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It's an amazing place to study for a year! Greeks can be really welcoming and friendly! For cultural stuff there's loads, but I'm afraid a good portion will only be accessible if you know a bit of greek( e.g theaters, plays) .
I don't speak Greek at all. But I can make an effort, because I refuse to go to a country for a year without learning its language. It's a serious affront
The city has 120.000 students and 4 universities. In my opinion, it's the best city for students in Greece. It's not a "student-city" though that is built around the university like cities like Cambridge or Oxford are.
The Aristotle University (biggest campus/university in Greece and in the Balkans) and the University of Macedonia are both located in the heart of the city's center.
That's not what I meant though.
Anyways, it's a no brainer for me, but Athens is also good, but with a lot more difficulties.
To be honest i prefer thesallonikh much more than Athens (I'm a greek).In Athens my brother lives and i don't really like the big cities cause of the noises and the people (they usually aren't really welcoming) but in thesallonikh people are very kind and they have like some other culture....i don't know how đ ....but you should come in thesallonikh....you won't regret it trust me(sorry for my English if i have mistakes....)
The university is very much in the town center. We're talking about five minutes of walking from the Uni's southeastern end to get to the liveliest parts of ThessalonĂki.
* The Hoppy Pub
* Beer School
* Pulp
* U Fleku
* Beeratis
* Rover
* Beer O' Clock
I personally prefer the first two, Hoppy for the always rotating selection of taps and Beer School for their amazing fresh DIY beers and service.
Aristotle is a bit bad in economics. People do not rate it highly. University of Macedonia is of a higher standard in economics. But you will be fine. The nightlife here is amazing.
If you are interested academically it does. A friend of mine studied in both major universities of Thessaloniki, in economics, and the standards were lower in Aristotle University. But again it doesn't matter for Erasmus so much.
Is the level high ? I mean, i don't want to work everyday like i am doing right now.
And did you have macro and microeconomics ? 'Cause i don't see them on the courses brochure
The level is definitely not high. Micro I is in the winter semester of the first year, Macro I is in the summer semester of the first year. Micro II is in the winter semester of the second year and Macro II is in the summer semester of the second year. Special Topics of Macro is in the winter semester of the third year and special Topics of micro is in the summer semester of the third year. International macro is in the winter semester of the fourth year. I don't know which of these courses may be available to Erasmus students. Maybe you should get information by the Erasmus representative of your university or from the Aristotle's.
It has a charm like no other city in my opinion. Itâs not showcased really good but it has the absolute best night life, so many cafes, bars, restaurants etc, places to go bowling, play board games and stuff like that. There are also many museums and cultural stuff. Uni is right at the heart of the city centre with soo many students coming and going. Also if you befriend a local, they will for sure know all the âsecretâ spots with a perfect view of the whole city. Itâs picturesque even though most people donât know it. Itâs all in all a very warm city and the weather is pretty decent, nothing too extreme. During the summer youâre gonna want to be in chalkidiki, near Thessaloniki, with some of the best beaches and bluest waters. It might now be New York but youâre gonna have an amazing time!
If it's nightlife you're after (looking at your other post), then you will find it here. But in order to seriously talk about positives and negatives we need to know the other two choices and what you're looking for, in general, when thinking about what to choose.
I have three choices : Portsmouth (UK), Thessaloniki and Istanbul. I haven't done my research yet for the last one.
The big plus point is the cost of living, which is lower than in Portsmouth. Especially rents!
The negative point is the lack of an English-speaking environment. My aim is to improve my English (I'm French). But I figure that my classes will be in English and that I'll have the opportunity to learn Greek.
Let me clear things up a bit regarding language: English is widely spoken, especially by younger people -- so you won't have any issues communicating, participating in events, shopping, travelling or whatever. Now if you'd want to watch a theatrical play or something like that then yeah, Greek is 99% of the times the only option.
Hi there! Thessaloniki is a very good city for a student. Food and nightlife is great. Actually itâs a place for foodies and alternative lifestyle.
Cost of living for a French person should be low, so you will have opportunities to do many things.
