Which city in Spain is best to study abroad in?

I want to study abroad in Spain next summer and I don't know which city to go to. I was set on Seville, but then the program that I'm going with changed the course offerings. The other ones that are offerred by the program I like are Granada, Madrid, Barcelona, and Salamanca. I'm leaning toward Madrid because I like big cities, but I'm worried that it would be too hard being alone in a big city without knowing a ton of Spanish, and I hear that the weather is horrible in summer. Does anyone have any info on which cities would be better?

Which city in Spain is best to study abroad in?
My sister recently got back from a year in Valencia. The weather is better than Madrid yet it's still a big city with plenty to do.





If you're worried about not knowing the language, a big city would seem to be a better choice because there will be better support for foreigners. You should also remember that Barcelona is the second-biggest city in Spain, and Granada has a population of 236,000 - roughly the same size as Plymouth or Stoke.





What you've also got to remember is that you're going to have a geat time and meet a load of really cool people so don't think you'll be "alone" anywhere. You're going to have a great time wherever you go. Madrid is really nice. Granada has a wellknown university which you can look at online http://www.ugr.es/university.htm (English page)





In addition to all of that, you should use any available contacts at your current university (if you have one) to get any extra information, you may be able to find out personal recommendations that way - which will really help.





Good luck!
Reply:I'd say Barcelona. It's really nice there.
Reply:It can be very hot in Madrid in summer. Granada is a nice town, and not far from Madrid. You'll make friends in your classes so don't worry about not speaking tons of Spanish. All four cities you listed are nice. My faves are Madrid and Granada.
Reply:Half Spanish myself here. How about Vigo? Great new University there built in 1990. Plus it great city not to hot or to cold in the winter. You have no problem with the language there.
Reply:Sin duda Barcelona es la mejor ciudad de España,


son buenisimos los veranos en barna,


y las escuelas no deben ser tan malas,


yo vivo en bcn centro,


besos.
Reply:My vote is for Salamanca! I've never been there but I've heard a lot of great things about it from fellow students who have been there. A





Also, although it's not in Spain, Costa Rica is an interesting place to go - they do speak Spanish there!
Reply:Barcelona...I spent 2 months in Barca, and 3.5 months in Madrid. Barcelona is a wonderful city, very cosmopolitan, with everything Madrid has to offer, but a much more modern attitude. Almost everyone in Barca speaks some English. They also speak Catala there, however, so I'd make sure that if you were going to school in Barca that the classes are conducted in Spanish (unless you don't mind trying to learn Catala...it's a Romance language which isn't that hard to understand if you understand Spanish and/or French). Since Franco was deposed, there has been a huge resurgence in Catala nationalism, and the Catala language is used in full force whenever possible (it was banned under Franco). The weather in Barca is beautiful. I was there in late summer, and it never got very swelteringly hot...of course, it's right on the Mediterranean, so that helped keep the weather mild. There is a TON to do in Barca, from museums to clubs, amusement parks to sports to the beaches. You won't be bored in Barca. It also has a fabulous public transport system (so does Madrid, quite honestly), and it very close to France, Andorra, and Italy (relatively speaking), as well as having a major international airport from which you can fly to any other place in Europe quite easily (again, Madrid has this as well).





Madrid isn't horrible, weather wise. It does get hot, but it's a dry heat. It does have a lot to offer, as far as history and whatnot, but, I still lean toward Barca.





I've never been to Salamanca, and I only briefly visited Granada, so I don't know anything about them.
Reply:Madrid