My Erasmus Experience in Graz!

An Erasmus first impression

Hi! I am Sofía and I am a current Erasmus student in Graz, Austria. I arrived here a month ago and I am eager to share everything that I have learn here, as well as some tips and recommendations to (hopefully) make your experience in Graz easier and more entertaining.

Why did I decide to come to Graz?

Well, the thing is I am a student of Modern Languages and Translation, and my third language is German. Therefore, I knew I had to choose a German-speaking country, because otherwise I would have been difficult for me to improve my skills. I also met some people who were already here and that encourage me to come, as it had been the best experience of their life.

Should I contemplate Graz as an option?

Yes! Of course! If there is something I can already tell you after a month here is that I love this city. It is full of life, there is always somewhere to visit, as well as loads of new people to meet. Graz is a very cultural city and it is full of beautiful places. You will never regret choosing Graz!

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How much money do you need to live in Graz?

Well, in my case I am receiving an Erasmus scholarship which obviously makes your stay in Graz easier. However, at least in my case, I won't receive the scholarship until November so in September and October I have been living with my own money; and let me tell you if you are more or less careful with the things you spend your money in, you won't have economic problems in this city.

I live in a dorm called Home4students, I share the room and the bathroom with a friend, and a huge kitchen with more people from my floor, and I pay a bit more than 300€/month. There are plenty of dorms in Graz with a different range of prices, so you can look for the one who suits you the most. If you want to live in a dorm you better start searching for a room as soon as possible because many dorms are almost full by May, so you will not be able to choose the type of room you would like. I would recommend you the dorms Zinzendorfgasse, Neutorgasse, Neubaugasse or Moserhofgasse. However, if you live in a dorm, be ready to buy everything you need because they only provide you with the basic furniture; you will have to buy sheets, pillows, towels and so on. You can also live in a shared flat; however, it is usually a more expensive option. Apart from that, I spend my money in doing my groceries which is 90€/month approximately. If you go to shops like Billa, Hofer, dm or Spar, you will not spend a lot of money in buying whatever you need for your new home.

How is the life of a student in Graz?

Graz is an amazing city in order to enjoy your Erasmus experience at the fullest. There are plenty of pubs where students meet along the week; the most famous is Office Pub where you can have discounts in drinks and foods with the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) card. It is really recommendable to have this card as it only costs 5€ and has many advantages. In Graz there are also great and cheap places to have lunch/dinner, and the most popular one would be Area 5, where you can find almost every type of food. Area 5 is also famous because from its terrace, you can see the city and have a great view of Jakominiplatz (one of the main square where buses and trams stop). Apart from that, this city has a huge variety of international and local restaurants so no matter what food you are craving, they will for sure have it somewhere.

In Graz and its surroundings, there are many beautiful places to visit such as the Schlossberg, the Schloss Eggenberg, Carintia and so on. It also has many forests and parks which are worth it to see. However, if you are up for travelling outside the country, Graz is also the place to be as it is near many countries, and travelling is really cheap with FlixBus. I recommend you to visit Budapest, Triest, Ljubljana and all the cities nearby. The ESN organizes trips as well which can also be very cheap; however, you need to do it as soon as possible as the trip is usually fully-booked really quick.

When talking about night life in Graz it is difficult to mention just one place. The city is full of clubs and pubs which organize theme parties quite often. The place you go depends a lot in the kind of music you want to listen to: reggaeton, rap, house, etc. The most common discos are P. p. c, Thalia or Kottulinsky. These places also have discounts with the student or the ESN card.

Apart from that, Graz is a city where many events take place, so you will never get bored. I recommend you to walk around the centre during its main festivity: the Aufsteirern and join the local (and international) people by wearing their traditional costume or by drinking the typical Sturm (wine). Also, whenever you decide to go for a walk around the city, you will discover different things such as Street food festivals, sports festivals, marathons and so on.

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Are you learning German?

As I said before, I came to Graz because I needed to improve my German, so I did have previous knowledge. However, for the ones who do not know German, there are many courses like the ones from Treffpunkt Sprachen. They offer intensives courses that last 3 weeks before the start of the semester, but they also have courses during the semester so you can continue learning. German is not easy but if you put effort and really try to practice every chance you have, you can for sure learn it.

However, if you don't want to learn German it is also possible because they speak English almost everywhere, so they will for sure understand you.

What is the best way to travel to Graz?

I come from Spain so there were no direct flights to Graz, or they were really expensive, so I decided to travel with the company Eurowings to Vienna which cost me 190€ in total; and then take a FlixBus to Graz, which costs between 9-12€. However, the ESN has now an agreement with Ryanair so Erasmus students get discounts in flights all across Europe; this will for sure make your flight cheaper.

There are many people who also came by car so they could bring whatever they want, but I would only recommend that if you do not live quite far from Graz.

Also, to move around the city, you can either buy a bike (many students sell their bikes after they finish their year abroad), or buy the student card of 4,5 or 6 months which turns out to be cheap, as the city of Graz pays you a bit of it if you are registered in the city.

Any advices?

Well, after reading many people’s advices on Erasmusu I finally decided to come here, and let me tell you that is something I will never regret. I have been only here for a month and I am already scared of having to leave this town one day. It is a lovely place where you will meet great friends, and once you are settled, you will not want to go back home. So basically don’t doubt it and come join us in Graz!

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