Riga, a far too underrated city for Erasmus+ destinations

Riga, a far too underrated city for Erasmus+ destinations

I was able to live and study for a whole semester in the city of Riga, and I noticed that the destination I went to was not the most desired destination, or that Riga is simply not the first choice of the students who are there. This city and its schools are far too underrated, so I will explain to you how to make your stay better if you go there or simply convince you that it should be in your top 3!

1) the Course Level, and the average of 4 out of 10

a Compared to my sending school, I really felt the difference in the level of the schools and courses. At the beginning of the year I was surprised to learn that the average in Latvia was 4 out of 10 compared to my Belgian school which is 10 out of 20. It all depends on the teacher and the school, but I felt that getting points was not very complicated as long as you did what was asked. I often did the bare minimum in class, and still got a lot of points. The fear and stress of not succeeding in class quickly disappeared at the beginning of the year and I was able to make the most of my experience thanks to other factors

2) the cost of life

From the start i was very stressed about my budget, or the cost of living in the country. theoretically Riga is in the average category of the most expensive countries in the cost of living, and this is quite true. but there are several tips to be careful with your budget, whether it is for shopping, activities or evenings. the first reflex you should have is to create a loyalty card for your groceries, it will allow you to make huge savings, in 4 months i felt the difference thanks to this card. If you want to continue a sport or an activity that you used to do a lot in your country, get your student card it will give you special student discount, which is often half the full price. For parties, many of them are created by organisations especially for Erasmus students, affordable, different theme and much more, it will change the nightclub atmosphere that you also find in Riga.

3) the language studied is not the national language

On the downside, it is a bit more complicated to improve your English in a country where it is not the national language. Personally I didn't think about it and if I had known I would have made other choices at other times. When I left for Erasmus I thought I was going to be 100% immersed in the language but here I was more like 40%. English was mostly present in the classroom, during assignments, with teachers or with students who didn't speak the same language as you, and for me also in the dormitories of the school. The other 80% were people who spoke Russian and Latvian, the language barrier and the ease of getting to know people who spoke the same language as you.

4) easy to travel

gRiga's big positive points are the easy way to travel on a low budget. one thing is for sure, you need to have a small budget that will allow you to visit the cities that are not very far from Riga. first point, Riga is located in the middle of Tallinn and Vilnius, only 4 hours by bus, and can be visited during a long weekend of 3 days for no more than 150€. secondly, raynair will become one of your best friends during your stay. the airfare from Riga is very reasonable, the desire to leave will itch when you see the prices displayed on your computer, 20€ each way to Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Warsaw, Krakow and much more.

5) local organisations that help us to discover the country or to travel

If you are afraid to organize your trip or not find your companions, do not worry. Once you arrive, or even a week in advance, I would advise you to add and follow ESN_Riga, or the pages of your school. From the moment you arrive, parties, activities, pubcrawls, hikes, and many others are organized to allow you to meet people who are in the same situation as you. These range from sports activities, themed evenings, walks around Riga, a trip on a cruise ship to Tallinn, Helsinki and Stochholm and a party in the evening to a trip to see Santa's house. They are suitable for all audiences and allow you to rhythm your trip during your weekend or after your course.

6) The weather

I was very surprised about the weather, we arrived when the weather was quite mild, but I'm not going to lie to you about it getting colder and colder. If you like cold, snow, hiking with a carpet of white, you'd be delighted. Personally I'm not and wasn't someone who liked all that, but the scenery on the hikes pleasantly surprised me, seeing a snow-covered landscape again made me really happy.

7) evenings, meetings, parties

I'm not a big fan of clubbing, but I did experience it and I was not disappointed. Riga has its neighbourhoods like any other city where once the daylight is gone, the lights of the bars and clubs happily replace it. Riga has a very well known neighbourhood and is very accessible in the city where you can find all the people who are also on Erasmus like you. Riga is quite famous for the taste of party and this can be felt.

8) the historical perspective of the city, the number of museums on history

Riga is a city touched by history, you can feel it directly when you walk away from the old town. The buildings, the numerous museums, you will always find a touch of history when you walk around the city.