The 15 Coolest Cities To Study Abroad In

Next time you whine about taking a final after drinking three too many bottles of cheap wine on a Wednesday, remember that college is really cool. The coolest thing about college is that you're basically being paid by your family or the government (even if only in part) to learn some really interesting shit that you'll hopefully apply towards a job one day. College will also give you access to knowledge and the opportunity to travel to different countries to "learn" there. They'll call it studying abroad, but it's basically a three-month-long party with hot foreign girls who don't know how dorky you are at home.

If you've never considered studying abroad, and you have the means, you really should. You can finish college while chillin' in different countries and you'll have tons of stories to bring back to your friends who decided that they'd rather send three to six months crashing frat parties for fun.

We strongly urge you to consider studying abroad in one of these 15 amazing cities. We choses these cities less for their academic factors (which exists in all of them, and can vary widely by university) and more for their personality-altering, I-cant-believe-this-is-really-my-life factor.

Notable person: Rick Springfield
Best thing to "study": Surfing

4.5 million beach bunnies and bros can’t be wrong. If you like tanned limbs, glossy waves, and lots of beer, Sydney is the perfect place to be. Even though the accents are different, Sydney's culture isn't radically different than America's, but it’s unique enough that it creates an indelible stamp on all the students who go there. First of all, Australia was made for students studying abroad. The home of scallywags turned citizens of humanity, Sydney has tons of beautiful art in the Circular Quay, the gorgeous sandstone cliffs of Bondi Beach, and live music at places all around town. Part of the allure of Sydney is the old vibes mixed with new, a feat that could only occur after being the home of Indigenous Australians for the last 30,000 years. In that way, Sydney is the best place to study ancient, indigenous cultures and maybe the uber-hot modern ones, too.

Notable person: James Joyce
Best thing to "study": Mythology

What happens when you mix the power of a Viking settlement with cold, dark Guinness beer and a culture of people that like to party, laugh, and be generally awesome? You get the luck of the Irish pounded into you and if you don't walk away from studying in Dublin with a pot full of memories worth their weight in gold, then you're not trying, friend. Dublin isn't listed as an "alpha" city for no reason. Architecturally, economically, and historically, Dublin is one of the most enriching cities in the world. Plus, have you seen how hot Irish chicks can be? Those creamy Irish girls aside, Dublin is a literary powerhouse city. James Joyce's iconic life is made reality in the James Joyce tour and Dublin is the center of education in Ireland with about twenty higher-learning institutions, three of them being universities like University of Dublin and Trinity College. If you are a research fetishist, Trinity College is home to the Long Room which houses the Book of Kells in ninth-century illuminated form. The Winding Stair also offers a restaurant bookstore, or vice-versa, depending on what you are most hungry for that day. There's also a rich culture of Catholicism with St. Patrick's gorgeous cathedral and the Temple Bar District, which is basically where everyone goes to get smashed. Or, as Dubliner's like to say, "on the piss."

Notable person: Brigitte Bardot
Best thing to "study": Love

Ahh, Paris. The city of love, fashion, baguettes, and just about every cheesy couple picture we’ve ever seen because of that timelessly pretty Eiffel Tower, which, despite being just a hunk of lifeless material, never ceases to excite at night under the sparkling lights. Bohemians and artists would flock to Paris through the centuries for the culture in the many museums and cafes full of literati. And the absinthe-chugging, chain-smoking, and midnight omelets didn't hurt either. Even if you didn’t go to a legitimate school in Paris (of which there are many), you could learn so much just by staying in Paris itself, immersing yourself in the luxuriously ritualistic culture, learning to cook in the Parisian style, sand itting by the Seine and painting whatever came into your heart. After all, waking up naked under the Arc de Triomphe after a champagne bender is something everyone should do at least once.

Notable person: Franz Kakfa
Best thing to "study": Life

Once upon a time, in the '90s, Prague was where everyone went to live in cheap Euro decadence around other Generation X'ers who wanted cheap Levis and strong coffee. But the Eastern European city lost its allure to other, mostly Asian, countries after the hippie boom of peace, love, gurus, and other esoteric shit (like creepy mind-altering drugs). Prague isn't like that. Prague is old-school Europe with beautiful ancient architecture and a modernized edge that is perfectly tailored towards artists and students. Writers like Kafka and Milan Kundera hail from Prague, and beer is so plentiful that apparently it's cheaper than water. Its mass appeal to young students hs made Prague a perfect place for studying abroad—New York University even has its own campus there. Another awesome thing to keep in mind? Prague doesn't use Euros. That means: cheap everything. And if a place there uses Euros, steer clear. It's probably just a tourist trap.

Notable person: Franz Schubert
Best thing to "study": Psychology

Let them eat cake. Marie Antoinette might have been known for the glamorous havoc she caused in France, but the pastel-wearing sweet lover was born in Vienna, a decadent town full of art and promises. Fashion students can glean inspiration from where this iconic mistress started her life. Psychology students can traverse the home of famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Music students can worship Strauss in one of many musically-themed parks, and Baroque painting devotees can study the classics while learning their own trade. The city has a number of universities, from artistic to medical, and there are even ten international schools made specifically for students studying abroad that aren't looking for a party city, but one full of intellectual and artistic verve.

