🇮🇹
Bologna
Italy
Oldest university in Europe and Italy's food capital.
🇨🇿
Prague
Czech Republic
Fairytale architecture and a legendary beer culture.
Estimated monthly student budget
🇮🇹 Bologna
€1,000–1,300 / month
Estimated monthly student budget
🇨🇿 Prague
€900–1,150 / month
Best for
🇮🇹 Bologna
- Students looking for a true university city
- Those who want an authentic Italian experience
- People interested in combining studies and social life
Best for
🇨🇿 Prague
- Students who want to travel constantly around Europe
- Those looking for a very active social life
- People interested in an intense international experience
Category profile
How each city tends to feel across the things students care about — different, not better or worse.
🇮🇹 Bologna
🇨🇿 Prague
Moderate
Cost of Living
Affordable
Moderate
Nightlife
Very High
Good
Weather
Fair
Excellent
Travel Opportunities
Excellent
Outstanding
Student Life
Outstanding
Manageable
Housing
Comfortable
Top-Tier
University Reputation
Strong
Student insights
🇮🇹 Bologna
- Exceptional university atmosphere
- Very high academic prestige
- Excellent location for travelling around Italy
Student insights
🇨🇿 Prague
- Exceptional location for travelling
- One of the best nightlife scenes in Europe
- Large Erasmus community
Student voice — 🇮🇹 Bologna
“University life in Bologna is unlike anything else.”
Student voice — 🇨🇿 Prague
“I cannot recommend Prague enough.”
🇮🇹 Bologna
Pros
- Exceptional university atmosphere
- Very high academic prestige
- Excellent location for travelling around Italy
- Strong student identity
- Compact and walkable city
Cons
- Increasingly expensive accommodation
- Cost of living higher than Central Europe
- Less favourable climate than southern Europe
- Smaller international community than Barcelona or Lisbon
- Less leisure offer than major European capitals
🇨🇿 Prague
Pros
- Exceptional location for travelling
- One of the best nightlife scenes in Europe
- Large Erasmus community
- Reasonable cost of living for a European capital
- Historic and culturally fascinating city
Cons
- Cold, dark winters
- Mass tourism in some areas
- Rising rental prices
- Bigger language barrier than in Spain or Portugal
- Fewer hours of sun for much of the year
Have you studied in one of these cities?
Share your experience and help future students make better Erasmus decisions.