WHERE TO LIVE IN ZARAGOZA

Zaragoza is compact, but choosing the right neighbourhood still matters more than you’d think. In this guide we’ll tell you where to look for a room, how to spot and avoid the scams that target students every year, and which are the best neighbourhoods to live in as a Erasmus student in Zaragoza.

Where to look for accommodation?

We’ll tell you exactly where it’s worth focusing your efforts to find a flat quickly, without wasting time on places that won’t get you results.

WhatsApp groups

Many landlords also join WhatsApp groups to post their rooms, since they know they’ll find an audience made up almost entirely of Erasmus students looking for a flat, with no middlemen involved.

At Erasmus Touch, we’ve set up our own group so students and landlords can connect directly. Just join through the link, introduce yourself briefly, and let everyone know what you’re after (city, budget, dates…). From there, either someone will message you privately with an offer, or you’ll simply be kept in the loop in real time whenever a landlord posts a new listing.

👉 Join the Housing Zaragoza group

Facebook groups

Most landlords who rent out on their own (without going through an agency) tend to be from an older generation, and that’s why they still mainly use Facebook groups to post their rooms. If you go to the Facebook search bar and type in keywords like rooms, erasmus, Zaragoza or students, you’ll find dozens of groups specifically dedicated to searching for and posting flats.

Here are a few to get you started right away, so you can post exactly what you’re looking for:

• • Group 1: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3624403284497230
  • Group 2: https://www.facebook.com/groups/219975687405925

Idealista, Fotocasa and Milanuncios

The number one go-to websites for finding a room in Spain. Here you’ll find hundreds of options available at any given time, from both private landlords and real estate agencies. You can filter by city, price, area and type of accommodation, so the whole process really just comes down to narrowing your search well and reaching out to whoever has what you need.

Get in touch with Ex-Erasmus students

Another source many people overlook: talk to students who already did their Erasmus in the city you’re heading to, especially if they’ve just finished theirs. They often have first hand information about flats becoming free right as they move out.

Search our Erasmus Touch group or our Instagram, or simply ask around in forums and chats from your own home university to see if anyone was already in that city the year before. A direct message asking «do you know if your flat is becoming free?» can save you weeks of searching, and gives you the peace of mind of renting something you already know about first hand from someone who actually lived there.

At your own university

Don’t underestimate your university’s noticeboard (physical or online). Sometimes rooms get posted there directly by other students or local landlords, and in many cases the university has agreements with residences or agencies that give you access to accommodation already checked and verified by the institution itself — an extra layer of security against potential scams.

How to avoid scams when looking for a flat for your Erasmus

Can you imagine arriving in your Erasmus city convinced you had a room booked, only to discover it never actually existed? That would be a disaster, right? Luckily, most rental scams follow pretty recognisable patterns, so with a few minutes of common sense you can save yourself a lot of stress (and money). Here’s everything you need to arrive at your new city with peace of mind.

Warning signs: when to be suspicious

About the landlord or agency

First things first, make sure you’re actually talking to a real person or a real agency. Don’t be afraid to ask for details or look up who’s on the other end. On Facebook, be especially wary of recently created profiles with photos that look faker than a €30 note.

About the flat or room

• The price is too good to be true. A central, renovated, bright room priced way below the average for the area is almost never a bargain: it’s the bait. Always compare with other rooms in the same neighbourhood before getting too excited.
• They rush you. «I’ve got someone else interested,» «if you don’t book today you’ll lose it»… Urgency is any scammer’s favourite tool, precisely so you don’t stop to think or verify anything.
• They ask for money before you’ve seen the room. A deposit, a «booking fee,» or a «down payment» upfront, without having stepped foot in the flat or signed anything. This is the classic scam: you pay, and the person disappears.
• The «owner» is abroad. One of the most repeated stories: they say they’re away for work, can’t show you the place in person, and will send you the keys by courier as soon as you pay. That courier never arrives, because it never existed.
• They want to take the conversation off the platform. If the moment you make contact they push to move straight to WhatsApp, Telegram or email to «speed things up,» be cautious. Outside the original listing site there’s no trace of the conversation left, and it’s much easier for them to block you once they’ve been paid.
• They ask for personal details too early. A copy of your ID, payslips or bank details right at the start of the conversation, before you’ve seen anything at all. They might not even be trying to rent you a flat, they could be after your identity.
• Fake real estate agencies. Individuals posing as an agency who charge you to «give you access» to a list of rooms or to «manage» your booking. A legitimate agency has a physical office, is officially registered, and never charges the tenant just to show them flats.

