Puebla.

Student life concentrates in Cholula, the buzzing university town next door, where bars and cafes surround the Great Pyramid and the Zocalo. In Puebla proper, the Barrio del Artista, the Los Sapos antiques quarter and the Callejon de los Sapos bars draw the crowds, while UDLAP and BUAP fill the calendar with events. It is lively but more relaxed than the capital.

• Head to Cholula's Zocalo and pyramid area for the best student nightlife
• Explore Los Sapos and the Barrio del Artista for bars and live music
• UDLAP (in Cholula) and BUAP anchor the student events scene

Puebla is friendlier on the wallet than Mexico City, so around 450 to 750 euros (roughly 8,500 to 14,000 pesos) a month covers a shared flat, food and transport. Cholula and the Centro carry a small premium, but market meals and street antojitos are cheap, and the RUTA card keeps transport low. It is an affordable base with big-city amenities nearby.

• A cemita or a plate of tacos arabes costs 30 to 60 pesos
• Rooms in Cholula and the Centro cost a little more than the outer colonias
• A comida corrida set lunch runs about 70 to 110 pesos

Where you live depends on your university: UDLAP students favour Cholula, while BUAP students cluster around the campus and Centro. Shared flats and student residences are common in Cholula, La Paz and near Angelopolis. Facebook groups and Inmuebles24 are the main tools, and the Cholula-Puebla commute is worth checking before you sign.

• UDLAP students live in Cholula, while BUAP students are near the campus and Centro
• Search the Cuartos y Departamentos Puebla and Cholula groups and Inmuebles24
• Ask the Studcasa Puebla group about the Cholula-Puebla commute times

Puebla's RUTA bus-rapid-transit lines run along the main corridors with a rechargeable card, backed by colectivos and local buses. The Centro is walkable, and getting to Cholula is a quick colectivo or Uber ride. Uber and DiDi are cheap and widely used, especially at night when they beat waiting for a bus.

• Use the RUTA BRT lines with a rechargeable transit card
• Colectivos and Ubers link Puebla and Cholula quickly and cheaply
• Uber and DiDi are the easy, safe option after dark

BUAP, the Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, is a huge, respected public university in the city centre, while UDLAP in Cholula is a private, American-style campus with strong English-taught programmes and a big international intake. Tec de Monterrey, UPAEP and Ibero Puebla round out the options. UDLAP is the smoothest fit for English-speaking exchange students.

• UDLAP (Cholula) offers many English-taught courses and strong exchange support
• BUAP is the large public option, mainly taught in Spanish

What you need depends on your nationality and how long you're staying, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with the Mexican consulate for your country. Many nationalities, including most Europeans, can enter visa-free as tourists for up to 180 days, which covers a single semester. For a full academic year or formal enrolment, you'll usually apply for a temporary resident student visa at a consulate before you travel.

Start early, since consulate appointments and document legalisation take time.

• Short exchange under 180 days, often visa-free entry for many nationalities
• Full year or formal enrolment, temporary resident student visa from a consulate
• Bring your university acceptance letter and proof of funds to the appointment
• Requirements vary by nationality; always confirm with your Mexican consulate

Puebla is a culinary heavyweight: mole poblano, the sesame-crusted cemita sandwich, tacos arabes (a local Lebanese-influenced classic), chalupas and molotes, plus chiles en nogada in late summer. The sweet street of Santa Clara sells camotes and traditional dulces, and Talavera pottery is the city's signature craft. Eat your way through the markets.

• Try mole poblano and a cemita in the Centro or a mercado
• Order tacos arabes, Puebla's own Middle-Eastern-influenced taco
• Buy camotes and dulces on the Calle de los Dulces (Santa Clara)

The Centro Historico is the tiled, walkable colonial heart around the Zocalo and cathedral, while Cholula next door is the student town with pyramids and nightlife. Angelopolis is the modern zone of malls and towers, La Paz a comfortable central residential area, and Los Sapos the antiques-and-bars quarter. Choose between colonial charm and modern convenience.

• Centro Historico: tiled, walkable and packed with sights and food
• Cholula: student nightlife, pyramids and a younger crowd
• Angelopolis: modern malls, offices and newer flats

Puebla's setting is spectacular for trips. Cholula's Great Pyramid is 20 minutes away, the volcanoes Popocatepetl and La Malinche loom close for hikers, and the flower-filled pueblo magico of Atlixco is 40 minutes. Mexico City is a two-hour bus, Tlaxcala an hour, and the mist-shrouded Cuetzalan in the Sierra Norte makes a memorable longer weekend.

• Cholula and its Great Pyramid: about 20 minutes
• Atlixco, the flower town and pueblo magico: roughly 40 minutes
• Mexico City in 2 hours, or hike the La Malinche volcano nearby

Puebla sits at altitude with cool evenings, so pack a jacket even in summer, and mind the volcano-ash advisories for Popocatepetl, which is active. Use Uber or DiDi at night, carry cash for markets and camotes, and try the seasonal chiles en nogada if you are here from July to September. A little Spanish goes a long way outside the university.

• Pack a jacket, as evenings are cool at Puebla's altitude
• Use Uber or DiDi after dark and keep pesos for markets
• Ask the Studcasa Puebla group about volcano hikes and the Cholula nightlife