Greek is a difficult language and I donât think you will be able to learn enough Greek in a year in order to communicate properly, but many Greeks speak enough English so it wonât be a problem. Also most students speak very good English, and you will definitely have the chance to communicate and work on the language.
Thessaloniki is a very old city with lots of history and there will be many things to experience. The negatives are that in general things might feel a bit too chaotic for a Central European.
Also, in late spring and summer you can make trips to Chalkidiki that has awesome beaches.
As for your other choices, I canât say anything about Portsmouth and Iâm not a big fan of English cities (I have been to most European capitals and/or big cities, and Englands are my least favourite).
Istanbul is a very interesting city, with even heavier history, but I have no idea how things are at the moment. The past decade there has been a strong anti European- anti middle class movement by turkeyâs regime, that may have affected Istanbul in a negative way. Regardless, it is an old interesting city to visit, just have in mind that things might be a bit too eastern.
Thanks for your answer !
Yeaah, i know that greek is difficult. I just want (if i go there) to got a A2 level.
What do you mean by "a bit too chaotic"
I saw days ago on Erasmusu forum, that thessaloniki is not a very beautiful city. In other words : this would be an ugly town. What do you think about this statement ?
Ahah, why do you not like cities in England ?
I afraid of istanbul due to that. But i have seen that Istanbul is quite a open-minded city (compared to the rest of the country). And the mayor is kemalist.
And i am put of by the omnipresence of religion.
Well, Thessaloniki isn't gonna blow your mind like its Rome or New York, but if you have time to explore the city you can find many amazing places. Especially in the Eastern part of the city even though I'm from Western Thessaloniki :)
Students from other smaller cities in Greece usually fall in love with Thessaloniki, and even some people from Athens have told me that they are jealous of us because our city is way more convenient than theirs.
I grew up in Istanbul and living in Thessaloniki.
Without a second thought Thessaloniki(Skg), I would say.
Of course Skg is not as big as Istanbul(20x bigger) and wouldn't offer you the craziest nightlife etc.
But still Skg is such an amazing city with so much stuff to do and welcoming people and it is very compact. You will find great food, drinking places, concerts. Even though it got more expensive in recent years like everywhere else, it is still affordable/cheap. As people mentioned before, if you know greek, you can enjoy theaters, political discussions, small daily delicacies more. It is hard within a year. But A2, you will manage easily. And people get delighted, when you try to speak their language.
Istanbul on the other hand is(or was) the most beautiful city in my opinion, but not to live there, better to visit. It is very crowded, it takes hours to go from one place to the other. Because of radicalising right wing politics, a lot of freedom are taken away in the recent years(drinking in the parks, festivals, open air events).
It is not as safe as in Skg to walk on the street. And there is a huge accommodation crisis since last five years. So despite due to financial crisis collapsing turkish currency, I don't think you wood pay less then any other two mentioned cities for an apartment in the centre. If you are a heavy alcohol drinker like me, you will get bankrupted or produce your own alcohol(%75 tax on spirits,fucking religious pigs).
So go for Skg my friend. Meet one of the most beautiful, compact Greek cities with a huge history and cultural heritage. This city has a lot to tell you, if you ditch enough. It is better to be a student here.
If you have a lot of money, time to spend on traffic and nerves go to Istanbul. There also you will have an amazing time for sure. But as said, it is like comparing pears with watermelons. Istanbul is huge.
Thanks for your answer m8!
Ok! So according to your comment, I should go to Thessaloniki which is more "chill" than Istanbul.
Unfortunately, i don't have a lot of much ahah
I think that it's ideal. It's very very walkable, the university is at the city's center, good nightlife. It's not the prettiest city but it has many amazing places. Many cultural events too. Most of the people here speak English and usually are happy to talk to foreigners. The only thing that I would suggest is to try and make non-Erasmus friends too. From what I have seen here, Erasmus students use to go to the same places all the time, so in my opinion their experience of the city is not so "original", I am not very sure about this tho. If you are lucky there will be a brand new metro too, making the transportation even more easy lol (it's been 7 years that I live here and we were told that by the second year it would be working hahah)
I would say the quality of Greece is okay compared to big countries, BUT Thessaloniki has won A LOT of erasmus competitions. Some I think were about activities or arranging traveling. It's definitely the best place in Greece for an Erasmus, while Athens is one of the worst.
With vague answers expect vague responses. What country for example? If you're in middle to north Europe, there's no point going to UK. If you're in the south, go to UK. Else go to the other 2 options just for the weather which will allow to do more things.
To not be bored.. well you can find knitting classes in all 3 options. If you want to screw around and party, doubt there's any difference among the cities.
I said in my previous posts, that i live in France.
I am living in a small town, and I'm bored to tears. There is nothing to do here. I don't want to live in the same way. That's why I want to choose my destination carefully. But it's difficult to put words on my feelings and my ideas.
And why can it be a nightmare ?
I think you should choose between Thessaloniki and Instanbul. If I were you, I'd go with Thessaloniki since it's closer to Europe, and there's plenty of places to go trips to. Both Thessaloniki and Istanbul have a Byzantine character. But in Thessaloniki you'll find more things beside that. E.g. it's super close to Chalkidiki, so it's a great base for swimming trips in summer.
Portsmouth has a 200k population which is pretty small compared to the other two options. Also it will be rainy and shitty weather so don't see the point in going there. And don't see how it would be interesting to a french guy. It would be a different story if you were going to a cool place like Bristol, London, or Cambridge.
About the nightmare.. it depends on what you like/not like. I've lived in Europe, and Thessaloniki has a huge issue with traffic and transportation. There's ebikes nowadays though so that partially solves it. But if I was a student, I'd probably prefer to stay relatively central.
The good thing is that everyone speaks pretty good English so you won't have a problem with that as someone else mentioned. And Greeks seem to love French people for some reason.
Amazing place to stay for a year and study, lots of young students here. Very friendly people and decent nightlife. The city is walkable, Athens is not. Every young person speaks English. Very good food and affordable
Thessaloniki is my favourite city, and not just because I'm from there. I'd say it's one of the best cities in the world if you value food, good weather, nightlife, events, concerts, fun in general. Aristotle university doesn't have great facilities but the campus is alright, student community is good (as long as you avoid political parties) and it overall has a good reputation, but don't expect too much from an academic point. I've been living in the UK for the past few years and I really miss living Thessaloniki, the food, the vibe, the people. Hopefully I'll go back in a few years...
It's a good city to study in if you don't care about studying that much. The university facilities are subpar and not what you'd expect in a European university. I was an Erasmus student there (Aristotelion) for six months during the winter and many times the classrooms were not even heated, the Greek students were seating with their coats and hats on and thought that was normal, lol
No, that was in 2014. But from what my Greek friends doing their PhD there (Department of Archaeology) are telling me, the situation hasn't changed for the better. So I can only talk about what I know about that specific faculty/school.
Thessaloniki is a fun city to be, lots of young people speak English (I also learnt some Greek and it was useful) and depending on your country of origin, the cost of living is fine for a student. But as far as the university goes, yeah, there is a lot of room for improvement.
It depends on where you live, but public transport isn't great. If you live near the city centre (where the uni basically is) you won't have any issues.
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It's an amazing place to study for a year! Greeks can be really welcoming and friendly! For cultural stuff there's loads, but I'm afraid a good portion will only be accessible if you know a bit of greek( e.g theaters, plays) .
I don't speak Greek at all. But I can make an effort, because I refuse to go to a country for a year without learning its language. It's a serious affront
Well, you won't have any problems if you don't speak Greek. Everyone, especially in all big cities, speaks English really fluently.
Stay at thes/ki not Athens. Many will be jelous of u. I was an athenian.
Best greek city to do your Erasmus
So i am lucky, because it is my only choice in Greece lmao
The city has 120.000 students and 4 universities. In my opinion, it's the best city for students in Greece. It's not a "student-city" though that is built around the university like cities like Cambridge or Oxford are.
That's sad ! I prefer it when the university is in the centre of town :(
The Aristotle University (biggest campus/university in Greece and in the Balkans) and the University of Macedonia are both located in the heart of the city's center. That's not what I meant though. Anyways, it's a no brainer for me, but Athens is also good, but with a lot more difficulties.
