Living in Spain... Granada or Barcelona? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!



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Old 05-12-2009, 08:27 AM   #1
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Default Living in Spain... Granada or Barcelona?

Hi... First time posting here. I'm planning to enroll in either the University of Barcelona or University of Granada for around 4 months between Jan 2010 and May 2010. I was wondering if anyone had experience living in either of these cities? I'll have time on breaks to travel around Spain and see all the sites so it is not like I have to choose between seeing either city, I'm just curious if one will be more pleasant to live in for an extended period. I'm going to be going independently so I definitely want to be able to meet a lot of people in their early 20s.
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Old 05-21-2009, 10:15 AM   #2
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Hmmm....I guess it might come down to which school is going to cater more to your profession.

Both cities are beautiful, but drastically different in the settings and ambience.

Are you a small town or a big town kind of guy?

If you're looking to meet a lot of people in their 20's, I would venture to say that Barcelona might place to be. More to see, more to do, and bigger university? Plus, you got the beach!

But, like I said, I would probably use the "which school will cater more to my career" as the main qualifier.

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Old 06-10-2009, 03:57 PM   #3
 
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<I've never been to Barcelona, but> I love Granada! Why?

1. Best falafel ever
2. Wonderful Moroccan teahouses
3. Incredible architecture, unique blend of Moorish and European styles
4. Great graffitti
5. Lots of foreigner/student-friendly resources like banks, internet cafes, and grocery stores, sans the rampant invasion of Starbucks like in Seville
6. The people (in my experience) were very friendly - not a lot of English-speakers, but they were almost apologetic about it and tried to help decipher what I needed
7. Awesome hippie-types - this is crucial. Granada has a very "gypsy-ish" feel to it. Lots of dreadlocks, hippie skirts, and multi-ethnic style. As a backpacker, I felt right at home!
8. Great blend of nationalities- I actually met fellow young backpackers from Pennsylvania in a teahouse one evening!

Out of all the places I've been in Spain (granted, only in Andalucia: Malaga, Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz), Granada was both the most comfortable as a foreigner, and the most different from American cities.
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Old 09-15-2009, 07:34 AM   #4
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Yeah i would definitely live in Granada... more my style for all the reasons above.

Its also waaaay more chilled out than Barcelona and barcelona is waaaay more chilled out than most cities.

Also a random fact is that Granada is the Japanese anime capital of spain.
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Old 09-15-2009, 08:04 AM   #5
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I wasn't to gone on Barcelona, the aggressive prostitutes and shady looking characters everywhere were pretty off putting. All that stuff is there to take advantage of the huge amounts of tourists. If your looking for a more authentic Spanish town Granada sounds better even though I've never been there.
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