Experience in Thessaloniki, Greece by Kiriakos

Why did you choose to go to Thessaloniki, Greece?

Thessaloniki I think is the perfect place for a student. It may be close to 1million+ of inhabitants but it is as we call it "a big village". By this I mean you will feel really familiar and not get lost in a big city. I chose it exactly for that reason and may other that you'll see next.

What is the student lifestyle like in Thessaloniki?

There is sun and sea so you are almost everyday motivated to do something. Usually it contains a late wake-up, that sometimes results in missing some early classes, no big deal. :) Then meet with friends, go for a walk or for a coffee, maybe order something to eat and at night of course beers!...or wine for some

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

I personally study on the Uviversity of Macedonia, where the facilities are a bit better than the campus of Aristotelio University and I would recommend it of course. If you compare the facilities offered with some other European universities, the are not that good but as an enviroment I prefer it from other Unis( when the cleaners are not on strike :P )

What is the food like?

5+ stars! Cheap and really tasty! If you are looking for McDonald's , Wendy's etc. that's not the place for you, you'll have to replace all that with gyros, bougatsa, pizza and many other things. There are also some multicultural cuisines(not that well known) but I think everyone sticks to the greek way of eating so .....

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Thessaloniki?

If you share a flat , even if you stay alone , you can find something cheap and quite good! Let's say for a person if you want to rent something around the center, about 30sq.m., it is about 160-250 euros. But be careful on the hidden costs! By this I mean the electricity bills( almost 70-80 per 2 months) the gas bills(if you have one), the buildings shared costs(10-20 per 2 months) and then the water bills(really cheap).

How much does it cost to live in Thessaloniki?

I would say it depends from how hard you party and where do you eat. let aside the accomodation costs I would say it ranges from 200-300 per month.

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

Unfortunately I don't know that, but since everybody body speaks english I think learning some greek is not priority number one but a challenge ;)

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

Ladadika, Valaoritou, Bit Bazaar, Rotonta, Kamara there are so many places!

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

I would recommend ordering gyros from Giotis, Toumba , Yok Balik in Ethnikis Aminis and maybe try some food in Elia kai Lemoni either in Ionos Dragoumi or Botsari.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Just go to the castle in the upper city and you will find whatever you want