Erasmus Experience in Liège, Belgium

Why did you choose to go to Liège, Belgium?

Someone that had been there the year before told me that it was a really good city.

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How long was the scholarship? How much financial aid did you get?

9 months and I got about €5, 000 at most, but they still owe me a part of the grant.

What is the student lifestyle like in Liège?

It's pretty good, Liège is mainly a student city with parties going on every day.

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

Yes, I would. It's a very good university and there's always someone there to help you with any problem or doubt you might have. It's not the most beautiful city in the world but it's charming and is a great place to travel from to visit the rest of Europe, seeing as it's in a country that has borders with Germany and the Netherlands..

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What is the food like there?

It depends on what you eat and where you eat it. A typical thing to eat there are Les Frites, it's not that the food is bad there, just that it's a lot of the same stuff, at least that's what it felt like to me. Also, in my opinion, the food that you buy in the supermarket doesn't last very long before it goes off, especially for things like chicken, minced meat and things like that.

How did you find your accommodation?

Well, when I got to Liège, I would go for walks around the city and I saw that people would put their phone numbers outside of the apartments that they were renting out. I didn't have much luck online because to reserve an apartment and sign the contract on the day, you have to be there in person.

What is the price of accommodation like there? And how are the prices in general?

From my point of view, since I come from a city that isn't at all expensive to study in, it's a bit expensive. The prices fluctuate, but you're paying at least €250 a month, sometimes the bills are included in the rent and sometimes they aren't.

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How did you manage with the language? Did you go to any course at the university?

When I arrived in Liège, I only knew how to say four words in French, but as you get to know the people there, who are really sociable and nice, you'll learn a lot of French, but if you close yourself off and only get to know people from your own country, you'll not learn very much like that. I also when to a course that the university put on for a semester, which really helped me to learn a lot of vocabulary, lots of verbs and other things I didn't know. I would recommend these courses to everyone since they're free for all Erasmus students.

What is the most economical way to get to Liège from your home city?

If you want to take a lot of luggage and you're not worried about the price, you can go by bus, I would have to go from Ciudad Real to Madrid, from Madrid to Paris, from Paris to Brussels and from Brussels to Liège. It'll cost €100 max. Then there's also the option of flying and, as we all know, some airlines are cheaper than others, depending on what offers are on and when you buy the ticket. The last two times, Iberia has been cheaper than Ryanair, since Iberia includes your suitcase in price of the ticket, while Ryanair charges extra. I also have to say that Liège does have an airport, but you can only fly to Alicante and one other city in Spain from there and there is only one company flying out from it, Jetairfly.

Where would you recommend for a night out in Liège?

Well, there's Le Carré, where you'll find bars like La Fiesta, which has had an Erasmus party every Wednesday this year where a beer was only €1. There's the Point de Vue, where a lot of Erasmus people went, too. If you want a bar that's totally Belgian, there's The Court St. Jean. On Mondays, in a bar called El Cuba'r, there's a girls night where you only have to pay €4 for an open bar until the bar runs out or until 3 am. I also recommend you go to La Maison du Peket, where you'll find a range of drinks and shots. Everything I've just said was from this year, I don't know if they'll change the days or keep them the same next year. In general, Le Carré is the main place where you'll find nightlife in Liège. There's also Outrmeuse, another small area of nightlife, but it's a bit more low-key than Le Carré. You won't get bored, as there's some kind of party going on every day of the week.

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And to eat in Liège? What were some of your favourite places to go?

I got pizza from Carla's (I'm not sure that's what it's called) I can only say that it's on the Boulevard de la Sauvenière. The pizzas there, in my opinion, aren't at all expensive at €8 each for how big and how good they are, they're cooked in a wood-fired oven and they make them fresh in front of you. Then there's the usual McDonald's, there's a Pizza Hut, too, and Quick (quality burgers). On the Place du Marché, there's a "Spanish" bar and all the food there is Spanish, they have Russian Salad, Spanish meatballs, etc. There are loads of places to get a kebab if you're into that sort of thing, but the one I would recommend is in Le Carré and is called El Calimero, they put the kebabs in bread and they're amazing.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

It's a city that doesn't have a lot for you to see, but the best things are the Liège-Guillemins railway station, the Cathedral and I really recommend the Montagne de Bueren (which is the famous stairway), along the river there are a range of parks, which get very busy when the weather is good, as lots of people go there to eat. There's La Place Saint Lambert, where you'll find the town hall and the city's most famous monument: the Perron.

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

It's very cold in the winter, it got down to -10ºC this year, but you'll end up getting used to it. It can be a bit difficult in the beginning, but you'll soon realise that your stay there is going to be really good. at any rate, I had a great time there. I only ever used the public transport there to get around within Liège, also I didn't really use it because I didn't live far from the centre. If you live a bit further out, I recommend you get the pass for the bus.