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Bonn
What did you do? Erasmus student
Where did you live? Student residences in Kirschallee
What was the accommodation like? Flat between three people, shared kitchen and
bathroom. It was in a nice area
What was the cost of living like? Very cheap - all student accommodation is
cheap in Germany
What was the transport system like? Excellent bus and tram system. Local trains
run to Cologne every 30 mins
How was the social life? Bonn is quiet and small. Has lots of cafe's/pubs but
Cologne is big and very lively!
Favourite place to eat? Cafe Blau - variety of good food and salads with loads
of vegetarian stuff
Favourite place to drink? Zebulon - cheap Kolsch - quite an alternative place.
Gym - Russian vodka bar. Poca Loco in Cologne is a fantastic cocktail bar
Favourite place to visit? Cologne for the shops!. Drachenfels.
What not to miss? Cologne cathedral
What to avoid? Walking on your own at night
Any advice to students? Except for Proseminars, don't bother trying to track
down lecturer/teacher before course begins - just turn up. Seminars fill up very
quickly but probably not worth queuing at proseminar registration unless you are
prepared to queue for hours
What did you do? Student
Where did you live? Student residences in Tannenbusch
What was the accommodation like? Poor for Germany but quite good compared to the
UK. Basic furniture, sink in room, shared bathroom and kitchen and loads of
storage space. Free internet access in every room. Met loads of people there and
the rent is really low!
What was the cost of living like? Very cheap - cheaper than UK
What was the transport system like? Really good. Trams from Tannenbusch
to university took about 7 mins. Buses good too.
How was the social life? Really good - the University organises parties too once
a month. Loads of bars and cafes to go to. Cologne is quite good for a night out
- probably better than Bonn
Favourite place to eat? Pendal or Zebulon
Favourite place to drink? Zebulon or Gym - Russian vodka bar.
Favourite place to visit? Walking along the Rhine. The Woki cinema. Hofgarten -
big field at the Uni where loads of people hang out when it is sunny.
What not to miss? The Christmas markets, The Woki Cinema (3 euros per film), MTC
in Lokm - kind of rock/jazz club. Cologne - can get tram direct from Tannenbusch
(No 16) but it is quicker from the Hauptbahnhaf. Kolsch beer!
What to avoid? Staff in Cafe Blau are really unfriendly but it's a nice place.
Don't hang around the Hayptbanhof tram station.
Any advice to students? Really make the most if it because you will miss it when
you come back. You need your passport for all admin!
Göttingen
What did you do? Student
Where did you live? Student self-catered flat
What was the accommodation like? Nice, in a pleasant area, living with other
Erasmus students
What was the cost of living like? Very cheap - around £80 for a month's rent
What was the transport system like? You may need to buy a bike as there are lots
of hills!. But for longer journeys there is a big train station in the town
centre. Taxis are quite cheap.
How was the social life? Very good - lots of bars, not many nightclubs but the
bars do stay open until the early hours
Favourite place to eat? Villa Cuba
Favourite place to drink? Irish pub
Favourite place to visit?
What not to miss? Travelling around, making the most of your time. Visit Prague
and Budapest.
What to avoid? Hanover - not that interesting and you are near to it
Any advice to students? Live with native speakers!
Stuttgart
What did you do? Language Assistant
Where did you live? Stuttgart. Living in an apartment with a German family.
What was the accommodation like? In a good area, within 10 mins of the city
centre by U bahn and 20 mins by foot. I thought that the rent of €200 per month
was adequate considering I didn't have to pay any bills and the location.
What was the cost of living like? Living in a city it was very easy to spend my
€750 wage allowance each month. Main expenditures were monthly transport card
€50 and rent. I did however eat and go out almost every night so that is where
my money went. It is very possible to stick to a budget though.
What was the transport system like? Excellent.
How was the social life? Very good, although nothing compared to like it is in
UK. Depends on what the town/city is like. Living in a city there was always
something to do, i.e. cinema, clubs, bars. The night life culture is much more
reserved though!!
Favourite place to eat? Plenty of places offered good lunchtime deals
Favourite place to drink? Has to be the Oblomow bar in Stuttgart. The furry
orange ceilings are something: a fire hazard if nothing else.
What not to miss? The Bad-Canstatt beer festivals in Stuttgart, which happen
twice a year in October and April. They rival the ones in Munich and are
probably cheaper and less over-hyped.
Wiesbaden
What did you do? Assistant
Where did you live? Student halls
What was the accommodation like? Nice, clean, spacey
What was the cost of living like? Reasonable - depends on where you live in the
city
What was the transport system like? Better than here - on time and clean and
modern.
How was the social life? Fairly good - didn't go out maybe as much out here but
that suited me. Depends on what you want and the size of the city
Favourite place to eat? An Afghani restaurant
Favourite place to drink? None
Favourite place to visit? Berlin - very interesting and loads to see. Places
along the Rhine - beautiful scenery. Lake Constance
What not to miss? The carnival atmosphere in Autumn and the white Christmas.
What to avoid? Hanging around with English people - you miss out on a lot
Any advice to students? Enjoy it - it's nice to do something different for a
change