Santiago Spanish Courses

Find, Compare, and Save Money on Your Spanish Course in Santiago de Compostela

Roughly 40,000 students at Santiago's university give this northern city its student vibe. Its profound historical significance as the last stop on the famous Way of St. James pilgrimage makes it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Santiago was awarded the title of European City of Culture in the year 2000.

  • Save up to 10% on the official course fees on your course in Santiago de Compostela
  • 2 different Spanish schools available in Santiago de Compostela
  • Hundreds of student opinions and reviews of more than 40 schools in Spain
  • Expert advice if you need help choosing the right course: 10+ years of experience and more than 8000 clients have booked through UniSpain.

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Spanish Courses Offered in Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela University
Feedback: 8,7

8,7/10

Most PopularMost
Popular

Facts
  • Students per class: Max. 15
  • Average Students Summer: 908
  • Average Students All Year: 1338
  • Year Founded: 1954
Positive / negative
  • Quality of courses

  • Access to all university facilities

  • Variation in courses can be confusing

  • Enrolment fee of 190€

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Academia Iria Flavia
Feedback: 9,0

9,0/10

Top ValueTop
Value

Facts
  • Students per class: Max. 10
  • Average Students Summer: 30
  • Average Students All Year: 15
  • Year Founded: 1994
  • Classrooms: 6
  • Minimum Age: 17
Positive / negative
  • Very friendly and professional staff.

  • 2 free time activities (highly rated by students) per week are included in course fees.

  • Language exchange program with Spanish students organised by the school.

  • Fixed start dates for beginners and non-beginners

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What Previous Students Think About Santiago de Compostela

About Santiago de Compostela

Full name Santiago de Compostela, Santiago is in the historic western Spanish region of Galicia. The city is steeped in culture and religious significance. It is also one of the main education centres in the whole country. Numerous historical and cultural attractions, a lively nightlife scene, a large student population, and close proximity to beautiful beaches make it a great all-round destination. Santiago de Compostela is therefore particularly recommended as a long-term immersion location for foreign students wishing to spend 6 months to 1 year in Spain.

Many people arrive in Santiago by bus from A Coruña, Vigo or Madrid airports, although there is also a train station nearby, as well as a small airport that serves a handful of national and international airlines. Santiago de Compostela is an important city within Catholicism, because it is believed to be the place where one of the twelve apostles was buried. This is why Santiago attracts so many religious pilgrims. The Camino de Santiago has been an important pilgrimage route since medieval times and people today continue to walk it through various paths, to end their journey at the Cathedral in Santiago city. Hence, there are many religious attractions in Santiago de Compostela: the beautiful Cathedral and its interesting tomb are the main points of interest, but students can also visit the Baroque San Martin Pinario Monastery and the Gelmirez Palace where the current archbishop of Santiago lives.

The old heart of the city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are a number of beautiful squares that are great for leisurely walks, sipping café con leche or just people watching. Students can take a small train to the Cidade da Cultura: this is a remarkable group of buildings in Santiago, designed in the shape of rolling hills by architect Eisenman. Described as a “cultural hub”, the Cidade da Cultura puts on art and design exhibitions, concerts, culture fairs and many other events. For some good and inexpensive shopping, students should visit the large and bustling Mercado de Abastos, or City Market, where they can buy anything from fruit and sweets, to clothes, shoes and household items. When it comes to eating, local specialities include a range of tasty cheeses and seafood, in particular pulpo a la gallega, or Galician octopus.

Santiago has a number of celebrations throughout the year, some that are particular to the area and others that are celebrated all around Spain. The largest is the festival in honour of St James, which falls on the 24th of July. It is a religious celebration, although it is accompanied by big firework displays, loud music and fun outdoor concerts. It attracts many visitors from across Spain and even further afield.

People in Santiago de Compostela speak Spanish with a Galician accent. This means that compared to the standard Castilian Spanish spoken in Madrid, some of the Galician Spanish vowel sounds are more open and the language sounds more “sing-song”. This is due to Portuguese influence. Students generally find the Galician accent easy to understand and the people in the city are very friendly. These factors make Santiago a great immersion destination.

Santiago has Atlantic weather; January is the coldest month, and the average temperature throughout the year is around 19 degrees. The city gets a lot of rain, especially in the winter. June through to September are the warmest and driest months.

The cost of living in Santiago is significantly lower than in the capital city of Madrid. As a comparison, students will pay around 20% less for groceries, 35% less on eating out, and up to a massive 65% less on accommodation costs compared to the capital. As Santiago is quite a small city, students can save money by walking. The New District is great for shopping, which will meet the tightest budgets. There are many local restaurants, bars, and cafes where students can enjoy the same price as residents. Being a pilgrimage city, Santiago receives many visitors every year—avoiding places that are geared solely to tourists will keep the costs down.

Recommendations

Although known as a top centre for Catholic Pilgrimage, Santiago de Compostela has much more to offer besides cathedrals. Sitting between the Tambre and Ulla rivers, the city is full of cultural sights and is a university city. Its location in Spain's northwest (in the province of Galicia) gives Santiago a moderate climate. Not suffering from scorching hot temperatures in the summer, the mild temperatures make the city an enjoyable atmosphere to live in, although be sure to have an umbrella as it’s known as one of the wettest cities in Spain. The city has a population of around 130.000, many of whom are university students.

Santiago de Compostela is recommendable for students wishing to study and live in Spain for more lengthy periods (between 6 months and 1 year).

Doubts or Questions?

If you have any doubts about what language course to choose in Santiago de Compostela we will be very happy to help you: You can contact us by email, phone or via Skype.

We can also highly recommend trying our School Comparison tool where you can get a complete overview of the differences in the schools available in Santiago de Compostela or you can download brochures of all the school we offer in Santiago de Compostela.

To book a Spanish language course in Santiago de Compostela, please fill out the Registration form, you will then receive a response from UniSpain confirming that we are processing your request for a Spanish language course.