Barcelona needs little selling: a beach in the city, Gaudi's architecture, mountains behind and one of Europe's densest concentrations of Erasmus students. You get world-class universities, a warm climate, a bilingual Catalan and Spanish culture, and cheap flights across Europe from El Prat. It is the priciest city in Spain and the most touristed, but the energy, food and sheer number of fellow exchange students are unmatched.

The Erasmus scene here is legendary and relentless: beach days, rooftop parties and clubs that go until dawn. Term is punctuated by the city's own festivals, from the Festa Major de Gracia in August to La Merce in September and the Sant Joan bonfire night on the beach in June. Whatever your interest, there is a student group for it.

• Follow ESN Barcelona and your own uni's chapter for beach parties, trips and club guest lists.
• Go out in Gracia's plazas and El Born early, then the beach clubs Opium and Pacha or Razzmatazz and Apolo for late nights.
• Do not miss Sant Joan on 23 June, when the whole city drinks and lets off fireworks on the beach.

Barcelona sits at the top of Spain's cost range: budget 900 to 1,300 euros a month, driven mostly by rent, the highest in the country. The saving grace for under-25s is the astonishingly cheap youth transport pass. Eating a menu del dia at lunch, around 12 to 15 euros, and shopping at Mercadona keeps day-to-day costs sane.

• If you are under 25, buy the T-Jove: roughly 40 euros for 90 days of unlimited zone-1 metro, bus, tram and FGC travel.
• A shared-flat room runs 450 to 700 euros a month, so start looking weeks early and avoid the worst tourist-flat prices.
• Eat the fixed-price menu del dia at lunch and shop at Mercadona or Bonpreu rather than the pricey Boqueria stalls.

Barcelona's rental market is the toughest in Spain, so treat the search seriously and start early. Rooms in shared flats go through Idealista, Badi, Spotahome and Facebook groups, and scams targeting arriving students are common, so never pay a deposit before viewing in person or via a verified video call. Gracia, the Eixample and Poblenou are the sweet spots for student life.

• Search Idealista and Badi for pisos compartidos, and be ready to decide fast when you see a good one.
• Never transfer a deposit before an in-person or verified live video viewing; fake listings are rampant here.
• Ask the Barcelona group on Studcasa which neighbourhoods suit your campus; UB is central, but UAB is a 40-minute train ride out at Bellaterra.

Barcelona's TMB network of metro, buses, trams and the FGC trains is fast, cheap and easy, and the flat grid of the Eixample is perfect for cycling. Bicing bike share and a good cycle-lane network cover short hops, and Nitbus night buses run when the metro stops. On Saturdays the metro runs all night.

• Use your T-Jove across metro, bus, tram and FGC; the metro runs all night on Saturdays and until midnight or 2am otherwise.
• Register for Bicing (residents only) or use short-term e-bike hire for the flat ride across the Eixample.
• Nitbus night buses fill the gap when the metro closes, and the N routes all pass through Placa de Catalunya.

Barcelona's universities span the ancient and the modern: the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) in the centre, the highly ranked Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), the technical UPC, and the large Universitat Autonoma out at Bellaterra, plus business schools ESADE and IESE. Some teaching is in Catalan rather than Castilian Spanish, so check your course language before you arrive.

• Confirm whether your classes are taught in Catalan or Spanish, since many UB and UAB courses default to Catalan.
• UPF and UB libraries are modern and open long hours; the UPF Ciutadella campus by the park is a favourite study spot.

What you need depends entirely on your nationality. EU, EEA, and Swiss students need no visa; you just register for a NIE (foreigner ID number) if you stay long enough. Non-EU students staying over 90 days generally need a national student visa arranged at a Spanish consulate before arrival, then a TIE residency card once in Spain.

Start the visa process early, it's slow and document-heavy: proof of enrolment, funds, private health insurance, and often a criminal record check and medical certificate. Once in Spain, book your NIE/TIE appointment (cita previa) the moment you arrive, as slots vanish fast in big cities.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa, just register for a NIE
• Non-EU over 90 days, student visa before arrival
• Get your TIE card within 30 days of landing
• Book the cita previa appointment immediately

Catalan food deserves your attention beyond the tourist tapas: pa amb tomaquet, botifarra sausage, fideua, and in winter the messy joy of a calcotada onion feast. Vermouth hour before Sunday lunch is a local ritual, and the covered markets are the best place to eat and shop like a resident.

• Do 'el vermut', a midday vermouth with olives and crisps, before Sunday lunch, ideally in Gracia or Sant Antoni.
• Shop and snack at the Santa Caterina or Sant Antoni markets rather than the tourist-priced Boqueria.
• In winter, get to a calcotada to eat charred spring onions with romesco sauce, messy bib included.

Each Barcelona barrio has its own character. Gracia is a village of leafy plazas and bars; El Born and the Gothic Quarter are medieval and buzzing; Poblenou blends beach with the tech district; and Sant Antoni is the current hotspot for food and nightlife. Barceloneta is right on the sand but noisy and touristy.

• Gracia for a village feel, bars and student-friendly rents just off the centre.
• Poblenou or Sant Antoni for beach access, markets and a young, creative crowd.
• El Born and the Gotic for living in the medieval heart, lively but pricier and busier.

Barcelona is a superb base for weekends. The Montserrat monastery and jagged mountain are an hour away, the beach town of Sitges forty minutes, and pretty Girona and the Costa Brava coves under 1.5 hours. High-speed AVE trains reach Valencia, Zaragoza and Madrid, and El Prat's budget flights open up the whole continent.

• Take the FGC train and cable car to Montserrat, or the Rodalies train to Sitges and the Costa Brava beaches.
• Ride the AVE to Girona and Figueres for the Dali museum, or on to Valencia and Madrid for a bigger weekend.
• Grab cheap Vueling or Ryanair flights from El Prat to the rest of Europe when the mood strikes.

Barcelona is safe but pickpocketing is a genuine, organised problem, on La Rambla, the metro and the beach especially. Keep your phone and wallet secure and never leave a bag unattended. Learn a few words of Catalan, since it is not just a dialect and locals appreciate the effort. And embrace the late schedule, as dinner rarely starts before 9pm.

• Guard against pickpockets on La Rambla, the L3 metro and the beach; bags zipped and in front, phone off the table.
• Learn a little Catalan such as 'bon dia' and 'gracies'; it goes down well and marks you as more than a tourist.
• Register on the padro municipal once you have an address, as it helps with paperwork and healthcare.