The Town

Santiago de Compostela is the destination of the Camino de Santiago that is a European pilgrimage route that has its origins in the Middle Ages when pilgrims began to walk to Santiago de Compostela to visit the tomb of the Apostle Santiago.

The city is not very large (it does not reach 100,000 inhabitants) and is one of the main cultural destinations in the country, with a large influx of tourists, as well as pilgrims, throughout the year.

It is a university city and the Autonomous Community Government set in the town its headquarters, so it has a significant number of circumstantial inhabitants who live there for study or work reasons.  In addition, the town has been declared in 1985 by Unesco as a World Heritage Site.

Academic offer

Santiago de Compostela has a private school (Iria Flavia) and two centres: The Center for Modern Linguas and International Courses owned by the Santiago de Compostela University.

The Modern  Linguas Center is aimed especially at Socrates and Erasmus programs participants and other students and teachers that come to study abroad taking special agreements with the University of Santiago de Compostela. These students and professors have as a complementary activity to take a Spanish course for foreigners since their main objective is to carry out another academic activity (degree course, doctorate,  master…) for which they need to have a certain level of knowledge of Spanish. That is why this centre does not offer the realization of cultural or tourist activities.

Cursos Internacionales is an ELE centre whose students have the sole academic objective of studying Spanish. To facilitate learning, different types of cultural and tourist activities are organized as a complementary part of the Spanish courses.

The Iria Flavia academy is the only centre in the town accredited by the Instituto Cervantes. They have a varied range of courses:  general courses, courses for Spanish teachers for foreigners and group courses. The academic offer is completed with different complementary activities to be carried out during the immersion stay. They set up excursions, guided tours, cultural activities,  etc…

You can access the websites of these schools at the following buttons:

IRIA FLAVIA CURSOS INTERNACIONALES CENTRO DE LINGUAS MODERNAS

Hosting solutions

With a large circumstantial population, the city offers several accommodation alternatives:

1.- Hotels

Being one of the most important tourist destinations in the region, the city has a wide range of hotels. Several hotel chains have set on this town the headquarters of one of their hotels.

Our recommendation:

Within the hotel offer, the so-called charming hotels are amazing. Generally, they are small hotels located in the historic city that offer a differentiated accommodation experience where the creation of comfortable environments within the respect of the traditional elements of the buildings in which they are located shapes their brand image.

Within the hotel offer, the so-called charming hotels are amazing. Generally, they are small hotels located in the historic city that offer a differentiated accommodation experience where the creation of comfortable environments within the respect of the traditional elements of the buildings in which they are located shapes their brand image.

2.- Rental shared apartments

This is the most widely used accommodation solution in the city by the students. These are rental apartments shared by several students, in most cases, located in the new area of the city.

Our recommendation:

In recent years, the city has experienced an urban development that has led to the construction of newly occupied housing. These areas are the most recommended to rent if you choose this accommodation solution.

3.-Host families

This accommodation solution is very popular in other areas of the world and consists of immersive stays within a family that welcomes the international student. However, it is not a typical option of accommodation in Santiago de Compostela, so there is not pretty information about this kind of stay modality.

Our recommendation:

In general, the schools put the students in contact with the host families, being that way the usual marketing channel for booking. We recommend contacting the centres in advance to receive information about prices and alternatives offered in this type of accommodation.

4.-University residences

In Santiago de Compostela,  five students residences are ruled by the University. They offer a very economical accommodation and maintenance solution for students and professors who have some kind of relationship with the University.

In addition, other private student residences are another alternative accommodation if you are going to stay in Santiago de Compostela during the school period.

Our recommendation:

The three university residences located on the South Campus will allow you to live integrated to the maximum in the University environment. The university cafeteria located in one of them offers a very interesting and economical student menu.

5.-Tourist apartments

Since 2015 was closed to the possibility of obtaining a tourist apartment license in the area of the historic centre of the town, to avoid the effect of gentrification that had been experienced in that zone. That´s the reason why most of the tourist apartments in the town are located in the area known as Ensanche mostly built during the 70´s last century decade.

Our recommendation:

It would be a good option to book in one of the tourist accommodations located in the historic centre, even for a few days. Developing your immersion stay living in that area declared a World Heritage Site is not an experience that can be enjoyed in other places.