How to verify a listing is real

Before paying a single euro, spend ten minutes checking that both the room and the person actually exist. This is exactly what makes the difference between a smooth Erasmus and a serious problem.

Go see it in person (or on a live video call)

Ideally, always visit the room before committing to anything. If you can’t go in person because you’re still in your home country, ask for a live video call where the person shows you the room, the rest of the flat, and the view from the window right there and then. Ask them to move the camera wherever you want. Scammers usually dodge this with some excuse or another, simply because they don’t actually have the flat.

Check the address and the photos

Put the address into Google Maps and look at it on Street View: does the building’s façade match the photos in the listing? Then run a reverse image search (you can drag the photo straight into Google Images). If those same photos show up in listings for other cities or on furniture selling websites, it’s a scam built with stolen photos.

Look for a trace of the person and the listing

A recently created account, with no history and no other listings, is far less trustworthy than a profile with some track record. And if you found the room through a website, search the person’s or agency’s name on Google alongside words like «reviews» or «scam» to see if anyone else has run into trouble before you.

Ask for a contract

A serious rental gets signed, no exceptions. If the person refuses to sign a tenancy or room rental agreement, or keeps dodging it, don’t go any further. The contract is your legal protection, and knowing your rights as a tenant before signing will save you a lot of headaches down the line.

The golden rule with payments

If you take away just one thing from this whole guide, make it this:

Never pay for a room you haven’t seen, under a contract you haven’t signed.

And within that rule, pay attention to how you pay too:

• Be wary of anyone demanding payment via Bizum, bank transfer, Western Union or cryptocurrency to a stranger. These are fast, irreversible methods: once the money’s sent, getting it back is next to impossible.
• A deposit is completely normal when signing the contract, with the keys already in your hand — not before, and definitely not to someone you don’t even know is the actual owner.

Why choosing the right neighbourhood matters so much

Living five minutes’ walk from class is not the same as relying on public transport every single day. Nor is a quiet, residential area the same as a neighbourhood buzzing with social life at any hour. In a city the size of Zaragoza, this decision carries more weight than it might seem at first glance, so let’s go area by area.

The best neighbourhoods for students in Zaragoza

San Francisco (Universidad): the heart of student life

If there’s one neighbourhood that sums up university life in Zaragoza, it’s this one. The area around Plaza San Francisco and the Campus San Francisco is, without a doubt, the most sought after among students, with numerous Universidad de Zaragoza faculties within a few minutes’ walk.

The university atmosphere here runs all year round: cafés packed between classes, lively terraces in the afternoon, libraries bursting during exam season, and plenty of shared flats specifically aimed at students. It’s literally the go to neighbourhood for anyone studying technical or engineering degrees based on this campus.

Average room price: €300-430/month.

Pros:

• Campus 2 minutes away on foot
• Libraries, cafés and print shops entirely geared towards students
• Genuine university atmosphere all year round
• Excellent tram and bus connections to the rest of the city

Cons:

• Highly sought-after, so flats get snapped up fast
• Prices trending upward due to high demand

Best for: anyone who wants to maximise their time and not lose a single minute commuting each day.

Centro: the balance between studying and social life

Living in central Zaragoza means having everything within reach: supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, gyms, shops, libraries and public transport, all a short walk away. The areas around Plaza del Pilar offer a complete urban experience, letting you combine studying and going out without moving around too much.

This is also where the Faculty of Accounting and Finance of the Universidad de Zaragoza is located, so if that’s your degree, this area is especially convenient. The neighbourhood is packed with restaurants, bars and clubs for every budget (though it’s worth figuring out which ones students actually frequent), and culturally you’ve got the University’s Museum of Natural Sciences, the Patio de la Infanta, and remains of the old city wall like the Puerta del Carmen. To unwind, Parque de Miraflores offers plenty of space for a walk or a picnic.

Pros:

• Maximum everyday convenience: everything within reach
• Wide cultural offering (museums, theatres, events)
• Good connections to the whole city via tram and multiple bus lines
• Close to Zaragoza Goya train station
• You can go out without relying on night transport

Cons:

• Rent tends to be higher than in outlying areas.
• Some buildings are old, so it’s worth checking the condition of the flat carefully before signing.

