Erasmus Experience in Sofia, Bulgaria by Milos

Why did you choose to go to Sofia, Bulgaria?

I choose to go to Sofia because of Master program that I am attending.

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

My scholarship is for 22 months, as long as my master program. Amount of money that I am receiving is quite big for Bulgarian standards and I can live here really comfortable. Most Erasmus scholarship here is around 300-400 euros and if you decide to stay in dorm you will have enough money for living, partying and traveling during your stay in Sofia.

What is the student lifestyle like in Sofia?

Student lifestyle is pretty good here. Around the city you can find enough place to have good parties on every day in the week.

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

About University of Sofia, I am attending University St. Kliment Ohridski but I haven't lot of connections with University beside my master program so I can't give you good answer on that question.

Sofia as a city is not the most beautiful city in Europe, but you will have good time here. Prices are really cheap, you can eat, drink and partying for not so much money. Also you have connection with few countries that is not easy to visit from Western Europe, and they are definitely worth of visiting.

What is the food like?

It is not the best food in the world, but you can find good meals here. I must say that fast food is definitely bad. Places for fast food are rare and most of the time they don't make new pizza or sandwiches, instead they just warm it up in microwave which is something that I really hate.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Sofia?

Most of the Erasmus students decide to live in flats in city center. I think they make mistake because only thing that is not cheap here are the flats because of the fact that heating system is awful and you can finish paying really big utility costs during winter months and even not to have proper heating because most of the flats are using air-conditions and when is temperature below 0 it can be problematic.

On other side, dorm are not so luxurious but it is cheap and heating is good, and of course student dormitories are the places where you can best feel students life. The only problem in dorms here is that there is no kitchen. But you can solve that problem with buying used fridge and hot plate like I did and I must said that I am more satisfied than I have left to the flat. Do I need to mention how much money I saved?

How much does it cost to live in Sofia?

It is really cheap. Monthly ticket for transport is 10 euros. You can use it for all metro, buses, trolleys. Taxi is also cheap and we didn't have any problems that somebody try to cheat us.

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Prices in the club are really cheap compared with my city Belgrade, not to mention compared with western standards. There are clubs where you can buy a bottle of Smirnoff and 1l of juice for 20-30 euros. Restaurants are also cheap. You can eat soup, meal and drink for 3-4 euros. Of course there is also more expensive places but again they are not so much expensive.

Prices for dorm is 25 euros. Flats are only thing that is expensive here because of the reasons I mentioned earlier.

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

At the university there are courses for a lot of languages, for Bulgarian of course, and they free of charge. Bulgarian language is not so difficult to understand basics but for something more you need to know Cyrillic alphabet.

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

From my city, Belgrade, you can travel to Sofia by bus or by train. There are 2 buses per day and one train from Sofia to Belgrade. And prices is in both cases 25 euros in one way. My recommendation is to travel by bus, it is 2 hours less duration of the trip.

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

You need to check out Studentski grad and places with Bulgarian chalga music. You will just check them and realize that is not for Erasmus students. Therefore we are going out in few clubs in city center which plays international music. Those places are Once Upon a Time Biblioteka, Bedroom Premium Club and other places where students parties are held, which are very often in Sofia.

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

You need to come, try and search. You can find something for sure, but I can't give any recommendation since I am still exploring restaurants by myself.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

There is few nice churches and interesting buildings in city center so you can check them. Also there is a lot of trips to other Bulgarian cities and nearby countries so you can find something that you are interesting for sure.

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

At the end I can say, if you want to have great Erasmus time, you will not make mistake if you choose Sofia. You will meet new culture, have enough money to live here, travel and party. Maybe it is not the most beautiful city in the Europe but for sure is one of the best for people who want to feel Erasmus life.