Seville.

Seville has one of Spain's largest and most sociable Erasmus scenes, centred on the tapas bars of the old town, the bohemian Alameda de Hercules and the riverside in Triana. The city's great set-pieces, the Semana Santa processions in spring and the flamenco-and-sherry Feria de Abril, are unmissable, and flamenco is genuinely part of daily life, not just a show for tourists.

• Spend evenings around the Alameda de Hercules and Calle Betis in Triana, the liveliest bars for students.
• Ask the Seville group on Studcasa how to get a caseta invite for the Feria de Abril, since most tents are private.
• Catch real flamenco in Triana at a pena or a spot like Casa de la Memoria rather than a tourist tablao.

Seville is affordable by Spanish standards: budget 700 to 1,050 euros a month and live comfortably. Rooms are cheap, the flat city is perfect for free cycling, and tapas culture means you can eat and drink out for very little. Costs jump only around Semana Santa and Feria, and summer air-conditioning bills are worth every cent.

• A shared-flat room runs 300 to 450 euros a month, cheaper in Macarena and Triana than Santa Cruz.
• Get a Sevici bike subscription; the flat city and extensive lanes make it the cheapest way to get around.
• Eat tapas by the plate at neighbourhood bars; a full meal of three or four costs under 15 euros.

Rooms in Seville are plentiful and affordable, though the best go before term. Search Idealista, Badi and local Facebook groups for a piso compartido in Triana, the central Alfalfa and Alameda area, or Nervion and Macarena for better value. Insist on air conditioning, which is non-negotiable for the summer, and view before paying to avoid the usual holiday-let scams.

• Search Idealista and Badi for a piso compartido; Triana and the Alameda are the classic student areas.
• Make air conditioning a dealbreaker, since Seville summers regularly top 40 degrees.
• View in person or via verified video before paying any deposit.

Flat, sunny Seville is one of Spain's great cycling cities, with an excellent lane network and the cheap Sevici bike-share. A single metro line, the MetroCentro tram and TUSSAM buses fill in, though most students walk or cycle the compact centre. In the summer heat, cycling early or late and sticking to shade becomes an art.

• Subscribe to Sevici bikes and use the extensive lane network, the fastest, cheapest way around a flat city.
• The single metro line L1 links to the Pablo de Olavide campus; TUSSAM buses and the tram cover the centre.
• Plan cycling and walking for early morning or evening in summer, and follow the shady side of the street.

The Universidad de Sevilla (US) is large, old and central, and its humanities faculty occupies the magnificent former Royal Tobacco Factory of Carmen fame, with a huge international programme. The more modern Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO) sits outside the city with its own metro stop. Both run plenty of courses for exchange students, and enrolment goes through each university's online portal.

• Note that US is central while UPO is out of town on the metro line, so pick housing to match your campus.
• The historic US library and faculty study rooms are grand and air-conditioned, useful refuges in exam-season heat.

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

Seville claims to be the birthplace of tapas, and eating here is a national-team sport: pescaito frito, espinacas con garbanzos, salmorejo, jamon and the summer favourite of chilled gazpacho. Wash it down with cold manzanilla sherry or, during Feria, jugs of rebujito. The city's covered markets are the place to graze.

• Order the local classics, espinacas con garbanzos, pescaito frito and salmorejo, as tapas across several bars in one night.
• Graze the stalls at the Mercado de Triana or the Mercado de la Encarnacion under Las Setas.
• Drink cold manzanilla or fino sherry with your tapas, and rebujito if you make it to the Feria.

Santa Cruz is the romantic old Jewish quarter by the cathedral, beautiful but touristy; Triana across the river is the proud, characterful home of flamenco and ceramics; the Alameda de Hercules is bohemian and nightlife-heavy; and Macarena and Nervion offer better value and everyday local life. El Centro around Las Setas keeps you in the walkable, lively middle.

• Triana for character, riverside bars and flamenco roots, a short walk from the centre.
• The Alameda and El Centro for nightlife and being walkable to everything.
• Macarena or Nervion for cheaper rooms and a more local, less touristy feel.

Seville is a great southern base. Cordoba is just 45 minutes by AVE, the beaches and Carnaval of Cadiz 1.5 hours, and the sherry-and-horses city of Jerez an easy hop. Granada, Ronda and the white villages are within weekend reach, and even the Portuguese Algarve is drivable for a few days by the coast.

• Ride the AVE to Cordoba (45 min) or the regional train to Cadiz (1.5h) for the beach and Carnaval.
• Day-trip to Jerez de la Frontera for sherry bodegas, flamenco and horses, or to Roman Italica near Santiponce.
• Head to Granada, Ronda or the Algarve in Portugal for a longer weekend.

The one thing to plan your Seville life around is the heat: from June to September, 40-degree days are routine, so adopt the local siesta rhythm and never rent without air conditioning. Book anything around Semana Santa and Feria far in advance, as the city fills and prices soar. And go to the flamenco, since the real thing in Triana will stay with you.

• Rent only with working air conditioning, and shift your day to avoid the fierce midday summer heat.
• Book travel and any big nights out around Semana Santa and Feria in spring well ahead, as the city sells out.
• Seek out authentic flamenco in Triana rather than the tourist tablaos in the centre.