Whilst making your choice as to which location in Spain you want to study Spanish, you’ve probably already seen countless reasons as to why to choose a certain destination. To help you make your choice, here are a few important considerations as to why you should NOT pick a certain city to study in.

Madrid

When most people dream of studying abroad in Spain, they think of the sun, the heat, the fiestas, the beach…Don’t forget that Madrid is located in the heart of country, and is not even close to a beach! This can prove especially problematic during the scorching hot summers, when most of the town’s population flocks to the coast.

As the country’s capital city, Madrid is huge. The third biggest city in Europe, with a population of approximately 6.5 million, may not be a good choice for those not used to big city life. You may feel overwhelmed if you prefer a smaller environment- the hustle and bustle, the rush hour and having to navigate the metro system are just a few of the daily stresses of living in a big city.

As the capital, Madrid is also the country’s most expensive city. Your groceries, nights out and everything else will undoubtedly be more expensive than any other location in Spain.

Barcelona

As the second-biggest city in Spain, those from smaller towns may find it daunting to live here, as mentioned above with Madrid. It is also one of Spain’s most expensive cities- those on a tight budget should note this.

A key point to take into consideration is that in Barcelona, and in the rest of the autonomous community of Catalonia, the Catalan language is co-official with Spanish. Most of the population prefer Catalan over Spanish (although they can speak both) and road signs and other notices will be in both languages. This could prove confusing to beginners or frustrating to those looking for 100% immersion in castellano.

Salamanca

As with Madrid, Salamanca is not a coastal destination- it is located near the Spanish-Portuguese border. Again, if access to a beach is high up on your list of priorities, this may not be a fitting option.

Salamanca is essentially a very small city- a lively one at that, due to its student population- but still small, with a population of only 200,000. If you get bored easily or constantly want to try out new things and see new scenery or amenities, you may find this university town slightly claustrophobic.

Malaga

This laid-back, Andalusian beach city is the only Southern Spanish destination we offer. Generally, Southern Spanish accents (especially Andalusian accents) are regarded as less clear and therefore harder to understand in comparison with those from the North. Expect locals to drop consonants, string their words together and crop their words!