European students who wish to study for a period at our School must be registered in their European centre of origin. The existing agreements between the Valencia School of Art and College of Design and these European centres make it possible for the subjects taken and passed to be accepted for credit in the school in which the student is registered.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST FOR ERASMUS STUDENTS

THE CITY OF VALENCIA

Valencia is a city which is situated on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Capital of the Comunidad Valenciana, it has a population of 800,000 inhabitants, which is increased by some 1,500,000 if its metropolitan area is taken into account.

The city was founded in the year 137 B.C. and has had a completely European culture since 1238, with the foundation of the Kingdom of Valencia. Its intense history is reflected in numerous buildings of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Modernist and eclectic styles. The particular language of Valencia and the Comunidad Valenciana is Valencian (a variant of Catalan) which is the official language together with the Castilian, or Spanish, of the Spanish State. Both languages are used by the population.

The city of Valencia is crossed through by the Turia River, whose riverbed, which is now dry, has been converted into a gardened park.

Valencia is a city which has conserved its historical centre, one of the largest in Europe, and where the majority of the official buildings are located, and which has extended itself over time out towards the sea with modern constructions. Near the sea we can find the maritime towns, such as the Cabanyal or Nazare, and next to them are the beaches of the city, for example "La Malvarrosa" and "Las Arenas", which are fronted by a seafront promenade. It is possible to swim and sunbathe for most of the year thanks to the Mediterranean climate of warm temperatures and little rainfall. The temperature never falls below zero degrees in winter, and the summer is very warm with a high degree of humidity due to the proximity of the sea and because the city is surrounded by market garden.

A little further away from the city is the beach known as "El Saler", which enjoys naturally privileged surroundings (pine forests on top of dunes and the lagoon known as the Albufera, where numerous species of aquatic fowls make their nests.).

COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORT

Valencia is a city which is perfectly connected with the rest of Spain and with other countries by land, sea and air.

THE TRAIN AND THE PLANE

In the very centre of the city there is a train station that provides communication with all of the Iberian peninsula and with the rest of Europe by way of France. Telephones for information are as follows:
Tel: 34-902 240 202/ 963 520 202
www.renfe.es

If you wish to travel by airplane, you will be interested in knowing that the Valencia airport (known as the Manises airport) has connections with the principal Spanish capitals and with most of the foreign ones, too. Telephone for information at the airport is the following:
Tel: 34-961 598 500

SHIP

Valencia has an important commercial harbour, and right next to it is the maritime station from where some of the regular lines embark for the Balearic Islands and other destinations. Information can be obtained in:

TRANSMEDITERRÁNEA
Tel: 34-902 454 645

BUS/COACH

There are a number of different coach and bus lines that cover different areas:

The Bono 10, Bono 30, Bono 30 Jove and the T1 are combinatory with the underground. There are a number of night lines that operate around the city from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and, in summer, special lines that go out to the beaches.

EMT Offices (Municipal Transport Company)
C/ En Sanz, 4 2º 3ª
Tel: 34-963 528 399
www.emtvalencia.com

THE UNDERGROUND

There are a number of underground lines that connect different points of the city and the surrounding areas. In order to obtain a discounted ticket price (normal ticket costs 0.9 €), you have to purchase the bonos-metro (10-journey subway ticket) at any metro, or underground, station. There are 10-journey tickets with which you can combine underground and bus routes.
Start here
METRO VALENCIA
Tel: 34-963 974 040

STREETCAR

A modern streetcar connects the metro station Ademuz with the Malvarrosa beach, passing through the stop known as "L'Estació de Fusta" , next to the old riverbed .

ROOM AND BOARD

During the first days in the city, ERASMUS students often stay in a hostel, or cheap hotel, until they find an apartment or flat. One good option is the youth hostal, Alberg Juvenil Ciutat de València, situated in the historical centre of the city, and very close the Velluters building, one of the locations of the the Valencia School of Art and College of Design .

