My Erasmus on FDV, Ljubljana

Why did you choose to go to Ljubljana, Slovenia?

Because I knew nothing about the country, and was curious about it. Also because it was a small city, and I had lived in a big one my whole life, and wanted to try something different.

Source

How long did you stay there? How much funding did you receive?

I stayed there for 6 months, the summer semester and part of the holidays. I received around 400 euros per month from my home university.

What is student life like in Ljubljana?

Awesome, very chill, slow and relaxing. Weekends in particular were great, because half the student population of Ljubljana would go home to other cities, and it made the city pretty empty.

Would you recommend Ljubljana to other students?

If you like smaller cities and can get used to slow (but punctual) public transport, sure! Also, check out Slovenian bike culture. If you want to buy a bike I recommend you look for one from Rog. "Bicycley", the public bike service, is only 3 euros per year, so that's awesome too.

What is the food like?

Very nice! And as a student you get coupons to eat in restaurants, so you can choose the student menu for a lesser price (a soup, a main dish, a salad, fruit and water form 0. 5 to 5 euros! ). As for the type of food, you will find everything from Chinese to typical European fare and Mexican food. You can also drink alcohol on the streets, but be careful not to ride a bike after drinking, it's severely prohibited. The best wine you can find is "Sladki Muskat" by VinaKoper, it's around 5 euros per liter so a bit expensive for the average cost of wine in Lubiana but worth it.

Was it difficult to find an accomodation?

Not really, I wanted to live in a dormitory and I got my wish easily. Dom D in Bezigrad is new and comfortable, so I recommend it. Rooms weren't a problem for my friends either, but it's best to apply early.

What is the cost of living like?

I paid around 160-170 euros for a bed in the dormitory and around 150-200 euros to eat, so if you want to travel it's best to be able to rely on more than just the scholarship. It's actually almost cheaper to eat out on coupons than cook for yourself. As supermarkets go, Mercator is a bit higher priced, and pretty much the same goes for Lidl, while Hofer is cheap (and they have good tuna). Go look for a street market if you can; the food there will be better, especially veggies.

How did you find learning the language? Did you attend any languages courses organized by the university?

I couldn't attend any courses, but I met many Slovenian students who taught me the basics. It wasn't hard, and many young people speak English, so you won't have problems in supermarkets or the like.

What is the cheapest way to get to Ljubljana from your home city?

I found a connection from Warsaw to Ljubljana for 18 euro once, but it was a crazy train experience that lasted two days... I don't recommend it. Otherwise there is a bus connection with Vienna for around 10 euros (with PolskiBus), and from there you can take Goopti for 20 euros. Plane tickets by LOT or Adria are similar in price, but LOT is better as you can take a bigger luggage for free. It was around 100 euros one way.

Where do you recommend going out in Ljubljana?

I wholeheartedly recommend Neboticnik for a lazy afternoon coffee with a beautiful view, definitely one of my favurite places (they also accept coupons in the restaurant! ). There's also this great Italian place in BTC called Al Capone (coupons again). For fish, there is this awesome fish place underground next to Astra bus stop. Otherwise you could go for a walk in Tivoli, visit the Castle, take bus nr 8 to Smarnagora for a hike and a beautiful view, visit Krakovo district and their small pubs near the church (don't worry, you will find them), visit Żale cementary - it has some nice architecture examples - and finally, every Friday during the summer season there's a food market on the main "Pink church square".

If you want to travel, the train to Budapest is only 9 euros, Vienna is close too, as is Venice, and the Austrian lakes, Bled, the Bohinj lakes, Triglav and other hikes in the mountains, or you can go skiing in Krvavec, sunbathing on a beach in Piran or Isola; also, the Postojna caves are very expensive but also cool.

If you didn't bring enough clothes and don't want to buy expensive stuff, go to a thrift shop next to the dragon bridge, they have daily sales and sometimes you can buy nice clothes for only 1 or 2 euros.

Download the "prevozi" app. It's like BlaBlaCar for Slovenians.

Any advice for future students in Ljubljana?

It is one of the best cities for students! Not only you have coupons for food, but if you want to travel there are so many things to see and do. Slovenia is a great traveling base if you want to see Europe. All faculty buildings are well equipped, FDV (the social science faculty) especially is awesome, new and fancy. Classes were great and there was a lot to choose from in English. Everybody in Slovenia wants foreigners to have a nice experience, so they're all very helpful and friendly.