Student Housing Guide by Latvijas Studentu apvienība

This guide is designed to ensure your housing experience is secure and hassle-free, offering essential insights and tips to navigate student accommodations smoothly throughout your studies.

The Latvian Academy of Culture does not have its own student dormitory, however, there are several other options that we recommend:

SPOTAHOME

Spotahome brochure (1.2 MB)

Visit: https://www.spotahome.com/s/riga

 

SHED CO-LIVING (8/12 JELGAVAS STREET, RIGA)

Looking for a modern-but-homey place to stay? 

Visit: https://shedcoliving.com/riga/

DUCK REPUBLIC STUDENT HOTEL (1 LAUVAS STREET, RIGA)

At just a 10 minute walking distance from the Latvian Academy of Culture, the Duck Republik student hotel is a revolutionary student accommodation provider with modern, smart facilities where students can meet other students all over the world, experience student life in full – study, work, eat, play, love, sleep.

Each room in Duck Republik is equipped with bathroom and a fridge. The price includes water, electricity, heating and Wi-Fi, as well as weekly room cleaning. 4 spacious kitchens are shared in the hall. Duck Republik also offers studio rooms with a small kitchen and air conditioner.

Prices: https://hotelwebsitebooking.com/ducklong/rooms 

RENT A ROOM OR A SHARED FLAT AROUND RIGA

It is possible to rent a shared flat or a room somewhere in town with the help of a rental agency or on your own.

We recommend using:

• Riga Apartments;
• ESN (Erasmus Student Network) housing platform;
• Global Home rental agency.

It is also possible to look for a room in one of the many Facebook groups. The optional price for a room in a shared flat or a studio apartment is from 250-400 EUR. The average price for a 2 bedroom apartment should not be higher than 700 EUR.

• Student Accommodation Riga; 
• Riga Student’s Apartment Market;
• Riga Apartments for Students.

Each term the LAC students organise a new Erasmus “buddy” support team which takes care of the incoming students during their first steps in Latvia and at the LAC, and helps to subscribe to the ISIC student card and the public transport card. Various exciting welcoming events and excursions are organised especially for our Erasmus guests.

The Erasmus student will receive the information on his/ her “buddy” around mid-August (or mid-January for those applying for the spring semester) via e-mail.

Experience of Latvian students

Laura Brenča (Study programme Intercultural Relations Latvia – France/ Canada)

Last year, I had the opportunity to participate in the "Buddy program’’, where I got to know Erasmus students and made new friends. Including my "buddy" Ivanna, a girl from Slovakia, with whom I could share experiences and culture. I quickly developed a good rapport with her because we had similar interests and had been learning French and English for several years. We visited cafes, and restaurants together, and went to a ballet at the Latvian National Opera. This program was very valuable for me, I learned something new about a foreign culture, got to know also Latvia a bit better, and got a real friend, from whom it was tough to say goodbye.

Leandra Spriesle (Study programme Intercultural Relations Latvia – France/ Canada)

Thanks to the "buddy program" I have made new friends and contacts from all over Europe and beyond! In total I have had 9 buddies - from France, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Poland, Italy and Croatia and with each of them I’ve had a different approach, common interests and other things we did together. For example, with a girl from France we made crêpes together, with a girl from Croatia, who studies contemporary dance, we went to a folk club and danced Latvian traditional dances, we went to cafes with people from Turkey and enjoyed good coffee, a girl from Poland and I walked around the city and parks a lot and we talked about traveling, about the nearest mountains, about the common and different things of our countries, etc.

Marta Dieviņa (Study programme Culture and Art studies)

I have already been in the role of ‘’Erasmus mentor’’ several times. I got into it because I have been in exchange studies outside of Latvia. I remember the great relief when the mentor of the host university welcomed me and immediately told me the first tips and tricks for which bus stops I could trust and where the indicated route times were late. I kept all these nuances in mind, and they later helped me better understand how to support LAC exchange students.