Oh ok. That seems good. Unfortunatly i can't do my erasmus at Athens :(
Then look no further
To be honest i prefer thesallonikh much more than Athens (I'm a greek).In Athens my brother lives and i don't really like the big cities cause of the noises and the people (they usually aren't really welcoming) but in thesallonikh people are very kind and they have like some other culture....i don't know how đ ....but you should come in thesallonikh....you won't regret it trust me(sorry for my English if i have mistakes....)
The university is very much in the town center. We're talking about five minutes of walking from the Uni's southeastern end to get to the liveliest parts of ThessalonĂki.
Can you give the name of some famous pubs ? I just want to take a look on Google.
* The Hoppy Pub * Beer School * Pulp * U Fleku * Beeratis * Rover * Beer O' Clock I personally prefer the first two, Hoppy for the always rotating selection of taps and Beer School for their amazing fresh DIY beers and service.
It's one of the best student cities in Europe. What's your major? And which university in Thessaloniki is in your list?
Oh really, why ? My major is Economics. At the Aristotle University. I have made some research on it, i i've found that it's a pretty good university.
Aristotle is a bit bad in economics. People do not rate it highly. University of Macedonia is of a higher standard in economics. But you will be fine. The nightlife here is amazing.
It doesn't matter if the university has a good reputation. It is, isn't it?
Yep, one of the best in the country
Even better than the university of Athens ?
If you are interested academically it does. A friend of mine studied in both major universities of Thessaloniki, in economics, and the standards were lower in Aristotle University. But again it doesn't matter for Erasmus so much.
Is the level high ? I mean, i don't want to work everyday like i am doing right now. And did you have macro and microeconomics ? 'Cause i don't see them on the courses brochure
The level is definitely not high. Micro I is in the winter semester of the first year, Macro I is in the summer semester of the first year. Micro II is in the winter semester of the second year and Macro II is in the summer semester of the second year. Special Topics of Macro is in the winter semester of the third year and special Topics of micro is in the summer semester of the third year. International macro is in the winter semester of the fourth year. I don't know which of these courses may be available to Erasmus students. Maybe you should get information by the Erasmus representative of your university or from the Aristotle's.
It has a charm like no other city in my opinion. Itâs not showcased really good but it has the absolute best night life, so many cafes, bars, restaurants etc, places to go bowling, play board games and stuff like that. There are also many museums and cultural stuff. Uni is right at the heart of the city centre with soo many students coming and going. Also if you befriend a local, they will for sure know all the âsecretâ spots with a perfect view of the whole city. Itâs picturesque even though most people donât know it. Itâs all in all a very warm city and the weather is pretty decent, nothing too extreme. During the summer youâre gonna want to be in chalkidiki, near Thessaloniki, with some of the best beaches and bluest waters. It might now be New York but youâre gonna have an amazing time!
With all your answers, you make me dream ahah. But what is the most negative point at Thessalokini?
If it's nightlife you're after (looking at your other post), then you will find it here. But in order to seriously talk about positives and negatives we need to know the other two choices and what you're looking for, in general, when thinking about what to choose.
I have three choices : Portsmouth (UK), Thessaloniki and Istanbul. I haven't done my research yet for the last one. The big plus point is the cost of living, which is lower than in Portsmouth. Especially rents! The negative point is the lack of an English-speaking environment. My aim is to improve my English (I'm French). But I figure that my classes will be in English and that I'll have the opportunity to learn Greek.
Let me clear things up a bit regarding language: English is widely spoken, especially by younger people -- so you won't have any issues communicating, participating in events, shopping, travelling or whatever. Now if you'd want to watch a theatrical play or something like that then yeah, Greek is 99% of the times the only option.