Notable person: Leonard Cohen
Best thing to "study": French

Want to learn immersive French without going to France? If you're afraid of flying and want a European experience in North America, magnificent Montreal in Canada is your best bet. Montreal has everything a European city would have: old history, museums, religious ties, and sense of grandiosity. And it also has everything an American city would have: mostly English speakers, modern conveniences, and seemingly friendly vibes. But the most important thing about Montreal for students trying to study abroad is that, out of all the cities in North America, Montreal has the most post-secondary students. That means that not only is Montreal made up of a lot of students, but a lot of smart students who come to the city to get knowledge from fine establishments like McGill University and Université de Montréal.

Notable person: Julio Iglesias
Best thing to "study": Philosophy

If you want to get the full taste of Spanish culture, enchanting and exotic Madrid will let you imbibe paella and ogle flamenco dancers to your heart's content. As the capital of Spain and its largest city, Madrid is exceedingly metropolitan, making it the perfect place for city rats who can't slum it collegiate style without an actual slum at their doorstep. Despite the rich historical architecture, Madrid is totally modern and has been called one of the most livable cities in the world by Monocle. That's because people in Madrid not only like to work hard, but play hard. Sunday nights are made for vermouth and montecados while you pretend to live the same life that bull-fighting fetishist Ernest Hemingway did as he drank himself into an artistic stupor throughout the streets of Madrid. Just like its artistic history, Madrid has some of the oldest universities in the world like the Complutense University of Madrid which is a great place for an intense immersion into the Spanish language. Madrid also boasts more alternative universities like the Autonomous University of Madrid for theoretical physics and the Charles III University of Madrid for "free thinkers."

Notable person: Werner Herzog
Best thing to "study": Beer

Want to give your boring school life "das boot?" Head to Munich, home of Oktoberfest. Munich is basically the best place in the world to drink beer, because it's such an intensive part of the local culture. And what age demographic likes to drink beer more than the wayward college student, trying to get their rocks off in a foreign country? Really want to bro down? Not only does the once medieval Munich have gallons and gallons of hoppy beer waiting for a home in your belly, Munich has the ultimate bro sport: surfing. OK, so the Eisbach is only a small manmade river with a manmade wave, but that's pretty genius. Why doesn't every park in the world have a place to "hang loose?" If you'd rather surf some snow, Munich is near the Bavarian Alps and a strong automotive industry (hello, BMW) makes it easy to find someone with a perfect 4-wheel drive car to take you there. Thanks to the amazing culture, Munich also has a high percentage of foreign students at local universities like Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and Technische Universität München. Munich has museums, football ( FC Bayern), and the gorgeous English Garden, which is a great place to drink beer, wash down a pretzel or a sausage, and watch the aforementioned surfers.

Notable person: Harry Houdini
Best thing to "study": Geology

Are you broke? Head to Budapest, bro. Budapest is one of the cheapest places to hang out in in Europe and, giving that it's also one of the porn centers of Eastern Europe, also has some of the hottest chicks. But beyond all that sexy, sordid commerce is the fact that Budapest is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The river Danube flows through the city and the city is centered around a plethora of geothermal springs, including the world's largest thermal water cave which is perfect for a geology student. Artistically, Budapest is seeped in history, especially with writers of the past. It was considered the Paris of the East, with young bohemian beauties, philosophers, and dillettantes taking over the scene and creating pockets of diverse history.

Notable person: Joan Miro
Best thing to "study": Catalan

Make love in Espanol, but also in Catalan, and English, and...just about any other language that wafts through the sun-filled, historical urbanity of Barcelona. The gorgeous Mediterranean climate imbues Barcelona with Spanish sex appeal and amazing food: seafood at La Barceloneta beachside only twenty minutes away, wine drunk by the gallons, and pork-filled tapas that will change any negative feelings you might have eating any other pork product but bacon. Clubbing is di riguer in Barcelona, and while drinks at venues aren't cheap, the city is filled with tons of cheap drinking options at cafes, rooftops, and people's flats. Barcelona is a city that will treat you like every moment is a perpetual state of luxurious bliss, even down to their urban legend of a citywide siesta. For most locals, that doesn't hold true, but just the idea of having a siesta in our Americanized culture is enough to woo us into some sort of relaxed otherworldly state. When you're done drinking, (even though Barcelona does start with "bar," so why would you want do to that?), you can visit the all the illustrious works of Antoni Gaudí the Picasso Museum, the Museu Frederic Mares, and the Centre d'Art Santa Mònica, which is housed in an old convent. When you're done with the beach and the booze, take your ass to school; which is the reason you're here, right? On top of a hopping art scene, perfect for the budding painter, Barcelona has the super-old University of Barcelona which was established in 1450 and plenty of opportunities for students to learn Spanish abroad.

