Esperienza Erasmus a Kaunas, Lituania di Giulia

Why did you choose to go to Kaunas, Lituania?

I think I’d never have the chance to visit that place in other occasions; it isn’t a common place to visit on a trip. I was curious. Then, KTU institution had all the courses I needed.

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

My scholarship was for 5 months and 20 days.

What is the student lifestyle like in Kaunas?

At Uni, is polite. I found people available for cooperations and to share material. Outside Uni, it depends on where you're staying. I suggest to take place in a dorm.

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

I do.

What is the food like?

Full of soups, potatoes and butter; a lot of pig and chicken meat, less common to consume beef in its variants. Beer is so cheap. 

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Kaunas?

No; KTU has several dormitories for incoming students.

How much does it cost to live in Kaunas?

Daily life costs are under the European average, except for some categories like stationery and daily selfcare products. Transports work well and are cheap too. Same for rents.

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

Except for studentS who decide to follow additional courses, learning Lithuanian is difficult. I spoke a lot in english; my vocabulary level is still B2, but I improved a lot my fluency speaking.

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

By plane. My journey has been:
Cagliari-Pisa by plane, Pisa-Bologna by car, then plane to Kaunas.
But there are other advantageous options too.

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

DzemPub (on Tuesday night) and Republic are the center of erasmus movida. But as I wrote in my experience, I suggest to have a look around them: is full of hidden clubs with Lithuanian folks.

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

I ate Lithuanian just once, at the end of my experience, in one of the best locals of the city. This because Lithuanian cuisine is quite heavy and laborious - it’s easy to be disappointed if you don’t choose carefully. I’m sorry, can’t remember the name of the place.
I fully recommend: MTEVANI (Georgian food), CASA DELLA PASTA (Italian food and pizzas, with Sardinian owners), TALUTTI (hamburgers and all sorts of sweets), HOLY DONUT. Have a look in Vilniaus Gatve: is the beating heart of food tourism.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Pandemic decided to change a bit my plans, so I needed to adapt. I still miss some places to visits, and I’m planning to come back there once. In my list, anyway, took the first places the Kaunas Basilica, the Botanical Garden, Panemunes Papludimys park.. and I'm not considering the escapes in Vilnius!

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

Kaunas has nice night clubs too, but in a place like Lithuania, I suggest you to enjoy the unspoiled nature. Make some friends and prepare yourself to organize trips one hour before departure. Once, we decided to see the sunrise in Palanga while we were in Dzem Pub. One hour later we took the closest citybees and in 3 hours, at 5 am, we arrived in the coast. Definitely one of the best not planned experiences. 
Crossing Baltic States by bus is cheap.