Alberg Juvenil Ciutat de València
Balmes, 17 46001 Valencia
Tel. 00 34 963 925 100
www.alberguedevalencia.com
e-mail: albergue@alberguedevalencia.com

There are several possibilities as far as hostels are concerned. The following list has been made by selecting those that are most convenient due to their price/quality relation from information provided by ERASMUS students themselves.

Hostal San JoséTrànsits 5
46002 Valencia
Tel: 34-963 940 152

Hostal Moratín
Moratín 15
46002 Valencia
Tel: 34-963 521 220

Hostal El Pilar
Pl. del Mercado 19
46002 Valencia
Tel: 34-963 916 600

Hostal El Rincón
Cardà 11
46002 Valencia
Tel: 34-963 916 083
(The approximate price is 22 €./night, and there are complete bathroom facilities outside the rooms )

Hotel Europa
Ribera, 4
Tel: 34-963 520 000
Fax: 34-963 520 351
46002 Valencia
(Approximate price 44€/night)

For longer stays, there are a number of Colegios Mayores, or Student Residences, which offer room and board for a variety of different prices:

C.M. Luis Vives.
Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 23.
46010 Valencia
Tel: 34-963 864 190.
Pertain to Universidad de Valencia.

C.M. Rector Peset.
Pl. Forn Sant Nicolau, 4.
46001 Valencia
Tel: 34-963 910 340.
Fax: 34-963 922 729.
Pertain to Universidad de Valencia.

Albalat. Avda. Primat Reig, 167.
Valencia
Tel: 34-963 610 308

Ausias March.
Avda. Catalunya, 30.
Valencia
Tel: 34-963 694 600

Juan XXIII.
Pintor Ricardo Verde, 7.
Valencia
Tel: 34-963 604 131

La Alameda.
Micer Mascó 29.
Valencia
Tel: 34-963 691 612

La Asunción
Avda. Primat Reig, 108.
Valencia Tel: 34-963 694 600

La Concepción.
Avda. Suècia, 23.
Valencia
Tel: 34-963 691 458

La Paz.
Avda. del Port, 69.
Valencia
Tel: 34-963 690 152

San Francisco Javier.
Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 55.
Valencia
Tel: 34-963 695 854

San Juan de Ribera.
Pl. S. Juan de Ribera 6.
Burjassot
Tel: 34-963 638 270

Santa María.
Avda. Primat Reig, 122.
Valencia Tel: 34-963 692 266

Students usually tend to live in shared flats, because it is less expensive than the Colegios Mayores and also allows for the contact and cohabitation with other students.

If you rent an apartment or flat through an agency, you will have to pay one or two months deposit, which is returned at the end of your stay if there is no damage that has been done to the flat, and once the gas, light, water bills, etc. have been settled. You should insist on a signed contract in which the names and obligations of both parties are included.

The rental of a flat or apartment is done by complete month, which is paid for at the beginning of each month, so if you are going to vacate the flat, you must give notification one month before in writing, signed by you and addressed to the person from whom you rented the flat.

You must also make sure that if you decide to leave the flat before the months that you agreed on have transpired tht they are going to return your deposit, as the law does permit the landlord to retain the two months that were paid as deposit.

The University of Valencia has an agreement signed with an agency that offers shared housing. If you go to another agency, you will have to rent the whole flat. This agency that has the agreement with the University offers three types of flats, and the price ranges from 90-180 € per person per month and includes service charges in the building, but not light, water, gas etc.

S.P.U.
Almassora 70 Bajo derecha
46010 Valencia
TLF.: 34-963603958
Fax: 34-963603958
Horario de 9,30 a 13,30 y de 16,30 a 19,30

Another possibility for finding flats for rent is to use the Borsa d'Habitatge (Housing Mart) that is offered by the University of Valencia through the CADE (Centro for Advising and Dynamizing of the Student). In this Mart, students can find a multitude of different types of flats available different zones of the city. Normally, to rent these flats, a small group of students get together.

