Erasmus Experience in Ljubljana, Slovenia by Nino

Why did you choose to go to Ljubljana, Slovenia?

I was born and raised in Carinthia (southern Austria). Because of historical reasons we have a slovene minority living in "Koroška" and so most of my friends spoke slovene. Even my grand grandmother was slovenian but the language was not passed on, as it was forbidden and frowned upon talking slovenian.
When I became 15 I wanted to learn the language, also as a political statement.
As I have been the only interested person at school, I had the honor to have lessons alone, that is why I learned a lot in slovenian. The following year the course was cancelled and I had to attend the course in another school.
When I had to decide which country I want to spent my Erasmus time in, I had to select 3 different countries. I chose Spain, Italy or Slovenia. I am so glad it turned out to be the easiest to go to Ljubljana, as I knew that Ljubljana is one of the most beautiful cities.

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

I got 74 euros per month from the state Austria and plus almost 300 euros/month.
But I guess it is important to know, that you get your Erasmus money after the mobility (thats how it was in my case).

What is the student lifestyle like in Ljubljana?

Ljubljana has over 60.000 students which makes this city very young and vivid. I can only say that this was the best study lifestyle I had here. There are loads of concerts, events to go and most important was to go for coffee next to ljubljanica for a really cheap price compared to the coffee-prices in Austria :)

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

Yes definately!

What is the food like?

Personally speaking, I didn't really like most of the food there. I mostly cooked in my appartment. But the Student Boni helped me through a lot of rough times :P I think it is awesome that you get cheap student prices everywhere you go. (I once went to the hair dresser and I even got my haircut cheaper because I am a student!!!)
I also think it really depends where you go to. I can really recommend skuhna in trubarjeva ;)

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Ljubljana?

I took me 2 weeks to find a room in Ljubljana. I was surprised that Ljubljana is quite an expensive city concerning living prices and single rooms are hard to find.
It was also hard because many people didn't want to have Erasmus students or were mostly looking for people who would stay longer...

How much does it cost to live in Ljubljana?

I found a room for 250 euros, next to the train station so it was quite close to the center.

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

Everone in Slovenia speaks perfectly English! So even if you can't talk Slovene it is really easy to communicate :)
Yes but the course at the university took place in January where I still was in Austria. But I attended a course in Zavod šolt. it was 150 euros, but my university from Austria supported me and paid the cost.

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

I went by the Apple Adria bus which takes about 2 hours from Klagenfurt/Celovec. It costs 13 euros for people under 24 years. Sometimes I also went by prevozi/Mitfarhgelegenheit which is even cheaper and faster ;)

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

Metelkova, Semafor, Petkovsek,...

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

As I already mentioned before, I recommend to go to skuhna - or any other nice and cozy restaurants in trubarjeva Ulica :)