LIVING & STUDYING IN ZAGREB

Student living expenses will vary according to individual needs and the ability to budget and manage finances. In particular if you want to travel a lot and take full advantage of the available cultural and social opportunities, expenses will be higher. The estimates below are therefore only a very general guide.

Food: 150 EUR/month

Rented room and utilities (water, electricity, heating, phone): 250 EUR /month

Transportation: 13,27 EUR/month

Books: 50 EUR/month

Miscellaneous: 150 EUR/month

 *This is only a rough guide and students may actually spend more or less than these amounts.

Private Housing

International students will have to organize accommodation on their own, i.e. look for private rental accommodation. Rents vary greatly according to location, room size, facility etc. Overhead expenses are sometimes included in the price, and sometimes are paid by the consumer. Payment is usually expected at the beginning of the month, while some landlords request payment for several months in advance.

The best way to do this is to search for different offers on the following web-portals. Some of the portals are only in Croatian, but they usually have photos of apartments and contact email so you may send an inquiry:

• HomeinZagreb: www.homeinzagreb.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/homeinzagreb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homeinzagreb/

• flatio

• trawerk 

• zagrebwest

• rentinzagreb

• airbnb

• gohome

• Njuskalo.hr

Public Transportation

There are three ways of public transportation - trams, buses and city railway. They operate all day (every few minutes) and night (every hour). 

Tickets can be bought at newsstands. There are tickets at the price of 4 kn, which are valid for 30 minutes, tickets at the price of 7 kn, which are valid for 60 minutes, as well as tickets which cost 10 kn and are valid for 90 minutes. Make sure that you stamp your ticket once you board: an unstamped ticket is as good as no ticket at all! 

Daily tickets are available at a price of 30 kn. Monthly or annual tickets can also be bought in ZET (Zagreb Electric Tram) offices at a reduced price (www.zet.hr). 

For a monthly/annual ticket you will need to fill in a ZET-form, stamp it at the faculty. Then you will go to the central office of the Zagreb Electric Trams in Ozaljska 105, HR-10000 Zagreb – end tram station called LJUBLJANICA. There you will purchase a pass (30 kn, app. 4€ + photo) and every month you will buy a ticket for 100 kn, app. 13 €. This monthly ticket enables you to use all buses and trams in the area of the city of Zagreb.

Money Matters

Currency:

Euro (EUR)

Credit Card Services

Mastercard - Eurocard, VISA, Diners Club and American Express are widely accepted in shops, hotels and restaurants. There are many ATMs in the city.

Banks

Banks are generally open to the public between 8 am and 6 pm. You may change foreign currency in kuna at all banks. In money exchange offices, the exchange rate is somewhat more favourable and the service is generally faster. There are many such offices in the city and they are usually open between 8 am and 6 pm, but those at the main train station (Glavni kolodvor) and bus station (Autobusni kolodvor) are open 24 hours. On Saturdays the banks are open between 8 am and 12 noon. On Sundays and holidays both banks and exchange offices are closed. Currency exchange is, however, possible at hotels’ reception desks.

Telephone, Postal and Internet Services

If you have a mobile phone you can easily buy prepaid starter sets. The networks that exist are A1 (091), T-Hrvatski Telekom (098), Tele2 (095), Tomato (092), Bonbon (097) and their cupons can be bought in newsstands or ATM machines. They also offer prepaid wireless Internet service.

The Central Post Office is located in Jurišićeva 4, located just east of the Trg bana Jelačića.

Zagreb postal code is HR-10 000.

Rates for domestic calls are the same in the metropolitan area as well as nationwide.

Useful phone numbers

Croatian country code    +385

Zagreb city code     01

Police                                 192

Fire brigade                      193

Ambulance                       194

Emergency Call Service  112

Shops

Working hours:

Weekdays and Saturdays: 8 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m.

Sundays and holidays: varying

Pharmacies

Pharmacies are all over the city centre, and you can easily locate them by their green cross.

Pharmacies on duty on weekends and bank holidays:

• Trg bana J. Jelačića 2, tel. +385 1 48-16-159

• Ilica 301, tel. +385 1 37-50-321

• Grižanska 4 (Dubrava), tel. +385 1 29-92-350

• V. Holjevca 22 (Siget), tel. +385 1 65-25-425

• Ozaljska 1, tel. +385 1 30-97-586

Drinking Water

Water is drinkable and of a high quality in the public water supply system throughout the country.

Electricity

Voltage 220 V, frequency 50 Hz

Embassies in Zagreb

You will find the information about diplomatic-consular missions located in the Republic of Croatia on the web-pages of Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Leisure Activities

Zagreb and its surroundings offer a great variety of sports and leisure activities for anybody’s taste. If you like spending time in nature, try Medvednica Hill, which extends just above the city. It is a favourite excursion area for the city people not only because of its protected nature but also because of a dozen cosy restaurants situated on its slopes serving tasty and inexpensive domestic food. 

Medvednica is equally popular in winter when it turns into the biggest ski-centre in Croatia. Apart from having a hill nearby, Zagreb can equally boast of its own “Zagreb sea”, the Jarun Sports and Recreation Centre comprised of a number of lakes and an impressive rowing course. If, on the other hand, you prefer indoor sports try the sports centres “Mladost”, “SRC Šalata”, “Dom Športova” etc.

Taking part in and following sports is a passion with Croatians and many Croatian athletes and coaches have a world reputation.

Eating Out

Zagreb offers a great variety of cuisine. There are many restaurants with national as well as international food. They vary in prices but are generally quite pleasant. Zagreb Restaurant Guide can be found at the following link: www.inyourpocket.com/zagreb.

Culture and Entertainment

Zagreb is the cultural centre of Croatia. There are 15 theatres, a dozen concert halls and numerous cinemas. Zagreb is also a European centre for modern and alternative movements in culture.

Zagreb is proud of its many galleries and museums where you can find or even purchase diverse works of art.

Young people have plenty of opportunities for entertainment. There are many discos, pubs and cafés where one can dance the night away or just have a nice cup of coffee with a friend.

Nightlife

Croatia’s party city is without a doubt Zagreb. It has a limitless supply of bars, cafés, pubs and night-clubs suitable for all tastes. You have the Upper Town with the sinuous, bar-lined Tkalciceva street and the Lower Town with Bogoviceva and Trg Preradovica plus the Branimir Centre across from the train station. Then you have Out-of-Town down by Jarun Lake and south of the Sava river (where a car is most convenient). 

For the most part, the vibe is pretty relaxed in Zagreb clubs. Ruthlessly selective door policies and watery cocktails have not yet made inroads onto the scene. There are a few clubs where you're expected to show up in movie-star fashion but they are a definite exception. The cover runs from about 30 to 50 HRK. Drinks are about the same.

If you want to find out what’s on? and where? visite the web site of the ZAGREB - In Your Pocket Guide.

Student Restaurants

There are 12 student restaurants, so-called „menzas“, dispersed all over the city at faculties and student residence halls. Every student must have a student identity card (SMART CARD) in order to get meals at a reduced price. Before leaving the restaurant, a student must show his/her SMART CARD to a cashier and pay for the meal.