Erasmus Experience in Copenhagen, Denmark by Elvio

Why did you choose to go to Copenhagen, Denmark?

Because I like to go north and sometimes I feel like a viking.

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

It will last three months. I have received 1500 euros, which amounts to about 11100 dkk. Barely enough to pay my rent.

What is the student lifestyle like in Copenhagen?

It's varied. You can get a bit of everything. And I don't mean just Christiania.

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

Sure I would. But it would probably depend more on who I am recommending it to.

What is the food like?

Do you mean smørrebrød, herring and mackerel? Good.

Haven't heard as yet of something I should definitely try, but that's maybe because this interview was sent (twice) to me way so too early. I still have two months ahead of me. I'll let you know when I find out more.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Copenhagen?

Long story.

How much does it cost to live in Copenhagen?

I'm still trying to work it out. Definitely not the cheapest place in the world. Between 350 and 600 euros for an accomodation.

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

I'm not in the university. I'm doing an internship, so there are no courses available for me. But I heard that if one manages to get hold of a yellow card (cpr) then the whole world is at his feet: for example you can take a language class for free with this card. The rules of Danish phonetics are not exactly transparent and a little frustrating to understand, things are surprisingly pronounced in a very different way from how they're spelled, but still it is a beautiful language and everybody speaks English here anyway!

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

By plane. Unless you're really into cycling!

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

It depends a lot on what one's interests are. And besides that, nights out are not exactly the reason why I chose Copenaghen.

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

As for eating, my own kitchen will do just fine. It's cheaper (bills are all included in the rent) and it's fun.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

There are so many of them. Once again: it depends on what you are looking for! Plenty of museums are for free here and beautiful docks, beaches and harbours with many historical buildings can be found in every side of the city. However, two sites I would surely recommend are the Frederiksborg Palace, in Hillerød, and the Kronborg Castle in Helsingør. Both places are easy to reach by the S-train, but if one wants to save some money, then he could try to go by bike. Being desperately skint, a friend and I took this second option and cycled all the way there on two different week-ends. It's about 1 hour and 40 minutes to Hillerød and something more than 2 hours to Helsingør. It's not exactly a stroll in the park, but It is definitely worth it: a part from the castles and the wonderful areas surrounding both places, I would say that the most beautiful thing of the journey was the journey itself! Being on our bike, we could stop anytime we wanted. If you're here during the summertime and the sun is shining, one place on the way you should definitely take in consideration for a rest is the beach and the town of Klampenborg, or any other of the many green spots that you will come across.

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

Go north. Go vicking.