Katowice
About Katowice
While there are a few historical buildings scattered through the centre, the Polish city of Katowice is much more contemporary than many of its European counterparts. It has modernist and Brutalist buildings ornamented by street art – just poised for an arty photo. Katowice's industrial past is fused with a cutting-edge future; literally in the case of the Silesian Museum, where galleries are built into former coal seams illuminated by surface-level glass cubes. A UNESCO city of music, there is plenty of creative avenues to explore here too.
Hostels in Katowice range from rooms in the central district designed by artists, a modern hostel close to the university, or cosy accommodation next to the railway station. Expect a lively atmosphere and communal spaces such as a kitchen or TV room where you can meet fellow travellers. Most Katowice hostels have a 24-hour reception so you can explore the city's vibrant nightlife to your heart's content, and several have extras like free tea and coffee, hairdryers and security lockers.
You'll find most of Katowice's attractions in the Culture Zone. This includes the central area of Srodmiescie, where you'll find lively nightlife street Mariacka. It's pedestrianised, and cherry trees and pretty St Mary's Church make it a pleasant stroll in the daytime. Giszowiec suburb has plenty of parks while neighbouring Nikiszowiec has exhibitions about the everyday lives of the coal miners who once lived there. Two of the city's most important green spaces are 72-hectare Kosciuszko Park, where you'll find sculptures and trails, and Silesia Park, which has a planetarium and an amusement park.
Katowice is home to the Cathedral of Christ the King, Poland's largest arch cathedral. Built-in the 1900s, it's worth visiting for its majestic architecture and its altar made from coal. Other interesting sights include the Provincial Park of Culture and Recreation, where you'll find a reconstructed Silesian village to explore – it even includes a traditional karczma (tavern) selling beer. Discover the city's cultural side by catching a performance at flying saucer-shaped Spodek arena.
There are regular shuttle buses to the city centre from Katowice Airport (34km out of town). You can also fly to Krakow or Warsaw and catch a train to Katowice Dworzec PKP station (journey time: around 2 and 3 hours respectively). The Dworzec Autobusowy Katowice bus terminal has connections to cities across Poland. Katowice has plenty of buses, trams and taxis, and the centre is easy to walk around.
Accommodation in Katowice
There are many different options for arranging student accommodation in Poland. They vary depending on the city and higher education institution you choose. Many Polish HEIs have their own dormitories, which are usually the cheapest option available. However, most Polish students prefer to rent a room in a private apartment.
Student houses and dormitories
The pricing of the student houses depends on the particular HEI. Usually, the cost of accommodation in a dormitory ranges is around EUR 60-80 monthly for a shared room and between EUR 100-150 for a single room. However, the standard of the dormitories may differ greatly even between various student houses of the same HEI, so it’s good to do some research before the final decision. What doesn’t differ is the friendly and helpful atmosphere in the student houses.
Private housing
It is quite common in Poland to rent a room in a bigger apartment. Most of the out-of-town students share flats in this way. The cost varies between cities and it depends greatly on the location of the apartment as well as the size and quality of the room. The monthly rent is usually between EUR 150 and 200. Some landlords may require a deposit of a similar amount. Don’t worry if you don’t have friends to live with. Sharing a flat with locals is an amazing opportunity: you can pay for the accommodation and get great friends for free! And if you really don’t like to share, you can find an independent apartment. The rent for the smallest, one-room apartment starts from about EUR 300 (in Warsaw).
Visa and residence card costs
This applies only to those students who come from the countries whose nationals are obliged to get a visa before coming to Poland. If you come from the European Union, you can skip visa fee charges. For those requiring it - there is no uniform fee, but it should not exceed EUR 70. When applying for a visa, please remember about other costs which are not stated directly - you need to have health insurance of at least EUR 30,000 and be in possession of sufficient funds to cover your entry, stay and departure - which is minimum PLN 543 for each month of studies and PLN 200, 300 or 2,500 for securing a return journey for people from neighbouring countries, EU countries or non-EU countries respectively.
Even if you do not need a visa to come to Poland, bear in mind that every foreigner staying in Poland for a period longer than 3 months has to apply for a temporary residence permit, so for visa holders, it is also the next step to plan in their budget. The cost of issuing a temporary residence permit for students is PLN 390 in total.