Moving to a different country can be very stressful. You have no idea where you are, where you can buy yourself some good food, or where you can withdraw money. But this is not going to happen when you study in Zlin! We have created a student guide 101 to help you with everything you need. | Erasmus Zlin
Travelling
Even though Zlin is not the biggest city in the Czech Republic, it is handy to know how you can move around in the city and stay sane. You have multiple options on how to do so.
Public transportation
The yellow-and-blue buses and trolleybuses can get you basically anywhere in the city of Zlín. However, when you are travelling outside of Zlin – especially if your trip requires travelling by train – we advise you to take city transport to the neighbouring city of Otrokovice. But be aware of the regular traffic jams in Zlín during the rush hour, starting from 2 pm up to 4 pm, therefore always count with 5–10-minute delay of the public transport. When it comes to tickets you can buy them 24/7 at most of the public transport stops in the yellow ticket machine. The other option is to purchase them at kiosks or directly from the bus driver. However, these tickets are valid for only 20 minutes and, on top of that, the drivers probably don’t speak English, so you can practise both your language skills and time management there. The prices start at 12 CZK. If you are commuting via buses daily, it is much more reasonable for you to buy a monthly ticket in the public transport offices. You can buy them at Park Komenského or near underpass at Náměstí práce. Don’t forget to ask for a student discount to save yourself some money for a beer!
Source: https://www.zlin.eu
To check your public transport and train schedules download the app IDOS that offers an English version as well. For trains only use the app ČD (České dráhy), where you can see train departures, arrivals, delays, and buy a ticket as well. When you buy your train ticket online you have a seat reservation in domestic connections for free so don’t miss that. Both of those apps are available for iOS and Android devices.
Bike-sharing
Zlin can be very hectic when it comes to rush hour. The easiest way how to get quickly around the city is definitely by bike. Don’t worry, you don’t have to buy yourself a new bike. Zlin offers bike-sharing by the company Next Bike. The bike stands can be found all over the city so the access to them is pretty amazing. All you have to do is download the app and you are good to go! The first 15 minutes of biking is for free which is usually enough to get from place A to place B. However, with your ISIC card, you can get a month’s worth of bike rides for only 100 CZK!
Shopping
In the city centre you can find a lot of supermarkets. The most common one is BILLA. There you can find almost every food item that you are looking for. However, if you are on a budget, definitely seek Lidl or Penny. In the spring, summer, and early autumn you can buy local fruit and vegetables at the farmers’ markets next to the bus stop Náměstí Míru. The produce is fresh, of better quality and usually also cheaper than in the supermarket. And also, you support local farmers.
It is really hard to fit all the necessities into a suitcase so if you are missing towels, sheets or dishes go to the stores Pepco or Jysk, located in Malenovice Shopping Centre. These stores sell a huge variety of home supplies for an affordable price. Another option is to ask at ESN Zlin. They have spare kitchen utensils, sheets, and so on. You can save some money and reuse some of those things. At the beginning of each semester, they prepare an event where you can buy all the stuff that you are missing. Check ESN Facebook for more information.
Source: traveladventure.cz
University
The majority of the faculties are located in the city centre and really close to each other. The only university buildings not located in the city centre are the Faculty of Applied Informatics and the Centre of Polymer Systems. Nonetheless, you can get there by bus within 10 minutes. Or you can borrow a bike and get some exercise on a way! Disclaimer: The Faculty of Applied Informatics is on a steep hill so go there by bike at your own risk.
TBU has three cantinas. They are at U4 (Faculty of Multimedia Communication), U13 (Rectorate), and U5 (Faculty of Applied Informatics). You can choose from a variety of food (vegetarian, pescatarian, and sweet version included) for a very good price! If you are lazy to cook you can grab a portion of food to go for the next day. We don’t pay by cash there. You deposit money on your student card and pay by that. (Deposit money on your student card via a machine at U13 or at your selected cantina through our sweet kitchen-staff ladies.)
The library is located at U13 (Rectorate). There is a lot of space for studying (it has 3 floors). For an easy-going atmosphere use the upper floor, as the second floor is reserved as a quiet place for cramming for the exams. You can also book study rooms which are perfect for working on a group project. The first floor is mostly used for printing and scanning the documents using the printing devices connected to university computers. This can be a little tricky, so always ask for help from one of the librarians – they are sweet, helpful, and have great English skills!
Money
Even though we are part of the EU we keep our own currency – the Czech crown. If you haven’t checked before leaving, make sure to look up your bank’s conditions in your home country. Especially about conversion rate, withdrawal fees, and so on.
At most of the places you can pay by card, but it is always handy to have cash on hand (especially if you want to buy a beer in Pštros at Park Komenského or bus tickets in the yellow machines). Don’t use exchange places and rather withdraw it from an ATM. In the city centre they are literally on every corner so you can’t miss that. Only at the Náměstí Míru there is like six of them.
Internet connection and mobile tariff
Incoming students from the EU don’t have to deal with this as roaming is no longer a thing. So, this is all for our international students who are coming from non-EU states. Mobile data can be very expensive so before you get a Czech number use the university’s Wi-Fi Eduroam available at all university buildings. You can log there via your STAG login.
In the Czech Republic, we have three main service providers – O2, Vodafone, and T-Mobile. To get your Czech SIM card you must visit the branch. The prices start at 399 CZK per month.
On the map, you can find all of those places mentioned above.
Lifehack: To save all those highlighted places, open this blog post on your phone, click on the map and open it in Google Maps. There is an option to save the list of displayed places. To stay updated, click Follow on the list and you will get notified every time we add a new place.
We hope that you have found all the important information that you were looking for. In the next part of Student guide 101, we will show you the most popular cafés and restaurants from a student’s point of view. | Erasmus Zlin
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