Erasmus Experience in Erfurt, Germany by Laura

Why did you choose to go to Erfurt, Germany?

It was time for me to practice my German. I thought Erfurt was a good compromise between a big metropolitan city, such as Berlin or Frankfurt (or Rome, where I come from! ) and a small but typical german village.

Furthermore, I googled some pics and Erfurt is a really beautiful city!

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

My scholarship lasted 6 months. I had the chance to stay 6 months longer, but my graduation was already planned.

EU gave me 1380 euros for the whole period, but I was lucky, because my University (Roma Tre) paid 200 euros extra per month.

What is the student lifestyle like in Erfurt?

Your daylife depends on your classes. Some students have a fixed timetable, others not (me, for example), so you may have more or less free time during the day.

The University gives you the opportunity to play sports for free (there is a gym inside the campus or you can play volleyball in summer, for example), to socialize at the University canteen during lunch time, and to enjoy for the nighttime (there is a club inside the University and a lot of events organized every week for students in the city).

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

Absolutely.

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Erfurt is a great city; you can find all the pros a capital city (public transport and services, for example), the city center is beautiful, people are kind and it is ideal for students and young people.

The University is well organized, professors are competent, the campus is nice.

What is the food like?

I come from Italy, the country of the "good food", so it is a hard question.

Anyway, I absolutely LOVE Thüringer Bratwurst (and I miss it really much now)! Meat dishes are really good; go to Christoffel and try some of them!

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Erfurt?

Erfurt University found me a place to stay before the departure. I had to choose from several possibilities (rooms inside and outside the campus).

How much does it cost to live in Erfurt?

Not as much as in Rome, of course.

Grocery shopping is quite cheap and there are also several second hand shops.

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

German is quite hard to learn, but there are a lot of German courses available in the University for students and not-students too, from the lower levels to higher ones. Teachers are really kind and they try to help you as much as they can.

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

I live in Rome. There is a Ryanair Rome-Leipzig route; then you have to take the train.

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

Even if I don't usually go to the disco here in Rome, when I was in Erfurt I went to Musikpark every thursday night (free entrance for women! ).

Anyway, I really recommend the Christoffel pub, where you can have a good beer (or you can try the Honigbier! ) and Café International, a student hangout (it organizes a lot of events also for international students).

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

You can find a lot of good restaurants in Erfurt (German, Italian, Indian, and other ethnic ones). Domplatz and Wenigemarkt are full of restaurants.

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My favourite one is the Christoffel pub, it has a lot of tasty meat dishes and - honestly - it's the cheapest one!

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

There are several museums, theatres and music events, beautiful churches (the Dom is beautiful) and other interesting places, as the Krämerbrücke, an "unusual" bridge in the city center, or the citadel of Petersberg near the Dom, where you can have a great view over the city.

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

Plan and check your classes before and during you stay (if you don't sign up for a class before the deadline you are out! ); try to find a Sprachtandem (or simply a friend! ) in order to practice the language when you are there; please don't spend your time just with people from your country; bring a scarf, -27° is coming! ahaha