Study Abroad- Barcelona or Copenhagen?
 

I'm currently a college student and I really want to study abroad. I've narrowed it down to Copenhagen and Barcelona, but I'm not sure which one to pick from there. I have to apply soon so I would really appreciate any help/suggestions!

Oh also, I'm going to be there from January through May if that helps!

Well what appeals to you about each?

Very different cultures and cities each with their own charms and faults.

I have spent considerably time in Barcelona and there a sense of style and a joie de vivre rarely encountered elsewhere and there is a livley night life.

And the weather will be better. I would guess they would be equal as jumping off places to visit other countries.

I've always been drawn to the Spanish culture and, even though I've never been to Spain, would love to immerse myself in it. Recently, however, I've had friends suggested Copenhagen so I've begun to waiver a bit. Copenhagen seems like such a progressive, hip, young place to live but I'm concerned that the weather will be bad and I've heard it is very expensive. I know that either place I choose will be a great experience, but I'm having trouble picking one!

I haven't been to Barcelona, but I spent a good 20 years of summers living in Copenhagen. Copenhagen is a great university city. Back when I was of university age, I had a ball. I would arrive in June and leave in September and take summer courses. Each summer I rented a room in a kollegium.

Of course the weather will be cold in the winter. I was once there in the winter. There wasn't any snow, but since it's so far north, there is less sunlight in winter. And it can be rainy. But, it's still a fun city.

Danmark is in a good location as one can go north to other Scandinavian countries or go south to the rest of Europe. It's kind of in the middle of a lot of countries. I used to travel both north and south a lot. Happy Travels!

I've spent all of one day in Copenhagen and about a week in Barcelona, so given that as a caveat emptor, I would choose Barcelona. Both are great cities, but Barcelona has an excitement that's special. The Ramblas is, I think, kinda sleazy and touristy, but there's a lot of life elsewhere throughout the city.

Barcelona is bigger, more interesting, better climate , has beaches, great food and cheap wine !
Copenhagen seemed to me filled with young people . Nice enough place. It is probably more expensive .Good beer.

Spain offers variety of scenery, cultures, languages.
Denmark , not so much.

I loved Copenhagen in the summer, but I think Barcelona is a much better choice, especially given that you'll be there during winter/spring.

Also, I assume you'll be studying a language. Spanish is a very useful language to learn nowadays.

Spain is very progressive country. For example same sex marriage has been leagl for a numnber of years and has liberal divorce laws.

By the way, the people in Barcelona speak Catalan first, which is based in Provençal, everyone also speaks Castilian and many speak English.

Spain is really mnay countries connected by a geographical fiction. The people who live in Barcelona are part of an area called Catalonia in English, Catalunya in Catalan, and
Cataluña in Castilian.

In the Basque region they speak Euskara whose origin is unknown. And in Galicia they speak galego which is combination of Castilian and Portuguese.

Spain is wonderfully textured country that we have visiting for 40 years and we still know little about it.

You haven;t mentioned what you are studying or how the universities in question rank in your subject. Nor if you speak any Spanish. (English is spoken everywhere in Denmark.)

The weather will be quite different. And the cost of living in Denmark is definitely higher.

I prefer Denmark myself - to Barcelona - but do love the southern area of Spain.

Have you done any research to determine what you want to see/do?

I live in Norway a bit further north and love both Copenhagen and Barcelona. In most of your months, Copenhagen will be cold, wet and windy with those wonderful, crisp and crystal clear winter days in between. And the exploding coming of spring in late April/early May is something you just must excperince. I would never voluntarely leave Scandinavia at this time of year. Copenhagen is a wonderful city with a great university spread all around the center, great food and very expensive.

But Barcelona is seriously hard to beat. Fabulous culture, nightlife, food and extermely diverse, and of course a totally different climate. Perhaps read "The Shadow of the wind" by Carlos Ruíz Zafón to get under the skin of magical post Civil War Barcelona.
http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wind-Ca.../dp/1594200106

I would also recommend "Barcelona" by the art critic Robert Hughes. It is a witty, insightful look at the city's history, art, culture, and architecture. It is the opposite of a guide book.

If you are planning to see a lot of Europe and England while on your semester abroad, as so many of my nieces and nephews did, it will be a lot easier and cheaper to do from Barcelona. I think this is a huge part of studying abroad, seeing the world.

What about getting together with others that have already gone to either city. I am assuming you are going though you college, so also assuming must be able to give you some guidance. I don't do Facebook myself but would imagine you might be able to get some feedback from students that have done those cities and get a current, young person perspective. Enjoy.

Kihme: And one can't beat all the "hygellige" days/evenings that one can spend with friends inside due to the weather in Copenhagen. It's just very special. And I agree that spring is very special. I sometimes go to Copenhagen in spring.

"Hygellige" is a word that's difficult to translate, as it's very part of the Danish culture. But, the closest words that I can think of would be "warm and cozy". Happy Travels!

He-he, frequent hyggelige indoor days with friends in Copenhagen should definitely be taken into the equation.

How about looking at the education offered by the 2 Universities and choose from that? And hey, hey, Denmark was the first country to allow same sex marriages

I'll recommended Barcelona. It Weather and people are amazing. I have been there when I was 20 years old. I was acommodating near a luxury apartment in Barcelona (http://www.bestbarcelonaapartments.com/) and in the center of Barcelona.

Barcelona! Especially in the early winter months. I went to Barcelona in December and still had a blast. I went to Copenhagen in early May, and I could already tell that it's a summer season destination. People in Barcelona were also friendlier.

The range of food is better in Barcelona, with easy access to loads of destinations. Museums, cultural sites, tapas crawls, oh man, go to Barcelona. Hey, you can always visit Copenhagen during the summer!

Also, seasonal affective disorder is REAL. I live in Paris now and the January-May season was just depressing. I can't imagine how much colder and darker it will be in Copenhagen.