The experience with Erasmus exchange students has been different, because each of us is a person with our own character and life stories. Sometimes a person comes who is very open, ready to meet often, to go "for coffee" together. On the other hand, sometimes there is a person for whom only the airport-bus-finding conversation is enough. And that's good too. The main thing is that I am reachable if it’s needed.

The mentor program is always a bit of a leap into the unknown, but adventures, big or small, are guaranteed. In my opinion, the very first conversation with an exchange student is interesting, because you hear a new perspective on Latvia, as well as stories about another country. Sometimes I see the usual study environment with different eyes. For example, here in the picture, we can see how we dance folk dances with the exchange students, but usually, I sit in this room and listen to lectures on the history of world literature. I definitely recommend applying to the Erasmus mentor team at least once!

Erasmus Student Network Latvia (Erasmus Studentu Tīkls Latvija) is part of the largest student association in Europe; called the Erasmus Student Network (ESN AISBL), it is present in more than 500 Higher Education Institutions in 42 counties. ESN Latvia serves as a link between ESN AISBL and the 3 Latvian sections.

The Goals of ESN Latvia:

• Enhancing the academic and social integration of international students and the reintegration of local studens after their return from academic exchange
• Advocacy of the interests of the international students and students who have been involved in exchange programmes in Latvia
• To create an environment of understanding between different cultures within different nationalities by using informal education methods
• Promote the study and traineeship mobility as part of the study process in Latvia
• The internationalisation of Latvian Higher Education and making Latvian Higher Education more popular and accessible for international students
• Support and promote the development and cooperation of the member sections of ESN Latvia

More information

 

The official student card of the Latvian Academy of Culture is joined into one with the International Student Identity card (ISIC), thus allowing the student to enjoy all the benefits of an ISIC card. ISIC (International Student Identity Card) is the only internationally recognized full- and part-time student identity card, every year used by 5 million students from 130 countries.

Use your ISIC

• Prove your student status worldwide
• Get discounts in 42 000 locations around the world;
• Get discounts in more than 550 locations in Latvia.

More information

• The card is valid for up to 16 months (from the beginning of an academic year - September);
• The card costs 8,00 €;
• To apply you need a proof of your student status, your personal ID and a photo.

 

Contacts

24/26 Kr. Barona Street, 3rd floor, Riga, LV-1050

+371 67223000, info@isic.lv

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN RIGA In Riga, public transport services are provided by buses, trams, trolley-buses, and minibuses. Riga public transportation works from around 5 a.m. every morning and up until shortly before midnight. Night buses ply some routes during the nighttime hours on weekends. Rigas satiksme website offers public transport timetables, a map, and a route planner. Buying tickets, ticket prices The most convenient way to buy public transport tickets is at Narvesen outlets and at stops equipped with ticket machines (then it will cost you EUR 1,50) or buy a code ticket, which allows to make payments for the trips with a smartphone in online mode. The code ticket can be purchased on several apps. The procedure for purchasing a ticket may vary between apps but registering it in transport is the same for all apps! The application can be downloaded: Rīgas Satiksme, Mobilly, Narvesen. There are several ticket types to choose from.

BUSES

Latvia has very good and very regular bus connections, making it is one of the most convenient means of transport for anyone who wants to get to know Latvia’s cities, towns and its vast countryside.

Information about buses in Latvia, including timetables, journey times, routes, ticket fares and other information, is available on information boards at the bus station, as well as online in Latvian, Russian, and English, on websites such as Autoosta.lv and 1188.

Buying Bus Tickets

Tickets for domestic and international routes may be bought at the following places:

• At ticket desks at the bus station during office hours between 6:00am and 10:00pm;
• Last minute from the bus driver, although you may find that there are no seats available;
• At the ticket sales terminal or ticket machine at Riga International Bus Station which operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week;
• On the website Bezrindas.lv or on international routes - Buseurope.eu.

The ticket will display the journey number, time and place of departure and seat number. A paper or SMS ticket should be presented to the driver or inspector, if any, and so it should be kept until the end of the trip!