Notable person: The Pope
Best thing to "study": Catholicism

The pope is dope. OK, so that's debatable, but students who want to get a leg up on some of the fiercest, most strategic people in all of history, ever, will find Rome the best place to start. They did create empires across Europe and beyond. "Vatican City" has more going for it than just its obvious tie to ancient Catholicism; Rome was once the home of god and goddess worshipping emperors and is called the Eternal City since it's well over 2000-years-old. If you aren't one of those co-ed's into gladiator status, everywhere you look in Rome is a work of art. Michelangelo was nurtured by the Romans and the Pantheon was a work of geometric perfection. The Trevi fountain has become featured in film after film and the sprawling piazzas are what Mediterranean dreams are made of. All this because of a wolf and some twin babies and a whole lotta baby mama drama.

Notable person: Anne Frank
Best thing to "study": Social History

Weed is practically legal in some states (and totally legal in others), but Amsterdam is still the capital of responsible Euro partying with drugs other than that of the garden-variety alcohol and nicotine kind. Amsterdam has everything a young college dude could ever want: drugs, legal prostitutes (don't lie; you know you'd try one), a bike-friendly city that makes imbibing a lot safer, and a gorgeous environment centered around a cool canal dotted left and right with brightly-colored canal homes. Amsterdam has a friendly attitude towards foreigners and is a city where English is one of the most prevalent languages, making it easy to feel like you're in a different country while doing half the actual work of learning how to function in a different culture. Amsterdam offers a liberal little pocket of intense European history with awesome museums and music venues and all the benefits of modern living, making it not entirely affordable , but the benefits might outweigh the cost. For one, if you are a sociology student, Amsterdam houses the International Institute of Social History which is one of the world's largest research institutions for social history. Historians can visit the Anne Frank annex (and study many aspects of World War II in general), and Botanists can figure out how plants mate at the Hortus Botanicus. Imagine the kind of kinky horticultural lines you can use on that hot Dutch chick?

Notable person: Max Frisch
Best thing to "study": Dada

There's a reason why Switzerland is known as peacekeepers. When you go to a city like Zurich, you realize that it is possible to have everything at once: mountains, water, culture, and the ability for economic prosperity as one of the biggest financial centers in the world. Zurich's 2000-year history gives it a certain ancient ghostly glow, a buzz of antiquity that no city in the US could feign to mimic. A walk through Old Town in Zurich proves that. The streets are still cobblestone and there are ruins of Roman baths. Landmark churches like th e Grossmunster and Fraumunster penetrate the air around 50-plus museums and gourmet dining establishments and bratwurst carts. After studying and laying down a good foundation for drinking, college kids check out the scene in Zurich-West, which has become one of the biggest cities in Europe for dance music. Sort of fittingly, given the weird nature of raving, if you're an abstract art student, welcome to the land of milk and Dada.

Notable person: Nadja Auermann
Best thing to "study": Art

Don’t be just another brick in the wall. Home to the infamous “Wall,” Berlin is a city that understands the pull between one way of life for another. Berlin is a city of revolution and wherever there is rebellion in any way, there is art. Some of the most inventive performance artists and musicians come from Berlin and there’s a plethora of little cabarets to enjoy a retro art form that has yet been untouched by hipsters. There’s museums of all sorts including the Bauhaus Museum dedicated to amazing Bauhaus-style architecture throughout Berlin, and, of course, there’s non-stop partying. Berlin is one of the most notorious party cities in the world, with clubs like Berghain/Panorama Bar thumping with European techno that makes people dry hump the night away until the club's shutters are opened to the sun.

Notable person: Morrissey
Best thing to "study": Music

London might be calling, but it probably won't give you a full, immersive British experience like a rain-filled jaunt through Manchester would. The melting pot environment of London is a jetset paradise, but cloudy Manchester is for soccer ruffians, drunken cider nights at hole-in-the-wall pubs, curry house chaos, crazy raves, and partaking in an iconic music scene. That scene is partially-inspired by all the young, fresh meat partying hard at one of the three major universities in Manchester—the University of Manchester, Manchester Business School, and Manchester Metropolitan University. There's also the hugely popular Royal Northern College of Music and all the schools are centered around Oxford Road, making Manchester one of Northern England's most entertaining college cities. If you are a sports fan, Manchester has one of the most lauded football teams in the world-Manchester City and Manchester United-and the denizens of Manchester take their sports very seriously. Mancunians are rough around the edges; they aren't like the posh aristocrats you see in film and television. Case in point: Noel Gallagher is from Manchester. And while he's like an exaggerated representation of the kind of dudes you'd find getting wasted on the street there after a footie match, Manchester is brimming with good dirty fun. Even the colloquial swear words are fun to say. Manchester is also way cheaper than London, which means you can learn those swear words at a lower price point while you wonder the streets gripping onto your bevy and trying to reenact a scene from Skins.