Erasmus Experience in Zagreb, Croatia

Why did you choose to go to Zagreb, Croatia?

I wasn't sure about it, I could've chosen to go to other countries too, but I'd heard a lot of good things about Zagreb, and I thought, why not give it a try? I'm still in Zagreb, I have a couple of months left here, and everything's going really well, I'm very satisfied with my choice. What's more, you can visit a lot of countries from here, like Serbia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Hungary, which are only a stone throw away.

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

The grant I got was for €250 a month, and it only lasted a semester, the grant came from the European Union.

What is the student lifestyle like in Zagreb?

There are quite a lot of Erasmus students, I thought that there wouldn't be so much atmosphere, but I also think that any Erasmus destination would have this kind of atmosphere, because we all go on Erasmus to do the same things, for other languages, cultures and also, why not just say it, for fun.

Would you recommend the city and the university of Zagreb to other students?

Yes, it's difficult to be objective when you've been on Erasmus in a city, because it's always going to have a special place in your heart, but I sincerely think that the city, as well as the university, are really worth coming to. I'm satisfied, the professors and international relations offices look after the students pretty well.

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What is the food like there?

It's pretty good, they have lots of different traditional dishes, but I'd always choose Spanish food over Croatian food.

Was it difficult to find accommodation in Zagreb?

Well, not really, in fact, I got my application to the residence I wanted to live in (Stepjan Radic) wrong, but thanks to the Zagreb Erasmus Facebook group, I found a very well-located flat that was 10-15 minutes walk away from the city centre, for around €260 a month.

How much does it cost to live in Zagreb?

It depends on each person, there's a card you can use to eat for one euro in some of the student eateries, called Menza. There are a few of them around the city, and regarding the restaurants, you can eat anywhere and you won't pay more than 9 euros, even if you eat à la carte, which was one of the things that I was most impressed with there.

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

It's very difficult, it's completely different, I'm not spending long here, only a bit more than a month, they offer some courses at the university, but I didn't take any. So I learned the basics, so I could be polite and cordial, but not much more.

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

I came from Madrid, I took a flight from Madrid to Budapest, then I took a bus from the Budapest Airport to the train station, and then I took a 6 hour train to Zagreb. I didn't didn't book my plane tickets very far in advance and it cost around €280, so I decided to go via Budapest and that ticket cost €130, but if you book in advance, you can get tickets for much cheaper.

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Where would you recommend for a night out in Zagreb?

I haven't tried them all out, but there are bars you can go to for one euro beers, there are others where you can get mixed drinks for €2, but, as for the clubs, the prices go up to €4/5 for a mixed drink.

And to eat in Zagreb? What are some of your favourite places to go?

There are loads of cheap places for food, I'd recommend: Nokturno. There are also a lot of pizzerias, kebab shops and other cheap fast food places.

I've also heard people say really good things about Papa's Bar and Yellow Submarine and Rocket Hamburger.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

I went to the Plivitce lakes, they're really worth seeing, I also went to Kaprina, Samobor, Kumrovec, and as I said before, it's very easy to rent a car and to go to visit other nearby cities and countries.

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Do you have any advice for students coming to Zagreb in the future?

Go to Nokturno for dinner, go through Ullica Kaltcitceva, there are endless bars there, use the menzas to save a bit of money and use that to travel, go to Zirrafa for a few beets, since it's one of the most popular bars with Erasmus students, and go up Uppertown to see its views over the whole of Zagreb.