Experience in Gent, Belgium. By Adriana

How is living in Gent? Would you recommend it? How is the city?

Living here is excellent. I would highly recommend it. Come here without hesitating for one second. The city is calm, the architecture is beautiful, the people are very kind and help everyone. Of course the people don't have that human warmth like us (Portuguese) but they don't refuse to help anyone. It's harder to get right into someone's heart, but once you do, that person will be your friend for life. The working conditions are excellent, they get to work early, between 8am and 8:30am, then they have a coffee break, go back to work, at mid-day they have lunch and a chat but then at around 4pm they leave. Be warned that working hours are actually for working, no babbling in the corner, coffee or laughing. The majority of shops close between 6pm or 6:30pm.

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How's the student environment in Gent?

Excellent. The student residences are a bit more expensive than some houses but the atmosphere is completely different. There are specific residences only for Erasmus students, that's to say, those in Erasmus can't tell when it's the weekend because there are always people around. There are various events organised by the ESN (Erasmus Student Network), there is a focus on internationalisation which means that the courses and the university are filled with students from many different countries.

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

Quite a lot... approximately €800 per month, of which 400 was for the house, around 150 for food, after I also had 100 to pay to my university for the fees. The first month is the worst because you have to pay the deposits for the house and a bike, which I would highly recommend renting.

Is it difficult finding accommodation in Gent? Do you have any advice you can give?

For me it wasn't difficult because I went to the student residence. In this case the only problem is the timing because the enrolments are around May and it's even necessary to do an anticipated enrolment since there are long waiting lists. The people I knew who got private apartments all had mixed experiences, some more expensive, cheaper, better, worse. In the majority of cases they had difficulty finding a place and the most successful were those who came without accommodation and found it after they had arrived.

How's the food? Do you have favourite delicacies?

Different. Normally they only make one hot meal per day, some at lunch, others in the middle of the afternoon The waffles are delicious. They love fast food... the famous Belgian fries, hamburgers etc., this is for students. Close to the coast it's possible to have mussels. The mashed potato and the spicy soup are the principal delicacies.

Where would you recommend to visit in Gent?

The historic centre is beautiful, there are no cars there, only the tram and it's a great place to walk through. There are various traditional shops and also a beerhouse, where they sell dozens of beer brands.

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How's the nightlife in Gent? Where are the best places?

Overpoorstrat is the chosen location for students. It's a road with both cheap fast-food shops and bars.

What advice would you give future students coming to Gent?

Come.