La Magdalena / Casco Histórico: culture and nightlife

If the centre feels a bit too «conventional,» La Magdalena and the Casco Histórico offer a rather different experience: narrow streets steeped in history, bars with real character, independent cultural spaces, and a diverse atmosphere that particularly appeals to students with creative or cultural interests.

This is also the beating heart of Zaragoza’s nightlife, both for traditional tapas crawls and full on partying (this is home to the famous «El Tubo» area, an absolute classic of the city’s nightlife scene). If you also attend or organise events with other international students, chances are most of them will end up happening around here.

Best for: anyone who wants the city’s social and cultural life practically on their doorstep.

Actur: modern, quiet, and increasingly popular among students

Located on the other side of the Ebro River from the centre, Actur is one of the areas that’s grown the most in popularity among students in recent years, and it’s no coincidence: wide avenues, modern urban planning, green spaces, large shopping centres and relatively new buildings make it a very appealing alternative to more saturated areas.

It’s the go-to student neighbourhood for anyone studying at Campus Río Ebro (EINA, CPS and engineering degrees), with the campus just a 5-minute walk from much of the neighbourhood. Plus, the tram connects Actur to the centre and the San Francisco university area in just a few minutes, so you’re not cut off from the rest of student life either.

For leisure, you’ve got Zaragoza Aquarium, the Mobility City museum, and the Palacio de Congresos. For green spaces, Parque del Agua Luis Buñuel and the Parque Fluvial de la Expo 2008 offer beautiful walks along the river, perfect for unwinding between exams.

Average room price: €300-380/month.

Pros:

• Campus Río Ebro just 5 minutes away on foot
• Direct tram to the centre (under 20 minutes to the historic quarter)
• Modern, clean area with good value for money
• Rents lower than in the centre
• Open spaces ideal for unwinding or exercising

Cons:

• A bit far from the centre for more intense nightlife

Best for: students at EINA, CPS or any degree based at Río Ebro, and anyone after focus and a more relaxed atmosphere without giving up on being connected to the city.

Delicias: the affordable, well-connected alternative

Delicias has a reputation for being one of the less safe neighbourhoods in Zaragoza in the last years. However, what many people don’t tell you is that it’s the largest neighbourhood in the city, so it’s unfair to judge the whole area based on just a few streets or areas.

If you’re studying at the San Francisco Campus, we recommend looking for accommodation close to the university. Ciudad Jardín, as well as the area between Plaza Roma, Calle Santander, Duquesa Villahermosa, and Avenida Valencia, are excellent choices. They’re within walking distance of the campus and offer some of the best value for money when it comes to rent.

Best for: anyone whose number one priority is keeping the monthly budget in check without fully giving up on being connected to the rest of the city.

Average room price: € 300/ month

Romareda: peace and quiet for slightly higher budgets

An upper middle class residential area, very well connected, with the Romareda football stadium as its landmark. It’s an interesting option if your priority is safety, cleanliness and flat quality over a purely student vibe.

Average room price: €350-420/month.

Pros:

• Safety and good-quality flats
• Close to both Campus San Francisco and the centre

Cons:

• Prices above average
• Less of a student atmosphere than Plaza San Francisco or Centro

Best for: students with a mid-to-high budget who value peace and flat quality over having the party right around the corner.

Areas to be mindful of at night

Zaragoza is, generally speaking, a very safe city, but as in any city, there are a couple of areas worth being a bit more careful in at night:

• El Gancho: perfectly fine during the day, but at night it can feel a bit uneasy due to its narrow, poorly lit streets, with occasional drug related activity and a slightly higher incidence of petty theft.
• Oliver, on the other hand, is a residential neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city. While parts of it have improved significantly over the years, it still has a reputation for being one of Zaragoza’s less desirable areas. 
• Around Calle Delicias: The Delicias neighbourhood is huge and generally safe, but some parts around Calle Delicias can feel a bit less comfortable at night due to groups of people gathering on the streets.

It’s not a cause for alarm, just apply the same common sense you would in any city of similar size.

How to choose an area based on your campus

A quick summary to connect the theory with practice:

• Campus Plaza San Francisco: San Francisco/Universidad, Centro or Romareda.
• Campus Río Ebro (EINA, CPS, engineering): Actur.
• Faculty of Econmocis: Centro, Gran Vía.
• Intense nightlife and culture: La Magdalena /Casco Histórico.