Lodging

WORLDSPRU CAMPANHA:

 

The accommodations that you have in Campanha are very nice.  These pictures are exactly what you can expect from a single occupancy room which runs 22 Euro/nt (prorated rate which includes water and electric until you are able to get on the monthly cycle) and 390 Euros/monthly (water and electric are separate). 

Advantages: 24/7 security, a maid service that comes in and replenishes your towels and cleans your bathroom once weekly, and very helpful and friendly service from all of the staff.  The security guards are super friendly and can offer you a wealth of great information.  You are also right at the train station, so easy access to go wherever you want to go...and no worries, you never have to worry about the trains interrupting your slumber because you can't really hear them.

Suggestions:
--Porto buildings tend NOT to have central heating, so bring lots of layers if you plan on visiting in the colder months.

 

 

IT'S ELECTRIC!!

Check your electrical appliances before you pack them and make sure none exceed 1500W...the outlets will not support anything higher than that, so for all you ladies with industrial strength hairdryers...leave those at home.  Also, plan on getting a converter since the european outlets are different than ours.  You can purchase a single outlet converter (supports only one plug) for 5 Euros at the front desk of the dorm, or you can go to one of the asian stores (there's about 10 of them right outside the Sao Bento metro stop) and purchase a converter with multiple plug capacity for about 2 Euros.  I'll leave that up to you.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

If you are money conscious or a social butterfly, I will say that the rate for WorldSpru is a bit higher than what my friends here pay for their flats.  Campanha is not centrally located so you are about 15 mins on the metro from the city's center.  If you want to be in the center of everything, you might consider contacting the ERASMUS International Office (you will meet them during your orientaition at the Reitoria) and having them put you in touch with contacts for finding flats in the city center (near metro stops Sao Bento, Aliados, Trindade) or checking out some of the links I've listed below.  These can run you from 200 to 360 Euros/month and includes water and electric and are typically very nice.  You won't have security guards and maid service, but you will be in close proximity to night life, shopping, the metro, and a bunch of other students that are here on exchange programs from all over Europe.  And lucky for you, pretty much all the students know English as a second language, so making friends isn't hard at all.  Having said that, I did stay at WorldSpru and had no problem getting around.  But remember, night life here runs way past 2AM, so if you plan on indulging, you will have to take a taxi back to your home in Campanha since the metro stops at midnight. 

http://www.esnporto.org/

http://erasmusu.com/en/erasmus-porto/erasmus-forum/erasmus-porto-2012-2013-english-6809