Erasmus Experience in Riga, Latvia by Lidia

Why did you choose to go to Riga, Latvia?

I didn't really choose Riga, but rather she chose me. I had very few options but I knew that I wanted an Erasmus experience since it helps you develop in so many aspects. I really got to go to Latvia rather by chance.

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

The scholarship is for one semester, that meant for me 4 months. I got around 500 euros per month (I had applied for a social scholarship and had received a bonus to the normal scholarsip of ~300 euros) and I could travel and live in a single room without problems. I had also worked the summer before my exchange and I'm currently waiting for a scholarship for the grades I had last year, but 500 euros per month were sufficient (if you plan on staying at the hostel, this amount of money would be more than enough).

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

Yes, I would. Riga is beautiful, especially in the Old Town.

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I studied at the Private Business University Turiba, and as fancy as its name sounds, I would have expected them to be a little bit more organised and professional. On the other hand, it's visible that both students and teachers try to do their best and I've encountered some really creative and competent professors.

What is the food like?

It's generally typical European, a lot of potato dishes and meat. Traditional food includes various kinds of cheeses, very dark bread (which I really liked), sweet non-alcoholic beer, grey peas, some sour soup, different desserts and fish, as far as I know. I found it interesting to try!

Don't forget to try the Laima sweets.

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Riga?

Yes, it did. I had to pay an extra tax for renting my room through Erasmusu site which I'm not going to get back.

How much does it cost to live in Riga?

As I said, 500 euros are sufficient. I also have friends who had 250 euros to spend per month (without the rent) and they managed, but if you want to travel, to invite friends over and buy some presents for when coming back, like I did, you'll definitely need more.

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

At Turiba University, we had a semestrial language course, and as far as I know, most Universities provide language lessons, but one better asked. I don't consider Latvian easy to learn because, other than identifying some Russian, German and words similar to Latin ones, the language does not sound like anything else. Latvian accent is also hard to get but their sentence topic and grammar are okay for beginners, I think.

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

I live in Timisoara (Western city in Romania) so I took the plane from Budapest to Stockholm and then switched to ferry. It was easy for me because I have relatives in Sweden and I didn't have to pay for my luggage on the boat, but I have friends who plan to return to Bucharest by car or to the Northern part of my country by bus (where, again, you don't have to pay for your luggage, but it takes longer).

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

Riga has a lot of nice clubs. From what I've been to and what I heard from friends, very good ones are Kiwi bar, Tims Mints, Pūce, 9. Vilnis, Rock Cafe, but I'm sure there are some which I've left out.

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

Lido is a nice traditional restaurant (they have Latvian dishes and you find them at almost every corner). Other than that, Street Burgers and Tokyo city are nice, but definitely not the only ones. The sweets in the small houses along the streets of the Old Center and nearby places are also very tasty.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

I've been to Sigulda (forest reservation with nice castles), Jūrmala (the beach and little towns like Majori) and Liepāja (second biggest city) and I recommend visiting them.

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

Visit the Laima chocolate museum.

Expect the people to be a little cold, but also expect them to return the smile if you do it first.

The weather is also cold (a Latvian said there are 8 months of winter and 4 months of cool summer).

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Latvia is not such a busy place (Riga has 600. 000 inhabitants, there are 2 Mil. in Latvia) and as relief has only fields covered with a lot of forests. If you know you want something a little more challenging or with a more important role in the history of Europe for example, maybe Latvia can be a second choice. Other than that, it's a nice place to live in.