Erasmus Experience in Riga, Latvia by Jochen

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

My scholarship lasts 5 months, as for most of the students I think. I get from my university 250€.

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

I can recommend the city 100 per cent. It's really a great city. You'll meet lots of Erasmus students and it is quite cheap compared to other cities. Also you have lots of places to go out.

For the university I think it depends on which university you are and in which faculty. I'm at RTU and unfortunately some teachers have a really bad English level, so that it is quite hard to teach the students. But as I mentioned it depends on what you are studying.

What is the food like?

I really love the food here. It is a bit like the German kitchen. The local kitchen contains a lot of garlic and sour cream. You will find these in every meal. A special beer snack, which is really popular is the "Garlic bread". But they also eat lots of potatoes, sauerkraut and lots of pickled stuff. In several pubs you can get some really.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Riga?

To find an accommodation is quite easy, because in or close to the Old Town, there are many flats, which are rented out as shared apartments for exchange students. The best way is to go to a hostel for the first week and then find some people are also looking for a flat.

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How much does it cost to live in Riga?

The living costs are quite cheap compared to other countries. You can find apartments for less than 300€ per month. The grocery stores have quite the same price level than in other European countries. Going to a restaurant is quite cheap. You can have a pretty huge and good meal for almost 5-10€

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

The language is completely different than any other language I learned so far. So it is quite hard to learn at least the basic phrases. Like half of the people here are Russians, it is also possible to speak with almost everybody in Russian. Also the level of English in the Old Town or among the young people is quite good.

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

As I am from Germany, the easiest way to go to Riga is to take the plane. You have the option to go either by RyanAir or AirBaltic. From the airport to the Old Town you can take the bus, which takes about 30 min.

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

To go out at night, there are several options in Old Town. For example in "Funny fox" or "Kiwi bar" you'll get a discount of 25% with your ESN card. But there are some other really nice places like "Rock café", "Greenwood" or "Oma's brilliant", which has a very nice flair.

When you want to go dancing, then lots of people go to La rocca, which is a typical disco with three floors.

If you want to meet locals then you should prefer Piens on Wednesday or Spacedog.

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

For eating there are many different restaurants where you can eat really well for a small price. My favourite one is the Ala bar. It has a really nice atmosphere and you can get local food.

To eat good burgers I can recommend: Deli Snack, Streetburgers, Donegans or also "Hedgehog in the fog".

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Riga itself has pretty nice Old Town, but is quite small. So in a few days you saw the most interesting stuff. Around Riga, there is Jurmala, a nice beach at the Baltic Sea. Then Sigulda, where all Latvians travel to in fall. And there are some national parks with a nice landscape.

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