"Inside-the-fields" experience in Iasi, Romania by Mihaela

What is it like to live in Iasi? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

I would recommend my city to any Erasmus because it is a combination of old and modern, it is easy to rent a 2-room-apartment with 250-300 euros and students can enjoy lots of fun throughout the city. Not to say that Iasi has a British Council, French Council, German Council, and an Archaeological Institute, all of them with a library full of foreign books.

Source

What is the student lifestyle like in Iasi?

The non-stop small boutiques are everywhere, the prices for food (like bread, fruit and fast food)are cheaper than in the EU and also the taxis (being a 300.000 people' city, most rides throughout the city will be less than 5 euros). And you also have at least 5 pubs/clubs you can dance into.

How much does it cost to live in Iasi?

500 euros as an Erasmus means a normal standard for a student (normal people have much less there).

When it comes to just visit the city for 3-4 nights (for example, if you are an Erasmus in Cluj-Napoca or in Bucharest), 300 euros will do it to accommodate and explore the funs of the city.

To be practical till the end, no Erasmus should take into consideration finding a part-time job. Maybe this is the most "ugly secret", because we do have bars and pubs where anyone could wipe tables for some money. Even if we are famous for our hospitality and we do have some hundred foreign students in Iasi (the medical school has classes in French and English for many years), not many of them have found a part-time job. I guess it is just too low paid and the managers have lots of Romanian students if they need it. The bottom line, the scholarship would be the only secure fact to rely upon.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Iasi? Is there any advice you can give?

No, it is not. I would not visit the rental agencies because they are expensive. I would try to find a room/apartment on a free site because most of the people that put ads there know English. If you have no luck, just do like you do everywhere: have a hostel for a few nights and write to me an e-mail :-) I know the language and the cost-benefits scale.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Everyone says Romanian dishes are incredible. Tasty, big and cheap. I am not a restaurant fan but I can indicate at least 5 places where you can eat good/amazingly.

To answer to all the questions, I am fond of pancakes and fried vegetables.

What places would you recommend visiting in Iasi?

For EU standards: Palas Complex (in the heart of the city, a mix of high standard stores and an artificial/perfect parc, not to mention the superb palace from the XIX-th century).

For amour standards: Copou parc, Botanic Garden and Ciric lake in the week-end.

For healthy eating standards: Central Hall market on Saturdays, bakery shops and the restaurant "Podu' Verde" in Copou district.

If you have just 2 days in Iasi, you must walk on Copou boulevard, stop for a pie at "La Placinte", take a taxi and go in front of the palace. Visit as much as you can from it (15 euros include everything in the palace), then enjoy Palas complex.

Source

Is it good to eat out in Iasi? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

How a guide told me in New York ("no New Yorker comes to have a walk in Times Square, all you see are just tourists... "), actually most of the people in Iasi are cooking at home. Yes, in the last decades, some young people changed the perspective, but we still go out as something different, not as a rule. But it is definitely good to eat out in Iasi if you know what and where to look for.

My favourite spots: Class for shawarma, Oscar for pancakes, Podu' Verde for fish, and Expo Parc for soups and desserts.

Is the nightlife good in Iasi? Where is good to go?

You have nightlife during the week also, in Palas complex or in the student campus from Tudor district. But in week-ends all the clubs are open. This implies also that coming during the university time (Octomber-June) is the best, in summer is not so much fun.

I guess that "Skin" would be one of the clubs to try. However, I do not like it due to its very techno-trendy music. I would go to the Legend Pub (pub music).

What advice would you give future students heading to Iasi?

If you come for a week, just enjoy the city.

But if you come for a semester, make Romanian friends and then hire a car and go together to visit Bicaz Gorges. Do not try this without friends/colleagues from the city because the traffic indicators are not as clear as they should. Remember, we do not have highways and we still do have lots of things from the Middle Ages (like drunken villagers walking near the road).

If you know French or English, do not worry, almost all young people will be happy to help you. If you have normal expectations from a normal city (from a country that entered EU just about 10 years ago), then your experience here should be the best. If you would want Paris instead of Iasi, without any hidden intentions, I have to underline that we have also a very good cheese. I love Paris for its old streets and platan trees, but the food did not meet my expectations.

For lots of pictures about Iasi, I am sure there are a lot on the net. Imagine that I have pictures from the cities I had visited, not with the ever-lasting small street I grew up on.