Accommodation in Maribor

I did my Erasmus in Maribor, Slovenia. I knew little about the country but since I really love the mountain and outdoor activities, I knew it would be a great choice.

When I applied for Erasmus exchange I could list five cities in which I wanted to do my Erasmus but in the end my home university got to choose for me. I had listed Maribor and four cities in Italy. For me the name Maribor meant a skiing center where one of my ski instructors had been. I knew nothing more.

The summer before my Erasmus stay I had the chance to go to Slovenia and see how it was. I soon discovered that it was very green, there were some similar words between my language and Slovene, and that Slovenian people were often blond with blue eyes.

When I arrived in Maribor three months later, I received an unpleasant surprise. The room I had decided to rent had been given to another person and, since it was Saturday, all of the shops and supermarkets closed at 13 p. m. I felt really bad and scared about my stay in this country. But fortunately it soon got better.

ESN, the Erasmus organization, exists in Maribor and it takes care of the students. There was a guy helping newly arrived students to find a room. I went to see him and I was not the only one. There were many "homeless" Erasmus students. He waited for us in front of the university's main building and took us for a "walk". We had the opportunity to visit several apartments. So now I will explain how does accommodation work in Maribor.

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Dorms

There are official university dorms. Some are renovated, others are not (this will probably change soon). A room in the dorms costs only 90€ per month but it is shared. The rooms are divided into apartments which have one bathroom and one kitchen. Usually, there are three shared rooms per apartment, which means that if you choose this option, you will have to share the bathroom and the kitchen with five more people. It could be difficult or not. Depends on what kind of person you are and what you are looking for. Also, it depends on what roommates you will have. Usually, the question about the bathroom is complicated.

The fridges in the dorms are small, so you might not have a lot of space where to put your stuff. On the other hand, the dorms are very social places. You will meet lots of other Erasmus and local students. The dorms are cheap, which is a big advantage. However, they are situated a bit far from the center. Since we are talking about Maribor, far means 15-20 minutes walking. You can also catch a bus (the ticket costs 1, 10 €).

There is another, new and luxurious campus, called Quadro (Gorkega), which is a bit more expensive. If I am not mistaken, the rent on Quadro is 140 € for a shared room. The problem is, as far as I am informed, that you cannot choose where you want to live. There are seven dorms and the university accommodation office chooses where to place you. Sorry.

Private flats

Maribor is a university city. The university has several faculties and many students. It is not a surprise there are many landlords offering rooms. You can choose whether you prefer a single or a shared room. In my experience, finding a single room is more complicated. There is larger number of shared rooms. It is not impossible though and you might get to find a nice place to stay. The rents vary. If you want a shared room, you will pay about 100-120 € per month. If you want a single room, it might cost you between 150-250 €.

Really, it depends on the room itself - where it is situated, whether it is big or small etc. You might even find a single room for 100€, but I don't believe there are many rooms for that price. The prices might or might not include the expenses, such as electricity, heating, water, Internet, etc. In my opinion, the rents in Maribor are not expensive, and you can choose where to live, depending on how much you want to spend.

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Mini dorms

You can decide to choose a middle ground. There are two or three mini dorms in Maribor (as far as I know). They are small dorms, situated in the center. Again, you can share a room or decide to live alone, but if you want to live alone you have to pay more. Mini dorms are a bit more expensive. They cost about 150€ for a shared room and 200-280€ if you want to live alone in a double room. There are several rooms in the mini dorms, with shared bathroom and kitchen. The price includes the expenses and (as far as I know) cleaning of the shared space (kitchen and bathroom) once a week.

I have entered one of the mini dorms and I personally did not like it. I was supposed to live in one of them but when I arrived, the owner had given the room to someone else. Obviously, I was not happy with the situation and I am not a mini dorm fan. Also, I have heard that there were many parties every night, until quite late. Again, it all depends on what you are looking for. If you want to stay in a dorm, meet many people, and party absolutely every night, the mini dorms might be a perfect place for you. If you need to go to class and have to wake up early, you might not like that option.

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