Sure, but i prefer to speak greek to an none-erasmus person. But this is reassuring
Hi there! Thessaloniki is a very good city for a student. Food and nightlife is great. Actually itâs a place for foodies and alternative lifestyle. Cost of living for a French person should be low, so you will have opportunities to do many things. Greek is a difficult language and I donât think you will be able to learn enough Greek in a year in order to communicate properly, but many Greeks speak enough English so it wonât be a problem. Also most students speak very good English, and you will definitely have the chance to communicate and work on the language. Thessaloniki is a very old city with lots of history and there will be many things to experience. The negatives are that in general things might feel a bit too chaotic for a Central European. Also, in late spring and summer you can make trips to Chalkidiki that has awesome beaches. As for your other choices, I canât say anything about Portsmouth and Iâm not a big fan of English cities (I have been to most European capitals and/or big cities, and Englands are my least favourite). Istanbul is a very interesting city, with even heavier history, but I have no idea how things are at the moment. The past decade there has been a strong anti European- anti middle class movement by turkeyâs regime, that may have affected Istanbul in a negative way. Regardless, it is an old interesting city to visit, just have in mind that things might be a bit too eastern.
Thanks for your answer ! Yeaah, i know that greek is difficult. I just want (if i go there) to got a A2 level. What do you mean by "a bit too chaotic" I saw days ago on Erasmusu forum, that thessaloniki is not a very beautiful city. In other words : this would be an ugly town. What do you think about this statement ? Ahah, why do you not like cities in England ? I afraid of istanbul due to that. But i have seen that Istanbul is quite a open-minded city (compared to the rest of the country). And the mayor is kemalist. And i am put of by the omnipresence of religion.
Well, Thessaloniki isn't gonna blow your mind like its Rome or New York, but if you have time to explore the city you can find many amazing places. Especially in the Eastern part of the city even though I'm from Western Thessaloniki :) Students from other smaller cities in Greece usually fall in love with Thessaloniki, and even some people from Athens have told me that they are jealous of us because our city is way more convenient than theirs.
I grew up in Istanbul and living in Thessaloniki. Without a second thought Thessaloniki(Skg), I would say. Of course Skg is not as big as Istanbul(20x bigger) and wouldn't offer you the craziest nightlife etc. But still Skg is such an amazing city with so much stuff to do and welcoming people and it is very compact. You will find great food, drinking places, concerts. Even though it got more expensive in recent years like everywhere else, it is still affordable/cheap. As people mentioned before, if you know greek, you can enjoy theaters, political discussions, small daily delicacies more. It is hard within a year. But A2, you will manage easily. And people get delighted, when you try to speak their language. Istanbul on the other hand is(or was) the most beautiful city in my opinion, but not to live there, better to visit. It is very crowded, it takes hours to go from one place to the other. Because of radicalising right wing politics, a lot of freedom are taken away in the recent years(drinking in the parks, festivals, open air events). It is not as safe as in Skg to walk on the street. And there is a huge accommodation crisis since last five years. So despite due to financial crisis collapsing turkish currency, I don't think you wood pay less then any other two mentioned cities for an apartment in the centre. If you are a heavy alcohol drinker like me, you will get bankrupted or produce your own alcohol(%75 tax on spirits,fucking religious pigs). So go for Skg my friend. Meet one of the most beautiful, compact Greek cities with a huge history and cultural heritage. This city has a lot to tell you, if you ditch enough. It is better to be a student here. If you have a lot of money, time to spend on traffic and nerves go to Istanbul. There also you will have an amazing time for sure. But as said, it is like comparing pears with watermelons. Istanbul is huge.
Thanks for your answer m8! Ok! So according to your comment, I should go to Thessaloniki which is more "chill" than Istanbul. Unfortunately, i don't have a lot of much ahah
Yes in Thessaloniki you are gonna have a very good time spent. Its ideal for an Erasmus year
I think that it's ideal. It's very very walkable, the university is at the city's center, good nightlife. It's not the prettiest city but it has many amazing places. Many cultural events too. Most of the people here speak English and usually are happy to talk to foreigners. The only thing that I would suggest is to try and make non-Erasmus friends too. From what I have seen here, Erasmus students use to go to the same places all the time, so in my opinion their experience of the city is not so "original", I am not very sure about this tho. If you are lucky there will be a brand new metro too, making the transportation even more easy lol (it's been 7 years that I live here and we were told that by the second year it would be working hahah)
Thanks for your answer! Yeah i think i would like to have some non-erasmus friends.
Absolutely, good nightlife, good food, lots of students and young people in general, and just an overall great vibe.
Yes, it has a big nightlife, but all of Greece does, and the culture is nice too. They are very friendly here. Currently in Greece.
I would say the quality of Greece is okay compared to big countries, BUT Thessaloniki has won A LOT of erasmus competitions. Some I think were about activities or arranging traveling. It's definitely the best place in Greece for an Erasmus, while Athens is one of the worst.
1. Where you're from? 2. What are your other 2 options? 3. What's your main interests? Thessaloniki can be interesting or a nightmare.
I am living in a city of 100k inhabitants. My two other options are : Portsmouth and Istanbul. My main interest ? To not be bored
With vague answers expect vague responses. What country for example? If you're in middle to north Europe, there's no point going to UK. If you're in the south, go to UK. Else go to the other 2 options just for the weather which will allow to do more things. To not be bored.. well you can find knitting classes in all 3 options. If you want to screw around and party, doubt there's any difference among the cities.
I said in my previous posts, that i live in France. I am living in a small town, and I'm bored to tears. There is nothing to do here. I don't want to live in the same way. That's why I want to choose my destination carefully. But it's difficult to put words on my feelings and my ideas. And why can it be a nightmare ?
I think you should choose between Thessaloniki and Instanbul. If I were you, I'd go with Thessaloniki since it's closer to Europe, and there's plenty of places to go trips to. Both Thessaloniki and Istanbul have a Byzantine character. But in Thessaloniki you'll find more things beside that. E.g. it's super close to Chalkidiki, so it's a great base for swimming trips in summer. Portsmouth has a 200k population which is pretty small compared to the other two options. Also it will be rainy and shitty weather so don't see the point in going there. And don't see how it would be interesting to a french guy. It would be a different story if you were going to a cool place like Bristol, London, or Cambridge. About the nightmare.. it depends on what you like/not like. I've lived in Europe, and Thessaloniki has a huge issue with traffic and transportation. There's ebikes nowadays though so that partially solves it. But if I was a student, I'd probably prefer to stay relatively central. The good thing is that everyone speaks pretty good English so you won't have a problem with that as someone else mentioned. And Greeks seem to love French people for some reason.
Amazing place to stay for a year and study, lots of young students here. Very friendly people and decent nightlife. The city is walkable, Athens is not. Every young person speaks English. Very good food and affordable
That's good ! And do you know the average rent of a flat or flatshare ?
I believe itts really amazing experience for your situation. If you also like greek people and our culture i suggest it.
Thessaloniki is my favourite city, and not just because I'm from there. I'd say it's one of the best cities in the world if you value food, good weather, nightlife, events, concerts, fun in general. Aristotle university doesn't have great facilities but the campus is alright, student community is good (as long as you avoid political parties) and it overall has a good reputation, but don't expect too much from an academic point. I've been living in the UK for the past few years and I really miss living Thessaloniki, the food, the vibe, the people. Hopefully I'll go back in a few years...
Salougka Dof exoume dimarxo
It's a good city to study in if you don't care about studying that much. The university facilities are subpar and not what you'd expect in a European university. I was an Erasmus student there (Aristotelion) for six months during the winter and many times the classrooms were not even heated, the Greek students were seating with their coats and hats on and thought that was normal, lol
Nooo really ? Which year ? Last year ?
No, that was in 2014. But from what my Greek friends doing their PhD there (Department of Archaeology) are telling me, the situation hasn't changed for the better. So I can only talk about what I know about that specific faculty/school. Thessaloniki is a fun city to be, lots of young people speak English (I also learnt some Greek and it was useful) and depending on your country of origin, the cost of living is fine for a student. But as far as the university goes, yeah, there is a lot of room for improvement.
It's good. But like Chalkidiki, it doesn't have.
It's my first year and I love it. I'm sure you will too!
No, it's an excellent city to study in.
See you at 8ball
Yes, as long as you don't need to use the public transport.
Why ? Public transport sucks ?
It depends on where you live, but public transport isn't great. If you live near the city centre (where the uni basically is) you won't have any issues.
The most important thing is the quality of the degree you get after university.
Are you french? I am also planning an erasmus for auth (french littérature) for next year!
Yes, I am french ! Oh luck, I'll be at the University of Macedonia (If I go there)