I am a 24 year old girl moving to Spain from the US to get my master’s degree. I am now in the process of applying to schools, but I can’t decide which city would be best for me. I have visited Madrid for a week and I know some people who live there, but I don’t know if I could live in such a busy city. I really like to do stuff outdoors in my spare time too like hike, etc. and Madrid doesn’t have this for me. My other choices are Barcelona or Valencia. I want to be in a good college town where I can enjoy the city and nature in my spare time. Can anyone give me advice on which city I should choose? Thanks so much!

If you like hiking then you can’t beat the Pyrenees. They’re quite close by train to Barcelona. Valencia I’m not so familiar with many outdoor-sy places apart from the beach (which is really nice there though).