CADE Borsa d'Habitatge
Aulari III
Menéndez y Pelayo, s/n 46010 Valencia
Tel. 34-963 864 771
www.uv.es/cade
e-mail:cade@uv.es

Flats and addresses of flats to share can also be found in the weekly publications (Trajín, Baúl, etc.) that can be purchased in the kiosks upon arriving to Valencia, or by looking at the bulletin boards in the faculties and schools .

The majority of student housing does not have its own telephone, but there are many phone booths in the city, many of which function with phone cards (which can be purchased in the tobacco shops, or estancos) or with credit cards This latter option is only recommended for long distance out-of-the-country calls, as there is a minimum cost per use, which would make local calls very expensive As in other countries, Spain has a national prefix and another, different, international one. To call Spain from another country, you must dial the prefix 34 followed by the telephone number in Spain, which always begins with 96. To call to another country from inside Spain, you must dial the prefix 00 followed by the national and provincial codes and the telephone number of where you are calling to.

There is also the possibility of arranging an exchange of residence between a student from Valencia and another European student who is participating in the reciprocal interchange between the two Schools. For this, you must mention this option in the proposal for exchange directed to the Erasmus Coordinator of the Valencia School of Art and College of Design.

GASTRONOMY

Although the most normal thing students do when they share a flat is to buy food in the supermarkets or other food stores and cook themselves, it is also possible to eat at midday in the faculty cafeterias in the University area or in restaurants in the area for approximately 4 to 6 €.

A cheap alternative, and very much in vogue with students, is to have dinner in a bocatería, or submarine sandwich shop, which is more or less the Spanish version of the American hamburger places. In the bocaterías, they use bakery bread, baked fresh every day, and it is filled with a wide variety of hot or cold food, with the only limit being that of one's own taste and imagination.

But during your stay in Valencia you really must try, and if possible accustom yourself to, the famous and healthy Mediterranean diet in which the vegetables, the fruits, the legumes, the fish and the meats are prepared in many different ways. And of course, the Valencian rice dishes, of which the internationally famous "paella" is just one of its many varieties, which include for example "arròs negre" (black rice), "arròs al forn" (baked rice) or "arròs a banda" (rice cooked by itself, separate from the fish or shellfish which typically accompany it).

TIMETABLES

When you get to Valencia, you will have to accustom yourself to our timetables, which are different form other European countries. We eat lunch at some time between 3:00 and 4:00, and dinner between 9:00 and 10:00. Trying to keep one's own timetables will have you arriving too late or too early to places, and it will be difficult for you to fit in the sessions of the cinema or the theatre. In the bars and taverns you can eat at almost any hour, but in the restaurants it is very difficult to get served before 1:00 at midday or before 8:00 in the evening .

LEISURE AND FREE TIME

If you want to get to know the Country of Valencia, its museums, gardens and picturesque areas, below we have included addresses that can be of use:

TOURISM OFFICES:

You can also find information about the Country of Valencia at
www.gva.es/turist/turisesp.htm.

You will find that there is a wide variety of cultural offering in the city of Valencia. There are several theatres, of which the Principal is the most important, the Palace of Music, a modern auditorium which features a number of renowned orchestras each year, and several museums, particularly for example the Museu de Belles Arts, with a lrge collection of Gothic paintings, and the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (IVAM) with permanent and temporary expositions of contemporary art .

As Valencia has a student population in excess of 80,000 students, there are a number of zones where students get together and entertainment areas with different night-time atmospheres.

The entertainment guides "Turia" and "Qué y dónde", which are sold in the kiosks and come out once a week, provide information on the theatre, cinemas, cultural activities and a selection of cafeterias, bars, restaurants and other places, and recommendations on the leisure offerings that are to be found in the city .

And you should not miss the traditional festival of Valencia, the Fallas.

This festival is held between March 15 and 19, and during these days the whole city is a mass of fireworks, flowers, music, typical dress, and immense colourful papier mâché monuments, the "fallas", which the people of Valencia use to make entertaining satire about the reality of daily life, the politicians, artists and important local or international figures, and which culminates on the last night when the monumental figures are all burned to the awaiting expectation of the public. You'll never forget it!

