Details

• Spain
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

For traveling to Pamplona I would recommend to either fly to Bilbao Airport or Madrid and then take the train/bus. Personally, I flew to Bilbao Airport and took a blablacar to Pamplona. You can also take the bus called Cuadrabus from Bilbao Intermodal. Regarding course regristration, notice that the courses are either 2h or 4h long. However, courses end half an hour early most of the times so it is possible to take courses that are right after each other. I would highly recommend to take a Spanish course as it is a great opportunity to learn the language and get to know other exchange students. Make sure to pack warm cloth and a rain coat and umbrella as Pamplona can be very rainy even though it is in Spain!

2. Accommodation

It was relatively easy to find accommodation. I stayed in a shared flat with two other students from Spain. I found the flat via Idealista but originally the flat was pusblished by Unicasa. Unicasa offers very cheap and local flats. However, I would definitely ask for an online viewing as some of their pictures were taken a few years ago. I would highly recommend living in Iturama as it is very close to the university and also not far away from the centre. When you search for flats make sure that you consider the walking distance to UNAV's Amigos building as this is where you will have most of your courses. My flat was located in Iturama and only 10min away from Campus and a 20min walk from the centre. Generally, Pamplona has lots of parks and green spaces and I felt very safe - even walking alone at night.

3. Academic life at host university

The universtiy has a huge campus. There are lots of study spaces and the university itself is quite modern. Every building has its own cafeteria. The university also has a gym and several sport courts you can rent. The teaching style is quite similar to WU. There are a lot of class discussions and group projects (at least for the courses I took). Academically, the level is a bit lower than WU. It is much less literature based and more focused on content. However, this does not mean that it is less difficult. You still need to put some effort into the courses to get a good grade but generally grading is less strict.

5. Every day life in the host country

Pamplona is a very small student city. There are two Erasmus organisations (happy erasmus + AEP) that offer lots of trips and leisure activities (e.g. dance classes, arts and crafts, karaoke nights). This is a very nice opportunity to get to know people. The school of economics also offers a welcome event and some events during/at the end of the semestre. Generally, UNAV hosts over 300 exchange students from all over the world per semestre so there are plenty opportunities for cultural exchange. Pamplona is a very green and safe city. Public transport (mostly buses) exists. However, everything is within walking distance anyways (~ no more than 30min). Pamplona is also known for its Pintxo culture. Every Thursday all students gather at a street called Estafeta.

6. Testimonial

Overall, I really enjoyed my stay in Pamplona. I really enjoyed being sourrounded by so many new people with different cultural backgrounds and I am certain that I was able to make some friends for life. Pamplona's Pintxo culture and Thursday gatherings at Estafeta are a truely unique experience and definitely unforgettable. Generally, Spain offers many beautiful travel destinations. Among my favourites are San Sebastian, Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla.