ERASMUS IN VIENNA (OR WIEN OR WINE :D)

The decision for our erasmus destination was very hard, because you are not thinking about one destination only. Let's be honest, you want to go to a place where there are good parties, nice people and it is located close to other countries or places worth visiting. I think this was the main reason why we chose Vienna as our Erasmus destination.

Life in Vienna is slighty different than life in Slovenia or especially in Portorož. First of all, there is no sea. But there is Danube (Donava) river, where you can bathe when it gets warmer. And it looks stunning, so it reminded us of Portorož sometimes. I am sure you have all heard about it from a famous classical song, written by an Austrian musician, Johann Strauss. We can tell you, it really is fascinating!

Vienna is also known for its classical music culture, many famous artists were born and working there. In the city centre, buildings are mainly built in the same style, which is Secession. If you can't imagine how this looks like, think about the buildings in the city centre of Ljubljana, which were built in the same period.

Vienna is also a destination for coffee lovers. You can find traditional Vieniese coffee places, where coffee is usually too expensive to go there every day, but in that way you can learn a lot about Vieniese culture and its people. Coffee places in Vienna are one of the best in the world and people go there to read books, newspapers, have a nice dessert or simply to enjoy some time alone or with friends. When in Vienna, visiting a coffee places is a must!

We can't forget about famous Wiener Schnitzel, that, I am sure, you have all tried at least once in your life. You can find Schnitzel places everywhere in the city, so don't worry about not being able to try it. There are some good restaurants you can visit and have a good  Wiener Schnitzel, two of them we would recommend – 'Centimeter' and 'Figmüller'.

When in Vienna, try to go on a classical music concert in Stadtsoper or go to a Theatre to watch a play. If you are more interested in rock / modern style of music, try to find some concerts of famous musicians in Wiener Stadthalle or Gasometer. We went to some really good concerts while in Vienna, so go for it when you go there. At the beginning of June, there is a weekend festival called 'Rock in Vienna', which is held on a Danube island. Tickets for this festival are usually too expensive, but you can listen to the music from the distance as well. You can hear it almost as good as if you were in front of the stage.

Parties in Vienna are not that bad, actually J. I am sure you will go to some places right from the start of your Erasmus in Vienna, such as 'Travelshack' and 'Loco'. There you can find other erasmus students from other universities in Vienna and the drinks are not too expensive there as well. In most clubs there is an entrance fee, for us usually too expensive. The prices are from 5€ to 15€ or even 20€.

If you don't like clubbing scene that much, you can find some good underground bars with live music on weekends and sometimes even during the week. Some of the bars are located under the metro line, which is very convenient. Some really good bars and pubs that we recommend are 'B72', 'Chelsea', 'Charlie P's'.

We were at the FH Wien Faculty, where we studied tourism related courses. We did not only choose tourism courses, but also other topics, such as International business, E-Marketing so on. Professors were mostly foreigners, for example, from Australia, Canada, Germany. They were usually very nice and kind and we learned a lot from them. Courses and exams work completely different than here at Turistica. For example, we had one course for about two weeks every day and right after that we had an exam. We think this is better than exam periods that last for one month at the end of the semester, because you can remember things you have learned in the past few weeks easily, that is why the results are usually better. Their grading system is from 1 to 5, where 1 is the best grade and 5 is the worst, e.g. you do not pass. At first we had some trouble with the grades, because we could not get used to this grading system. After some time, you get used to it and you are happy when you get 2 (in Slovenia you would probably cry like a baby). We can say that this faculty had some really interested courses held by professors from the real business and tourism world. They spoke from their experiences and they gave you the insight of what real life business works in the rest of the world.
We also had German courses at the faculty, which were really helpful and the teachers were really nice. If you want to improve your level of german language, do not hesitate to go to Vienna.

Most of the Erasmus students lived in dormitories, only a few stayed in private or shared apartments (flats). Accommodation price range is from 200-600€ for a student dormitory and from 200-500€ for a private or shared apartment. We suggest you to take a private room in a dormitory, because you will need some time alone and believe me, it is better this way. If you want to live in an apartment, try to find one that is not too close to the city center, because prices are higher there. A friendly advice when searching for a flat apartment – check if the owner is serious and is not going to take your money and leave you there without a roof. This happened to our friend from Portugal, so be careful.

Public transport in Vienna is well organized. We bought a student semester ticket for 75€ and it lasted from February until the end of June. You can use it for metro (U-Bahn), tram and bus. Metro is the fastest way to get anywhere. If you are waiting at the metro station for it to come, it takes from 2 to 15min, depends on the part of the day. Buses and trams are leaving every 10 min.  Public transport gets you anywhere in Vienna and it is really fast (not like here in Slovenia). This is one of the things we are gonna miss the most – fast and convenient public transport.

There are some nice restaurants that offer some good meal deals, where you can get a soup, main dish and a dessert for a reasonable price. Very popular are also brunch places, that you can find anywhere in Vienna. You can also find some 'All you can eat' restaurants, where you pay about 10-15€ and you can eat how much you want and whatever you like The faculty had its own restaurant, where they offered 5 different menus every day and one of them was cheaper for students (4,20€ for the main dish only).
There is also a very popular restaurant among students, travellers and young people called 'Deewan'. It offers Pakistani food, every day there is something new on the menu. You can eat as much as you want and for that you pay how much you want. Of course, you can not eat there for free, but you can have a good meal with different dishes for about 5€.

What to do in Vienna? Well… what you probably will do, is a lot of partying, some studying and having fun with new friends you will meet there. We are sure you will find something interesting to do every day. Even though Vienna doesn't seem like a big city, there is a lot to do, believe me. On rainy days go to theatre, opera, to the movies or simply enjoy a rainy day inside a traditional Vieniese café. Sunny days bring happiness to the city and somehow it becomes alive. Go to Schönbrunn and take a walk through beautiful garden, go to Kahlenberg, a hill above the city, where you can enjoy a coffee or a very expensive meal with a view. Go to Donaukanal and have a beer there, while observing grafitti artist at their work. Take a walk to the city center in the evening, buy some ice cream ('Eis Greißler'  or 'Tichy') and listen to some street artists performing near the Donaukanal.

If you think you did a lot of sightseeing in Vienna, hop on a bus to the neighbour countries. A bus or a train will take you to Budapest, Bratislava, Berlin, Munich, Krakow, Salzburg, Graz, etc. There are alson a lot of places in Austria that are a 'must-see' and we suggest you to take advantage of the cheap bus prices to other countries.

Costs while living in Vienna are higher than in Portorož, that is for sure. First of all, accommodation costs are higher, living standard is higher. For example, coffee in a normal bar is from 2€ on. Meat is also expensive in stores. Try to find 'cheaper' stores, like Hofer or Lidl, they are everywhere. Going out for a beer can get expensive too, according to prices here in Slovenia. A pint of beer costs around 4 – 6€.
We can say that Erasmus scholarship was not enough to cover all the costs, if you want to go somewhere and experience something new. Try to work and save some money so you can enjoy your Erasmus experience to the fullest, without worrying about every euro you spend.

So this is a quick summary of our Erasmus experience. We don't want to tell you everything, because you will have to discover it by yourself. If you have any further questions, write us on Facebook and we will be glad to help you J.

Barbara Kovačič in Polona Lopert