to just get out of your room more often.

3. Academic life at host university

The Campus itself has a small, cheap gym, but the ones outside are better. However, the university has a lot of different clubs, varying from sports to learning an instrument and theatre workshops. Moreover, the "Arts Department" also offered a lot of different cultural activities (visiting different cities around Madrid, going to Museums, etc.) most of them are - if needed - in English. To keep up with them you can subscribe to their newsletter on the Comillas Website. Usually you have more work during the semester with writing essays, doing presentations, etc. and you are often not allowed to use the laws (Gesetzestexte) during the exams. If you speak Spanish I would definitely recommend taking some Spanish courses that are not strictly about some kind of law, like a Class in Business Ethics or International Relations.

5. Every day life in the host country

The public transport in Madrid works great (Metro and Bus) and it is overall a very safe city. You can visit a lot of different museums, which always have some kind of "free hours" at least once a week, where you can enter for free. Madrid also has a lot of theatre and musical productions and a big nightlife. Moreover different kinds of parades are happening throughout the year and a lot of different artists are having their concerts here. The city is also very green, with a large amount of parks, like the Retiro, Parque del Oeste or Casa de Campo, which are perfect for a stroll or a picnic.

6. Testimonial

Exploring Madrid on foot and just strolling around without a clear destination is really the best way to experience this city. That is why my semester abroad was full of unexpected findings, like cute independent shops and beautiful Street Art at every corner. Not having to rely on public transport for reaching supermarkets, great restaurants or the university itself and just being able to explore everything on foot was definitely my highlight of the whole semester. I also significantly improved my Spanish and met so many amazing people from around the world.