Erasmus Experience in Maribor, Slovenia by Kamil

Why did you choose to go to Maribor, Slovenia?

To be honest, I chose Maribor, because subjects there were more/less the same as in my home university, which was crucial for me.

But secondly, I decided to go to Slovenia, because I was curious about this country - I didn't know much before my Erasmus.

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

I have been in Maribor 5 months and I received 400 EUR/month.

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

Yes, definitely! It was perfect there!

The city is not big, but for me that's great advantage.

University of Maribor was also okay as for me, it depends which one faulty, but faculty of law was okey.

Source

What is the food like?

Perfect!

In Slovenia they have coupon system for students. At the beginning you should do some paper work, register, and download application. Then you can use in many restaurants maximum 2 coupons per day - they make price lower, because government pays some subvention (around 3 EUR). That was really awesome and we were going eat out with friends almost every day.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Maribor?

Yes, a little bit, because as I mentioned city is not big, but there were quite a lot of international students. So it was not that fast to find accomodation. But fortunately I did it. There are 3 Uni dorms + few private dorms + private flats.

How much does it cost to live in Maribor?

Depends how much you spend on your accomodation and what would you like to do.

But I think that with coupon system, you can easily live for 400 EUR; )

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

For slavic speaking people it should not be a problem. Personally, after some time, I got used to slovenian and I liked it a lot.

University was offering slovenian language course for foreigners (slavic and non-slavic groups) which I participated.

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

From Poland I can recommend Flixbus to Maribor with changes in Vienna or Budapest.

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

After few weeks we used to have house parties or we were hanging out in dorm.

But I can recommend Patrick's Pub, Kaos, Rokaj. There are also few clubs in the city (Trust, KMS, Stuk... ), the best is to join Erasmus parties organized by ESN or student's tuesday parties.

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

There is a lot of them! But you should definitely visit at least few. With coupon system:

1. Ancora
2. Al Capone
3. Mr Falafel
4. Interspar Restavracija
5. Kitajska Azija

Budget ones with coupons:

1. Lunch Box
2. Fresh4Life
3. Peking

Without coupons:

1. La Pizzeria
2. Jack&Joe Burger
3. La Cantina

Enjoy!

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

1. Oldest grape variety in Europe
2. Franciscan Church
3. Maribor's castle

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

Yes - just go there and enjoy! It was really great time there!

Fotógrafo: Sergio Urizarna (@keepitcutre_photography)