Experience in Sibiu, Romania by Marco

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What is it like to live in Sibiu? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Sibiu is a medium-small city in the central region of Romania (Transilvania). Which means that there is not so much to do because of the size of the city, especially party-like (the majority of nightclubs are full of Barbies and Kens, with appropriate soundtrack) but being in the Transilvania region, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, it also has some big pluses over the South (Bucharest included) and the North. People in Sibiu are generally friendly, helpful (in contrast to Bucharest) and many speak English and German. The living standard is higher than in most of the country, unemployment low, so beggars and homeless people are present in limited numbers (the northern part of the has issues of the sort).

All in all, Sibiu can be nice if you're interested in sports and nature (plenty of surroundings good for hiking, MTB, skiing, Enduro, etc. ) and culture. On the other hand, if you enjoy partying and stuff like cinema, you will likely be disappointed.

What is the student lifestyle like in Sibiu?

There are student parties, with special prices for students and also many student organisations, depending on the faculty you visit, which is a pretext to get together and party, excursions, etc.

Most of the people speak English at uni. Exams every end of semester.

How much does it cost to live in Sibiu?

It depends on certain factors. If you are a smoker-3 Euro for a pack and 9 euros for rolling tobacco, if you enjoy alcohol and how often you go out. Food is pretty cheap, especially meat from the supermarket and vegetables. Also the rent, which can range from 100 euro (sharing the flat) upwards. I would say that 400-450 euro should suffice for a decent lifestyle, if you smoke and go out, if not 300-350 euro.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Sibiu? Is there any advice you can give?

I don't know of any AirBnBs but you can search the Internet. Google "De toate pentru toti Sibiu" or ask a fellow student to take a look. There might be some results in English or German on Google. There are plenty of apartments to rent in the city so this shouldn't be an issue.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Traditional Romanian food is quite heavy, lots of fat pork meat. If it's Summer, you have to try "salata de vinete" (roasted eggplants with onion) and buy all sorts of fruits and veggies from the market (lots of them in Romanian) because they are really good (no gen-mutated supermarket stuff). They have some sour soups ("ciorba"), which I personally dislike. Try going to the Sibiul Vechi restaurant in the city centre, definitely the best Romanian food in town. Also "Maxx" and "Terracota" serve good food (Italian and international cuisine) and have both nice interior designs.

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What places would you recommend visiting in Sibiu?

If you're interested in church architecture, they are plenty to see in the city centre. You should see the mountains nearby (Paltinis). It's just the old city centre that is worth seeing, don't bother venturing to outer neighbourhoods.

Is it good to eat out in Sibiu? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

• Sibiul vechi- Romanian food
• Maxx- Italian
• Terracota- international
• Old Lisbon- Portuguese

There is also a Chinese restaurant and a Sushi delivery service. Don't know about these...

Is the nightlife good in Sibiu? Where is good to go?

Nightlife sucks, there are some nice pubs with good music: Einstein cafe (Funk, disco), The box (best cocktails in town, house music). The clubs are either the type with Barbies and Kens dancing to horrible music (very commercial and the worst - Romanian house) like Liquid club and some others, or the type which plays just oldies and pop (which is not that bad, but the same playlist and too much stuff like Bon Jovi) like Oldies pub and Vintage club.

There are some smaller parties sometimes in various locations, where they play good music (electronic), but the locations usually suck and is under crowded.

What advice would you give future students heading to Sibiu?

Brace yourselfes, winter is coming.

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