If you are under 25, you can obtain the "Carnet Jove" , or Youth Card, by taking a small photograph, your passport and 6 € to the IVAJ (Institut Valencià de la Joventut); with this card you have the right to discounts in public transportation, cinemas, theatres, travel, etc.. For more information, contact :

INSTITUT VALENCIÀ DE LA JOVENTUT
C/ Hospital 11
46.001 Valencia
Tel: 963 869 700

WORKING

Spanish legislation makes it very difficult for students to have part time or temporary jobs. Even so, the DISE of the University of Valencia has one of the job marts in which you can register to find part time work giving foreign language classes, taking care of children, distributing advertising brochures, or doing opinion polls and surveys. For further information, contact

DISE
Avenida Menéndez Pelayo s.n.
46.010 Valencia
Tel: 34-963 864 040 Fax: 34-963 603 047

REGISTRATION

When you arrive to Valencia, you need to go to the Erasmus office, which is situated at

GABINETE DE EXTRANJEROS
Avenida Blasco Ibáñez, 13
46.023 Valencia
Tlf.: 34 - 963983391
Fax: 34 - 963864841
www.sestud.uv.es

with the following documents:

1. Registration certificate from your university of school
2. Accreditation from your professor that you are an ERASMUS student
3. Passport or identification card
4. 2 passport-sized photographs
5. Photocopy of form E-111 from Social Security or a copy of your medical insurance policy.

In the Erasmus Office they will register you and provide you with an Erasmus student certificate, which, together with the registration envelope, you must then take to the Secretary where you will be registered and will pay 1.13 € for school insurance (if you are under 28 ), which will provide you with coverage for schools accidents.

Before leaving your country you need to ask for information about the medical coverage that you have a right to as a European student, and also obtain from the pertinent authorities the E-111 form, which gives you the right to medical attention in the Spanish public hospitals. If you are not a European citizen you need to find out if there is some health care agreement between your country and Spain, and if not, take out an insurance policy that will cover you while you are in Spain.

LANGUAGE PREPARATION

It is recommended that you have an adequate knowledge of the Spanish language, as generally all teaching in the university is in Spanish, or if you should so wish, in Valencian. And in the Valencia School of Art and College of Design almost everything is in Spanish.

You do need to learn the language before coming to Valencia. Even so, language classes are available in Valencia.

The University of Valencia organises different course n Spanish for Erasmus students as a low price. The 50 hour course up until now has cost 121 €. These classes are given at all levels (Beginning, Lower-Intermediate and Intermediate) and are given at the beginning of each four-month period. For further information, contact the Foreign Bureau, or Gabinete de extranjeros .

On the other hand, the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas, of state run Official School of Languages, offers course in Spanish at different levels throughout the year. For further information, contact:

ESCUELA OFICIAL DE IDIOMAS
Llano de Zaidia 19
46.009 Valencia
tlf.: 34 - 963405022

If you are interested in learning Valencian, you can attend free classes by contacting :

SERVEI DE NORMALITZACIÓ LINGÜÍSTICA
Artes Gráficas 13
Tlf.: 34-963864784 Fax: 34-963864841
There are also private academies that teach Spanish.

SCHOOL INSURANCE

ERASMUS students who pay the 1.13 € (approximate) fee in the office of the Secretary, will be included in the School Insurance.

La Mutualidad del Seguro Escolar is an entity which was created in 1953 to cover a series of family and health care contingencies that can affect students at university centres and secondary schools.

School Insurance benefits are obtained by means of official documents that are provided in the offices of the National Institution for Social Security (Instituto Nacional de Seguridad Social), as well as in the Urban and Regional Offices of the same entity, where any questions can be answered either in person or by letter. Each form lists on the reverse side the minimal formal requirements that have to be met, and must be presented at the above mentioned offices.