I lived in a shared flat near Placa Espanya with very good transport connections. The city center can be reached within a few minutes by metro, the airport can be reached directly by public bus (46) and Barcelona Sants train station with its regional and long-distance trains is only a few minutes’ walk away.

I found the room via the portal www.uniplaces.com which I had a very good experience with (even if you should be careful with the seriousness of the offers!) The email contact with my landlady was very friendly right from the start and the apartment and especially the kitchen were very well equipped and clean. My flatmates came from England and Peru – a pleasant mix!

Due to the location of the apartment outside the city center and the size of the room – a bed, a wardrobe, a bedside cabinet, a common room (perfectly adequate in good weather!) – the rent was very reasonable at just under €300/month. I can warmly recommend the living situation!

itelligence is a well-known SAP partner with headquarters in Bielefeld. In the Shared Service Center with a focus on Finance & Controlling, I worked a lot with SAP and was able to support the creation and dispatch of invoices to customers, the modification of existing projects and the research of customer-related data, especially for the UK division.

I particularly liked the internationality of the team. I was also fascinated by the open working atmosphere in the open-plan office and the wonderful view from the 19th floor over the city to the airport every day. The language was very mixed – the team communicated a lot in Spanish and sometimes in English, meetings were held in English apart from a few discussions. From time to time, the Catalan language was added – this was particularly confusing in the early days. The team atmosphere was very informal and we interns were also invited to lunches together, as well as after-work events and cross-departmental events, such as a BBQ together on Saturdays.

Even though the months from March to April were “very rainy”, visits to the beach to enjoy the Spanish sun were of course a must – but outside of Barcelona, away from the crowds of tourists that overcrowd the city center and the beach, especially on sunny Sundays and public holidays. We highly recommend the beaches of the neighboring towns of Badalona and Castelldefels, which are very easy to reach with the worthwhile 3-month student ticket (approx. €100 for unlimited travel by metro, bus and train in Zone 1).

A visit to the typical sights in the city center was of course a must and the free walking tour by Donkey Tours also took us to the hidden places in the city with charm and expertise. Montjuïc is also well worth a visit with its wonderful view over the city from the castle and the fountain, which attracts many people at the weekend evenings.

Small supermarkets, which are usually open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, are just around the corner. However, the prices here are somewhat higher than in the large supermarkets, which have normal opening hours. Fresh fruit and vegetables are cheaper from local traders and much tastier than in the supermarkets – highly recommended! At lunchtime, many restaurants offer inexpensive 3-course menus – great for sampling the typical dishes.

I took a Spanish course at the Languages4Life language school in the city center, where I was able to practice Spanish conversations on various topics in a pleasantly small, lively, internationally mixed group, but also learn about cultural peculiarities and festivals. The language course also helped me a lot to classify the Catalan expressions that initially caused confusion.

With the countless cultural events, I can highly recommend attending a concert at the Palau de la Música Catalana! It’s worth getting there early, because the building itself is a sight to behold. When the flamenco sounds start and a show worth seeing begins, the evening is a complete success!

To escape the hustle and bustle of Barcelona for a while, trips north by train to the historic city of Girona or Figueres – Dalí’s home town – are highly recommended. There are also various organizers who offer inexpensive tours to surrounding cities, e.g. to Montserrat, especially for Erasmus or international students – also great for meeting new people! In Barcelona itself, there is a wide range of lectures at the universities and other events that offer exciting information as well as further contact opportunities.

The airport in the immediate vicinity of the city is ideal for exploring other parts of the country. The south of Spain, e.g. Seville – the city of 1,000 churches – is also very easy to reach for a long weekend. Cheap accommodation can be found there in Airbnb rooms and hostels and the city is easy to explore on foot. Destinations outside Europe, such as Marrakech with inexpensive accommodation in a typical riad, are also within easy reach and will leave you with impressive memories. However, the trip there should be undertaken by at least two people and ideally with a knowledge of French!

In addition to all the new contacts, places and experiences, it is of course always nice to spend an evening with fellow students who are also doing their internship abroad in Barcelona and enjoy the Spanish culture together with typical drinks, tapas or paella.