Erasmus Experience in Maribor, Slovenia by Cris

Why did you choose to go to Maribor, Slovenia?

I really like the photos of the country that I'd seen, the landscapes, the cities, etc. and I found a lot of useful information on the internet about the university and the subject they taught there. The city seemed affordable to me for the amount of money I was going to get with my grant and I thought that it would be a good place to improve my English and to learn another languages.

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

9 months. I got about €100/€150 a month from the European fund and about €400 a month from the Ministry of Education (since I'd been given a grant the year before).

What is the student lifestyle like in Maribor?

Maribor is a small city that has quite a lot of Erasmus students. In my opinion, the city's atmosphere is quite studenty.

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

Yes, even thought it's a small city and if you come from a big one, it might be a bit boring, even stifling, for you. The city is very welcoming. The people, in general, are very friendly and they always try to help you out and the professors do everything they can to help you get used to your class schedule, you'll get used to the language and to their teaching methods.

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What is the food like there?

The food is amazing. The gastronomy there has a lot of Italian influences (great wood-fired oven pizzas, pasta... ), besides that, you can find other restaurants that have Latin American influences (from Mexico, Cuba... ) and even influences from Serbia, Croatia and other places.

It's not enough just to say that the food is great, but that the prices are more than affordable.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Maribor?

No, you can find several different student residences online, you can also find shared flats, if you'd prefer that, if you put a bit of effort in. At any rate, if you don't want to book something before you get here, you can stay in a hotel or a hostel or at a friends house for a couple of days and look for something once you get here.

How much does it cost to live in Maribor?

Accommodation goes from around €150 up to about €300 a month, bills includes, depending on whether you live in a residence, a flat, you share a room or have your own. If you add up food, travel and "partying", you'll spend around €400/€600 a month, depending on whether you want to go out and travel.

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

The language is completely impossible to understand if you're here only for 9 months. I went on an intensive course with Erasmus. You'll learn how to say hello, say thank you, ask for a coffee and to not have too much trouble at the supermarket or in restaurants when you need to order or buy something, but you won't learn how to communicate like a normal person, you will learn just a few words.

What is the cheapest way to get to Maribor from your home city?

I'm from León, so the connection isn't very good at all. It depends on where you want to change (you're going to have to have some) and how much money you want to spend. You can choose from a few options: first you'll have to travel to Madrid to get a flight and from Madrid, I'd recommend you take a flight to Graz. There aren't any direct flights, but there are some good options with Lufthansa and Air Berlin or, if you prefer the lower cost companies, you can go to London with Ryanair and then from London to Graz, although, in the end, the price ends up being pretty much the same. The train from Graz to Maribor takes about an hour and costs about €10, or you can take a taxi, which will cost about €50. You could also choose to fly to Ljubljana or to a bigger city in one of the surrounding countries, but that'll increase price and length of the train journey. If you don't really want to check out the other options, I would go for a flight to Graz (Austria).

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Where would you recommend for a night out in Maribor?

There are very few places to go out partying in Maribor, so you will end up getting sick of them all in the end. In the centre, there's the KMS, the usual student haunt (especially the Erasmus people), they play a lot of pop music. If you like Latin music, there's Plus-Minus, it's a bit bigger than KMS and has more of a variety of music. If you don't like either of these types of music and you're more into rock or alternative, you can go to Trash or Pekharna (I don't really remember how they're spelt), although they're a bit further out of the city centre.

And to eat in Maribor? What are some of your favourite places to go?

I really like Mexican food, so I loved the Takos restaurants. For Italian food, some of my favourites places were Kavarna Astoria and Pizzeria Verdi, they were really cute places with really good pizza. If you have guests and you don't mind spending a bit more, I would recommend Happy Pek, the food is good and their presentation is really original.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Honestly, I wouldn't know what to recommend. There's the castle museum and there are some archetypal buildings to visit, as well. But I would recommend you get in touch with someone from there if you're really interested in the culture.

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Do you have any advice for students who will be in Maribor in the future?

Make the most of the travel opportunities and get to know new people as much as possible, since Maribor is really well connected and has a lot of countries all around it. It's a unique opportunity and you'll never be so close to everything in that part of the world ever again.