r/Kragujevac • u/dilara_taskiran • Jul 13 '25
Unıversıty of Kragujevac
I’m Dilara, a master’s student from Turkey, and I’ll be moving to Kragujevac this October for a semester as part of my Bioengineering MSc. I’ve been accepted into the University of Kragujevac through the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree program, and I’ll be living there until February 2026.
I’m super excited – but also a little nervous – about relocating to a city I’ve never been to. That’s why I’m reaching out here, hoping to hear from locals or people who’ve lived in Kragujevac.
I’d appreciate any tips on: • Best areas for students to hang out or eat on a budget • Places to buy groceries or secondhand essentials • Day trips or must-see nature spots near the city • Local customs or things to know as a foreigner in Serbia • Events, gatherings, or communities I could join to meet people
If anyone else here is also part of Erasmus or EMJMD and heading to Kragujevac – say hi! I’d love to connect.
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u/rakijautd Jul 13 '25
Not from KG myself, so I can't help out much, but a few general advises:
Simply get to know other students, and through a chain of events you will meet more people that share your age and interests.
Groceries throughout Serbia are best bought in green open markets, and/or smaller markets that don't belong to a big supermarket chain. That said, some small markets are expensive, especially if they work 24/7. Maxi is notoriously more expensive than most supermarket chains. As for fast food and taverns, it's best to ask a local while you are there. There will most certainly be someone from Kragujevac, or the surrounding towns studying with you.
The only sight that I can think of that is a must see at the moment is Šumarice memorial park, dedicated to Serbian victims of WW2 German occupation which resulted in a rather large scale execution. Other than that, most sights of significance are churches and monasteries in and around KG. For some more details, you will eventually figure things out while you are there.
Local customs are probably not going to affect your stay, as they are mostly tied to religious holidays, and big celebrations (weddings, baptisms, etc). As far as socializing goes, it's pretty similar to what you are used to, people take turns in paying a bill, argue over it ("I will pay!" No, I will pay!"), but at the same time, uni students are more prone to splitting the bill, as it is notoriously known that uni students are broke. And yeah, we drink coffee and alcohol a lot. Also, we eat a lot of pork, so if you are a practicing Muslim, pay attention at what you are ordering. To avoid any potential pork included in your dish, the safest option is to ask for "posno" which is our fasting food that is basically vegan+fish. You will probably be a bit homesick by the lack of seafood, and Mediterranean fruits, as we don't grow citruses, olives, nor have sea access. There is a music festival in KG called "Arsenal" which is pretty good, if you like rnr and all its derivatives and it is happening while you are in KG you should go for it, here is the link for the festival page https://arsenalfest.rs/ you can switch the page to English in the upper right corner (EN/SR). Oh yeah, KG is our former modern capital city, has an automobile factory, and arms factory, so it is (used to be even more), an industrial center of the country.
Hope you have a nice time!
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u/XSaintSinnerX Jul 14 '25
erasmus students usually have a host and they stick together, speaking from experience with other erasmus students that I've hung out with when they came here. you will be guided through everything and we, local students will do our best to make you feel comfortable while you're here so dw
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u/rilex1905 Jul 13 '25
-Fast food is generally affordable near the First Gymnasium, and work longer hours.
-Trnava Promet is a supermarket chain tied to the area, and they are cheaper then other nation-wide chains. You can find them literally everywhere, Their produce is bad though, so for fruits and vegetables there are specialized stores that are affordable and really high and quality. Town market has people from surronding villages coming with their produce, but their knowledge of english probably won't be high, so communication could be an issue.
-Sumarice memorial park, Sumarice Lake and Bubanj Lake are nice spots near the town center for hanging out during the day. If you have a car avalible, there is a lot of nature thats beautiful to see. Buses outside of town are not very often, but there are nice places to see. If you meet any locals that can take you they will know the way. Boracki Krs(hill around 500m in height) and Gruza Lake are really popular.
-Museum set up near Sumarice, called 21. Oktobar is home to the history of the town and WW2 history of Serbia. They have some really important artworks and lots of memorabillia from that period. If you want to learn about that they offer guided tours. There is also the town Museum which holds art exibitions and classical music concerts, as well as some smaller galleries, all are located in the town centre.
-All nightlife is located on the main street, but some clubs are regarded as unsafe, so if you are into that be sure to have a group of Serbs or other foreign students you can go with. Besides that, most cafes work till 00pm-01 pm. The ones that play any sort of alternative music tend to be cheaper, and a lot of them have live rock music. There is a cafe across from the main entrance to the Faculty of Engineering where i imagine you would spend a lot of time, it is really cheap and students often go there.
-If you get housing with other students, they can easily show you around. Be sure to follow instagram pages of Dom Omladine Kragujevac and SKC Kragujevac, as they often organize concerts, theatre, exhibitions and gatherings for students and younger communities.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.