Erasmus Experience in Hannover, Germany by Elina

Why did you choose to go to Hanover, Germany?

It was one of the choices that i had for erasmus. It is a small city and i preferred that than a big capital.

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How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

I chose to stay in Hannover for 2 semesters, it means 11 months. I received 410 euro per month.

What is the student lifestyle like in Hanover?

Living in Hannover as a student is quite nice. There are a lot of students so the people that you meet and you hang out are young nice people. The places to go out by night are not so many, but enough to pass a great week and super great weekends. There are a plenty of events almost every month to do with art, sports, culture etc. Moreover, the city centre is very combined, it is almost sure that your place will be very close to the place of your friends, so you can do most of your interests and everyday-things on foot, otherwise the transportation is so punctual and often that it is very easy to move everywhere, also during the night.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Hanover to other students?

Sure. I had a great year there, i would definitely recommend to other students.

What is the food like?

There are a lot of vegetables, specially potatoes and carrots. But i never achieved to eat nice tomatoes. Sometimes, i didn't like at all the quality of the food, either at a place out (restaurant etc) or in the supermarket. By the way, my taste of food is not close to the german food, so personally i usually was cooking at my place.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Hanover?

It was pretty easy. I found my room in a flat on wg-gesucht.de very easy. I checked a lot of them, and i had the opportunity to choose. I spent almost 4-5 days. Finally i chose according to the flatmates. I had a room in a 5 room appartement and it was very cool.

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How much does it cost to live in Hanover?

I find cost-living in Hannover quite low. To rent a room is about 200-240 euro (all included), the supermarket almost cheap, to drink a beer out 2-4 euro and free transportation for students with the student pass. Also with the student pass you can travel for free with the regional train.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

There are available language courses that you can attend during the year, and these classes depend of your language skills-level. Also, in the beginning, on September, you have the opportunity to attend the intensive course that lasts 1 month and you pay 300 euro. The intensive classes are 5 days/week, 4 hours/day.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Hanover from your city?

I am from Crete and due to the fact that Crete is a tourist destination for Germans, I was able to find direct and cheap flight from and to Heraklion, my home town for the period March - October.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Hanover?

It is very common for German people to go out only on Fridays-weekends, but always there are things to do. For example, every Monday there was a karaoke night in an Irish pub, sincerely i didn't like that much, but what i really was enjoying was every Tuesday night at Glocksee bar. I really love this place, full of people, nice place, great music (every Tuesday there is a different every time live-band-concert) and lasts until morning. More or less the same is Chez Heinz, that i used to be there every Thursday and then Fridays and weekends there are plenty of places and parties around the city.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Hanover?

I prefer have dinner with friends at home, cooking all together and things like that, but sometimes we were eating out. Our best place was Café Safrán, really nice, cute and warm atmosphere, the place is great and the people that are working there very friendly and nice. The prices are good and you can have a nice german meal, pizza, pasta and a variety of choices. Every day cafe safran has happy hour for breakfast, if you go before 10. 00 you pay half price!

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Hanover in the future?

I was spending most of my time at the dormitory of my friends, either for dinner or just hanging there all together. Dormitories are pretty nice and it is quite funny to live with a lot of students but i would never change the experience of living in a WG. I had great flatmates and i spent great time with them. I would definitely recommend to somebody that is going to Hannover to live in a WG, as more people live there that better.