Can you help me with accommodation?
We have created a page dedicated to all the ways to find accommodation that we know about. Sometimes we have some offers with partnered landlords. We’ve also gathered Facebook groups and Platforms.
What is COMAP?
COMAP is a student organization dedicated to International Students. We manage the Buddy Program, organize events for the ERASMUS students and focus on building an International Community at ISCAP. We are a group of voluntary students that try to help you integrate and live your experience to the fullest.
What is a Buddy?
A Buddy is a student from ISCAP that has as “godsons” ERASMUS students. A buddy must help the ERASMUS student in all its necessities. In return? Great friendship, knowledge of new cultures and alot of fun. A unique experience.
Will I get a Buddy?
Yes. Every ERASMUS student every semester gets a Buddy. If you don’t hear anything from any Buddy, please contact us.
When will I know my classes schedule?
In the orientation week, on the first or second day.
What is the orientation week?
It’s your first week in university. You will be notified when it happens. On this week, we have multiple events everyday. From turistic activities to tours around the campus and the city of Porto to essential sessions with all the information you will need to know during your stay. If you want to have a better idea of how the orientation week goes, check out one of our previous ones here.
How can I know the school year calendar?
The school year calendar is always available on ISCAP’s website. You can check it out here.
Can I take Portuguese classes at ISCAP?
Of course! You just have to choose it and include it in your Learning Agreement. You’ll get out of here speaking fluently!
What are the costs of living in Porto?
Porto is cheap compared to most big cities in Europe. However, some expenses are very hard to get by, especially accommodation. In this page you can check out a wide variety of the costs in Porto.
What are the public transportation options in Porto?
We have 3 public transportation options: metro (subway), bus and train. Trams are only turistic, they are by far not the best method of transportation.
Metro (subway): The most reliable and the fastest way to travel around Porto is metro. There is very good metro’s network around the whole city. You can check out the metro network here.
Bus: The bus is second best option how to travel around Porto. One advantage of bus is available WiFi networks, but not in all of them. One disadvantage is to take timetables indicative only. Sometimes the bus is not coming at all.
Train: For travelling out of Porto we can recommend train, that is really comfortable and cheap. For example near the Porto there are cities that worth to see like Aveiro, Guimarães or Braga. All of them are available direct line from Porto and the journey takes around one hour.
Where can I buy tickets for public transportation?
We have a unique ticket for public transportation in Porto called “Andante“. It can be used in train, bus and metro (subway) inside of its Network. You can buy it from the machines in every metro stop.
Can I buy a monthly transport ticket?
For sure! We have two kinds of monthly tickets: 3 zones of the city for 30€ (22,50€ with student proof) or the entire city for 40€ (30€ with student proof). You can buy it at the shops of “Andante“.
How can I check the schedules of public transportation?
To check out bus schedules, we recommend to download the app moovit, it guides you step-by-step to your destination, nearby stations, and beyond. Help you plan your transit better. For metro (subway), we recommend you to download iMetroPorto, which is the official travel planner for Porto’s Light Rail Network. You can consult schedules and frequencies, view network and line maps, calculate ticket prices and plan your trips.
Is it easy to travel from Porto?
In fact, very easy. We have bus connections to all of Portugal and Spain. We even have some connections to France (to the south) – for this, you should check out Redes-Expresso and Flixbus. Our train lines can also take you to alot of places. From Porto, we are easily connected to Braga, Guimarães, Aveiro, Coimbra and Lisboa. For this, should check out CP – Comboios de Portugal. Lastly, Porto’s airport is connected to alot of countries all over the world and Europe. You can find some amazing fares on Ryanair throughout all the year.
Can I buy a Portuguese SIM Card?
Yes. We recommend you to get the WTF SIM Card from NOS. You can check the conditions for ERASMUS here. ESN Porto can give you one at their office. Their office is located at Praça de Gomes Teixeira 10, 4050-526 Porto, Room 500 of Reitoria do Porto.
Is it easy to practise sports in Porto?
Absolutely. You can do anything – football, surfing, cycling, beach sports or simply work out. We recommend you to join the ERASMUS Sports group on Facebook.
Should I try surfing?
Atleast once! Portugal is in general one of the best place for surfing in the world. We can really recommended to try this amazing sport. The best way to try out this sport is to pay a course at one of the surf schools. Definitely not recommended to borrow surf equipment yourself and go into the waves. Surfing without some knowledge and the right equipment could be dangerous. Best spot for surfing is in the Matosinhos beach, there is the largest concentration of surf schools exactly on the beach. You can go to thebeach and ask at some of them for surf lessons. Most of these schools have discount for ERASMUS students.
Can I sign up for Sports in ISCAP?
Yes, you can. Many of our ERASMUS students have already been part of our teams. However, unlike many schools around Europe, it will not award you any ECTS. You can ask at the Students Union if you can apply. If you wish to contact them, check out their Facebook page.
Are there open fields to play Football in Porto?
For football fanatics like us – Hell yeah! And we have a few suggestions for you:
- R. de Alves Redol 292,4050-042 Porto (One playground for 11 vs 11)
- R. Dr. Plácido da Costa 91,4200-450 Porto (Two small playgrounds for 5 vs 5, One playground for 11 vs 11)
- Santo António do Telheiro 463 4465-128 São Mamede de Infesta (Inside plaground for 5 vs 5, close to ISCAP)
- Parque da Cidade – GPS Location: 41.169792, -8.677621 (One small playground for 5 vs 5 and one big playground divided for two halfs)
There’s also a Facebook group where you can plan some football matches called Friendly Football Porto, which was created by ERASMUS students from our school.
Where can we party?
Porto’s city center is FULL of clubs. Specially the area of “Galerias de Paris” which is pretty much the hottest hotspot for ERASMUS students in Porto. We don’t need to tell you where and which is the best because you will easily find them if you go to that area and you will have fun no matter what. Here are the indications.
Your question is not here? Send us an email and we’ll answer it!
Contact: info@comap-portugal.com