Dear Student Studying Abroad in Freiburg,
Congratulations on choosing to study abroad in Freiburg! Here are three tips for living in Freiburg:
One: Always have some kind of valid ticket on you when taking the tram. Remember to validate your ticket. Remember to get a new monthly pass at the start of each month.
The first tip on the list is naturally the most important. You might think that you might be able to save some money and get away with taking the tram for free, but this is unfortunately not the case. While it’s true that that the method of checking tram tickets is not the most efficient one out there, there are indeed instances when people get caught without tickets on the tram. The fee for taking the tram without a valid ticket on hand is a hefty 60 euros, and several of the people in my program did, unfortunately, have to end up paying this fine.
Two: Watch movies in the cinema right after they are released.
Cinemaxx Freiburg, the biggest cinema in Freiburg, only puts on English screenings of new releases for a few days, so make sure to watch as them as soon as possible. As a big comic book movie fan, knowledge of this fact was crucial to me watching Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame, two movies that I was in extreme anticipation of in the weeks leading up to their releases, and would have been extremely disappointed if I did not have the chance to watch them in the cinema.
Three: Spend a couple of weekends in Freiburg. Don’t travel to other countries.
One thing that one of my friends discussed at the start of the program was finding a balance between travelling and staying in Freiburg. Some people choose to fly to other countries every weekend, but this habit is a) expensive, and b) tiring, especially so in a program like IES Abroad's European Union program, which already has so much travelling. Personally, while I did my fair share of travelling around Germany and Europe during the weekends, I also believe that it’s important to get to know the place that you’re studying abroad in. There’s a good amount to do, both in Freiburg and in the areas surrounding it, and I regret not having the time to do all of it. Some recommendations include: travelling to Titisee, a nearby village; going to Europa Park, a Europe-themed amusement park that is also the second most-popular amusement park in Europe; hiking up Schlossberg and visiting the Biergarten, watching a soccer game, and climbing up the cathedral; trying Doner kebab, ice cream, and baked goods from different places; walking around Seepark; and visiting a museum.
Freiburg might not be a big city, especially compared to my hometown of Hong Kong, but there’s a lot it has to offer—as I’m sure you’ll find out yourself.
All the best,
Horace
Horace Wang
<p>I was born and lived in Hong Kong my entire life before coming to the United States for college. My three favorite things in life are currently politics, comic books, and Kpop, although not necessarily in that order. I like to write, read, draw, and work out in my free time.</p>
