Erasmus Experience in Breda, Netherlands by Lauren

Why did you choose to go to Breda, Netherlands?

I’ve been to the Netherlands before and loved it, and Breda was the best place for me to go course-wise in the Netherlands with it being a science university.

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

I’m here for 6 months, and I received £800 from the Erasmus grant when I first moved here - then £200 at the end of January once the semester has been completed.

What is the student lifestyle like in Breda?

There are a lot of students here and the nightlife is good.

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

I would, but the university is very hard work so you can’t spend too much time going out because you always have work.

What is the food like?

The food is really good if you like cheese, meat and fried food/pastry’s. There are also a lot of choices for sweet things.

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Breda?

Accommodation is extremely hard to find in Breda and is quite expensive. Make sure you look for somewhere to live as soon as possible, as a lot of student I know even now are still living in hostels.

How much does it cost to live in Breda?

I pay €470 a month and there are 2 of us in a flat in Epelenberg (10 mins from avans uni by bike) and it is a student accommodation all bills included.

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

Yes I take a Dutch course. Everyone speaks English however it is quite hard when you go to restaurants and bars as a lot of the menus only come in Dutch depending where you go. It can be a little frustrating sometimes as you get emails, mail, everything in the uni is labelled in Dutch as well as the supermarkets and many other things but you will get used to it.

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

I flew from Manchester to Eindhoven and then my parents drove to Breda but you can also get a train from Eindhoven to Breda - this is the cheapest way by far - however to fly to Amsterdam and get the train from Amsterdam airport to Breda is easier but more expensive.

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

The most popular bars/clubs are Proost, Nassau, Bobbi’s bar, the Old Dutch and Walkabout.

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

I haven’t ate out a lot but Tortillas is a good Mexican restaurant, very Italian pizza, Bobbis bar (again), and popcatepetl. I have visited other restaurants which are really good but can’t remember the names - more or less every food place is pretty good!

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

There is a big cathedral in the centre of Breda, there is a prison that has been turned into an escape game as Breda is so safe no one is in prison here. Other than that the streets are quite old so gives a nice Dutch feel to it.

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

I can’t stress enough how much you need to get your accommodation booked as soon as possible. It fills up really fast and becomes more and more expensive as the options decrease. You don’t want to be living out of your suitcase for 6 months in a hostel! Dont worry if you dont manage to get any though because there will be a lot of other student in the same shoes as you (and probably staying in the same hostel).

If you’re going to rent a bike instead of buying one swapfiets is a good company (15€ a month) or you can buy one for €50-€70 from the store but they don’t cover you for flattened tyres etc whereas swapfiets do. It’s also quite expensive to live here so make sure you save money up if you can.