Experience in Zagreb, Croatia by Vendi

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What is it like to live in Zagreb? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Zagreb is a pretty "laid-back" city, not too big and not too small, mostly pleasant mixture of different cultures can be noticed in all fields of living. It is quite "Viennish", to say, because of historical background, there is much in common with cities like Vienna, Budapest, and others in middle/ middle-eastern Europe. Shortly, comfortable city to live in.

What is the student lifestyle like in Zagreb?

Fun, for me! There are many places to drink coffee in pause and to hang out, students usually have discounts on many things, like tickets for exhibitions, cultural manifestations and some concerts, there are organised student kitchens where you can eat low cost food with your student card, etc. Many student organisations you can join, engaged in different activities (sport, IT, music, theater, art... ) and many events intended right for the student population.

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How much does it cost to live in Zagreb?

Depends - Zagreb is actually one of the most expensive cities compared to its citizens incomes, but you can manage to go cheaper, especially as a student. Student kitchens and dormitories aren't expensive, there are low-cost places to eat and to go out, but to find them it's best to have someone who is already domesticated and is familiar with surrounding.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Zagreb? Is there any advice you can give?

For students who aren't from Zagreb there are couple big dormitories, and as much as I know, Erasmus students can also apply. Those complexes aren't far from the city center and they are rather cheap accommodation, mostly based on principle of double rooms.

You can also find private accommodation, like a flat or room in a shared flat, though prices and availability are very relative. Most people are renting flats before the beginning of the academic year (late summer, early autumn), but prices are unpredictable in global.

For shorter periods, Zagreb became a city of hostels, there is plenty of them that are new and nice, placed in the very center.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Dishes like sandwiches, kebabs, fried potatoes and similar are very common, sold like quick and not expensive snacks. For some national food, there are some restaurants that serve it. My favourites are turkey with mlinci (don't know how to call it in English, Croatian: purica s mlincima), then štrukli (they can be either salty or sweet), homemade ćušpajz (stew, with variable ingredients). For drinking, there are many kinds of wine, beer, popular alcoholic drink is homemade rakija (kind of brandy, many people in Croatia are making their own, it can be made from different kind of fruits, herbs, honey... ).

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What places would you recommend visiting in Zagreb?

Walk through the city center, then to get lost in little streets of upper town, parks like Maksimir, Tuškanac - forrest/park 10 min walk from the center. Archeological Museum, Ethnological Museum, Museum of Arts and Crafts, Art pavilion and Gallery of Modern Art (all placed in 5-10 minute walk from the main square), botanical garden... Hm, I think it's best to just walk around with open eyes and you'll surely bump into something interesting.

Is it good to eat out in Zagreb? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

In some places, yes - there is a lot of rip-of places with standard food, like pizza and fried potatoes, but few restaurants serve good, traditional dishes. "Stari fijaker" is a legendary place where lots of people from Zagreb history gathered around and it offers authentic dishes, then "Baltazar", "Vinodol". Then there are few beer breweries that have restaurants - "Medvedgrad", "K Pivovari", offering different kinds of meat dishes and their original beer.

Except this, you can easily find Chinese and Italian restaurants, of standard quality and not to expensive.

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Is the nightlife good in Zagreb? Where is good to go?

It could be better - during the week it is quite dead, I wouldn't say that there is any club that would be a standard, comfortable disco, clubs are mostly either "fancy" (but trashy and with prepotent atmosphere) or old dumps (comfy, but shabby and after some time it can become annoying). My favorites are open-air manifestations and small festivals that occur on the streets and in the parks, but you can't count on it. I wont recommend any specific club, it is best to go around and find the one that fits you best by yourself.

What advice would you give future students heading to Zagreb?

Watch for trams when crossing the street!