Erasmus Experience in Bordeaux, France by Lena

Why did you choose to go to Bordeaux, France?

At first for no specific reason, only because I wanted to learn some more french. But now I would always come back!

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

My (Erasmus) scholarship was for about 4 months (until the date of the last exam) and I received 1500, 00€.

What is the student lifestyle like in Bordeaux?

Bordeaux has absolutely become a student city during the last years! It is amazing how young the city is. This is also the reason why you will always and on every corner, find a cool bar/pub/restaurant/café.

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

I would totally recommend the city as there is always something to do, the sea is very close (about 50min by train), the university offers surf classes for very cheap, the weather is amazing, the wine is amazing (obviously! ).

The University of Bordeaux has different campus, the largest in Talence and Pessac which is unfortunately also the oldest campus (which could totally need a renovation). But nontheless, it's a good university!

What is the food like?

Well France is known for good food and there is plenty of it on Bordeaux, as there are restaurant everywhere!

I personnally don't eat meat and sometimes it was hard to find alternatives because french cuisine is basically always meat.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Bordeaux?

To find accommodation in Bordeaux is really difficult! I would not have expected it to be as diffcult as it turned out in the end.

But there are some pages which can help you such as:

• La Carte des Colocs (for free),
• Appartager (where you have to pay to acces all the offers),
• and Leboncoin.

How much does it cost to live in Bordeaux?

Bordeaux (but I guess France in general) is not a very cheap city. Especially grocery shopping is much more expensive and I would recommend trying to buy products on local markets where it is usually less expensive.

The rent ranges from 350€ up to 600€ (and more).

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

The University, or at least the faculty of law and political science, offers a language course every day during the first week. During the semester the course takes place once a week.

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

In summer, it is quite easy to get to Bordeaux as there are direct flights operated by Air France from Frankfurt Airport. It is not really cheap but it is the fastest way to travel.

There is no direct flight in winter from Frankfurt though. So the easiest way would be the train, but you still have to change trains in Paris.

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

If looking for dancing and partying I would recommend the I. BOAT (yep it's on a boat) or La Dame. La Plage is also a very famous club. It is really big and plays all kinds of music.

Otherwise, I would recommend to check out the bars as there is often a kind of open mic, etc.

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

My favourite restaurant is L'Autre Petit Bois at the Parliament Square. They don't have a lot of food, but it is very good and not expensive!

But there are a lot of restaurant around Parliament Square and they are all really good!

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

• Le musée d'Aquitaine,



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• St. André Church,



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• Tour Pey Berland,



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• La Cité du Vin,



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• Place de la Bourse and the Miroir d'eau,

  

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• La Grosse Cloche.



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

Enjoy the city, the wine, the cheese and evenings at Miroir d'eau!