Erasmus Experience in Zagreb, Croatia, by Imanol

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Why did you choose to go to Zagreb, Croatia?

At first, I was really interested in the seaside of Croatia, the coast and, the cities and towns near the sea. Besides, some friends went on their Erasmus exchange to Zagreb and they told me that there were good parties, it was quite cheap and a good location to travel to other places.

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

I will be here for one semester, until February, and we receive 350€ per month (250 + 100 for B2 English level).

What is the student lifestyle like in Zagreb?

Student lifestyle is good. You have a lot of events organized for Erasmus people, good parties, the opportunity to meet new people from different countries and really easy and cheap ways to travel to new places.

It is also important that here, in Zagreb, almost everybody is able to speak English, so it's very easy to communicate with local people.

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

Yes, I would recommend Zagreb to other students. Maybe the University is not so famous comparing with others in Europe, but once you are here you realize that you have a good opportunity to learn new things, improve your English and spend a great time.

What is the food like?

The food is normal, quite common. There is some typical Croatian food that tastes quite good and which is recommendable to try.

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Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Zagreb?

It wasn't easy to find accommodation from my own country because almost all the websites are in the Croatian language, but once I arrived in Zagreb with the help of buddies or local people it's quite easy to find something. There are also lots of hostels so you can stay there until you find your flat.

How much does it cost to live in Zagreb?

It's not expensive. If you share a flat with one or two people more, it's quite a good price. Then, the restaurants are cheaper than in my own country and with the student card you get really big discounts in lots of places -you can have lunch for just 1€. The entrance to clubs is also quite cheap, less than 3 euro, and you can also enter for free.

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

Booking a flight directly to Zagreb it's not cheap if you take it from Bilbao or other airports. The cheapest ones are Barcelona and Madrid. But the cheapest flights are those which are going to Budapest; they are really cheap flights and then you have the option of coming to Zagreb by bus or train, because Budapest is quite close to Zagreb.

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

There are a lot of clubs here in Zagreb, but the ones that I like most are "Katran", "Peppermint" and "Gallery". But before going to the clubs the best choice is to go to "Ziraffa", really cheap beer!

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

For normal days after or during lessons, I would recommend "Menza", because with your student card you can have lunch for 1 €. On the weekends if you want to have dinner in a more special place I would recommend "Nocturno". It's a kind of Italian restaurant with pizza, pasta... good quality and quite cheap.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

I would recommend visiting the city centre, the uptown and the cathedral. For people who likes museums, there are a lot of them here in Zagreb.