Useful

Large luggage and pet transportation will cost extra. The ticket desk employee or the bus driver should be informed of these items beforehand.

Buses do not have toilets, but long routes include a stopover at a bus station with public toilets. New buses on long routes have free wi-fi.

In Riga passengers with reduced mobility are guaranteed specially-equipped buses and even companions who should be booked 36hrs before the journey. Outside Riga, the availability of these services should be enquired about at the bus station or with the bus company.

RAIL

Latvia’s rail network system connects the Latvian capital with lines to seven different directions – terminating in Tukums, Liepāja, Daugavpils, Zilupe, Gulbene, Valga and Skulte.

The only rail-line which does not go through Riga is the one which connects the towns of Gulbene and Alūksne – the historical narrow-gauge rail-line.

Timetables can be found at each station, as well as online at https://www.vivi.lv/lv/  and 1188.lv   

Rail tickets

It is possible to purchase rail tickets at station ticket offices. If the station ticket office is closed, or a certain station does not have a ticket office, tickets can be purchased inside the train from the onboard conductor. However, the easiest way to purchase a ticket is online - https://www.vivi.lv/lv/ or VIVI app.

Available ticket-types:

• one-time tickets (without an assigned seat)
• baggage ticket
• ticket with a 50% or 90% discount for categories of recipients of fares reduction with 3+ Family Card or Honorary Family Certificate
• tickets within zones in two routes through Rīga, Torņakalns, Zemitāni
• time tickets (1-day ticket, 3-day ticket, 5-day ticket, 30-day ticket)

Tickets must be presented to onboard conductors and also inspectors in case of an inspection. This is why tickets must be kept until the end of the journey!

EMERGENCY HOTLINE The single emergency Hotline number 112 will provide information on what to do in certain situations, or connect you to the appropriate service – emergency medical, fire department, natural gas emergency, or the police. The number 112 is toll-free and reachable from land lines as well as from mobile phones.    INFORMATION HOTLINE The Hotline 1188 provides information about business addresses, hours, service providers, state institutions, public transport timetables, concerts and events, the location of the nearest service provider, as well as all vital tourism information – about accommodations, museums, attractions, restaurants and cafes, and medical centers. The Hotline is reachable 24 hours per day. Information is provided in Latvian, Russian, and English.

TOURIST POLICE IN RIGA

Riga Municipal Police has a specialised Tourist Unit, which ensures public order, as well as provides information to foreign visitors about the opportunity for assistance in case of incidents like theft, lost property and fraud.

A 24-hour information Hotline +371 67181818 has been introduced for foreign nationals. Information is provided in Latvian, Russian, and English.

MEDICAL HELP

If you are an EU citizen who requires medical attention while in Latvia, make sure that the medical centre accepts the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC confirms the right to receive the necessary and/or emergency medical treatment to the same extent as would be received by a local resident.

If you are not an EU citizen and do not have an EHIC card, but require emergency medical assistance, you will have to pay the full cost of the services. Acquiring a travel insurance policy is recommended.

Twenty-four hour emergency assistance is provided by any regional hospital:

• Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, Pilsoņu iela 13, Rīga;
• Rīga East University Hospital, Gaiļezers Clinic, Hipokrāta iela 2, Rīga;
• Daugavpils Regional Hospital, Vasarnīcu iela 20, Daugavpils;
• Liepāja Regional Hospital, Slimnīcas iela 25, Liepāja;
• Northern Kurzeme Regional Hospital , Inženieru iela 60, Ventspils;
• Vidzeme Hospital, Jumaras iela 195, Valmiera;
• Jelgava City Hospital, Brīvības bulvāris 6, Jelgava.

EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES

Tourists can turn to the embassy of their country whenever they find themselves in an extreme situation, for example, losing a passport, being left with no means of subsistence, or the occurrence of a serious illness or death. Depending on each country's legal and financial capabilities, those dealing with mishaps will be assisted. For contact information about foreign missions in Latvia, visit the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.

Information source: http://www.latvia.travel/en