My Erasmus Experience in Breda, the Netherlands. By Sofia

Why did you choose to go to Breda, the Netherlands?

Recommendations from other classmates who did the same programme and the fact that I had never been to Holland.

How long does the grant last? How much money do you get for help?

In my case the grant lasted 3 months, with a total of €750.

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What's the student environment like in Breda?

Although it's not a big city, it has at least 2 big university hubs (AVANS and NHTV) which are close to the university and which facilitate your interaction with other students.

The pubs are quite full almost every night and the university residences often have parties as well as international gatherings (not necessarily just for students).

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

Definitely!

How's the country's food?

I wouldn't say that it has its own cuisine, maybe 2/3 of the dishes are of Dutch origin but not much more than that, so it's hard to say how the country's food is.

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How easily did you find accommodation in Brenda?

It was a bit of a long-winded process. The majority of the rooms which were available to rent were for a minimum of 6 months and in my case I was only in Brenda for 4 months. But I think that, apart from this situation, accommodation is quite affordable but it's best to sort it out it a little while in advance.

On average, how much did you spend living in Brenda?

Rent prices vary between €350 and €500 per month.

The rest I can only compare to the costs in Portugal. The cost of essentials is similar in the two (around €150/month)

As for transport costs, there's an initial cost for a bike which is around €80 but for daily transport it can be different for each person.

What's the language like? Did you attend a language course at the university?

If the classes were in Dutch it would have been a real problem. It's very different from all the other languages that I've ever heard, grammatically and phonetically, but since the classes were in English there wasn't any problem at all. It wasn't even necessary to take language classes since it didn't really matter.

In general, I think that the Dutch have a very good level of English which prevents any type of communication barrier, even outside of the university.

What is the cheapest way to get to Breda from your city?

I think that going by airplane was quite cheap.

Where would you recommend for a night out in Breda?

The centre of Breda, it has quite a few pubs which students like to go to.

And eating out in Breda? Can you name your favourite places?

As I said before, there isn't much of a Dutch cuisine but there are always other options: Italian, Oriental, etc.

I would recommend SUMO, the sushi restaurant. It has a special atmosphere and excellent service.

And in terms of cultural visits?

I think that if you want big cultural visits you have to go a bit further than Breda. There are some museums which can be explored but it's not worth staying for more than a week.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp are alternations and are 1 hour or less from Breda. They have more cultural things to do.

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Do you have any advice you'd like to give future students in Breda?

1. Start looking for accommodation in advance (1/2 month).
2. If you haven't yet done it, learn how to ride a bike before going - it's quite useful.
3. Don't go through the red lights - the fines are huge.
4. Come ready to have fun and to share!
5. If you can be there for Carnival time that's great - I think that it's a really unique carnival.