Studying and living in Patras, Greece, is a great experience, but finding student housing in Patras is not always easy. Student accommodation is usually offered for Greek students for long-term rental periods. Therefore, most of the student apartment rentals are unfurnished and without any equipment included. Nevertheless, there are still many options for Erasmus and local students who are looking for a furnished student apartment.
There are different student housing options in Patras. Most Greek students that attend their full study program (usually 4+ years) at University of Patras, rent unfurnished apartments or studios for long-term periods, with no equipment included. Some of them also stay at Patras’ student residencies. Erasmus students on the other hand, or students who attend the University of Patras just for their exchange program period, usually stay in “ready-to-live” furnished and fully equipped apartments, either shared, or by themselves, or they stay at the university’s student residences.
(Usually unfurnished – contract from 1 year minimum)
Most local bachelor students, book apartment rentals in Patras that they furnish themselves. They also equip the student flats (electric appliances, kitchen equipment etc), either fully or partially.
There are several methods of finding the student apartment of your liking:
If you take a short walk in Patras, you will notice the typical yellow-red “For Rent” (“Ενοικιάζεται”) signs, sticked at building entrances. It is very common for the landlords to stick these banners on the entrance door of the apartment buildings. On the banners they include basic information about the rental (in Greek), and the owner’s telephone number. Just after the end of each academic year, and before the start of the new one, the city apartment buildings get filled with such stickers.
Many students that arrive in Patras, rely on finding a house from local newspaper rental ads. This old-school method is still used by many, and one can find some value-for-money opportunities. One popular newspaper is 7 Meres Aggelies (in Greek). Peloponnisos has also a whole rental ads’ section, also in Greek.
Probably the most popular way for finding a student flat long-term, is through online rental ad websites. There, one can find plenty of available rentals, either from real estate agents, or from individuals. The most well known website is xe.gr. Xe.gr and other online rental ad websites, have gained a lot of popularity in the recent years, as finding ads online has been proven a convenient and efficient way to find an apartment.
(Furnished – rental by week or month)
Erasmus students, and students that plan to stay in Patras for a period shorter than 1 year, usually seek short-term or medium-term student housing rentals. Usually, the Erasmus student exchange program lasts 1 or 2 semesters. That means that the incoming students will live in Patras from a period from 6 to 12 months max.
For such a short period of time, it is very important for the student accommodation:
Addressing to the University of Patras’ Erasmus program department, could sometimes help with information about finding the perfect student housing. ESN of Patras could sometimes help by sharing relevant suggestions. Facebook can also sometimes be helpful, as there are Facebook Groups created on a yearly basis, where the incoming students share their information and considerations. Some Erasmus students also manage to find their student housing from the online rental ads websites mentioned above, although in most cases the ads offer 1-2 year minimum apartment rentals.
Probably one of the easiest and most convenient ways to find student housing in Patras, is booking a furnished and fully equipped apartment from Patras Housing. Patras Housing offers student apartment studios with everything the student may need during his/her stay in Patras.
The apartments include WIFI internet, towels and linen, Smart 4K TVs, fully equipped kitchen, laundry with washer-dryer and more. The bills are included in the price for rentals up to 12 months. The student flats are located at the Patras city center, close to bus stops to the University. You can view the available student apartments and contact Patras Housing at [email protected].
This is the University of Patras main student house. The University of Patras Dormitory is located right at the heart of the campus, only a few hundred meters away from the Administration Central Building. It includes amenities such as a restaurant, swimming pool, and more, and it is located a short walking distance away from University sport facilities. The campus location is convenient for attending the daily lectures.
The student residence hall of the campus can host over 800 students, and it is mainly addressed to University of Patras’ students that attend the full 4+ year program, thus not the exchange students.
The location of the main Student Residence Hall (Foititiki Estia):
The Proastion Student Residence Hall is a second, smaller student house offered from University of Patras mainly to incoming Erasmus students, other exchange students, master students, university professors & staff, but sometimes also to local full time bachelor students.
The location of this student housing, called Hostel Upatras:
There are plenty of different areas that incoming students in Patras can choose to live. Although the students have many options, there are 3 locations that they usually prefer: the city center, the Agia Sofia area, and the University campus. Each of them, of course has its pros and cons.
Georgiou Square (Plateia Georgiou in Greek) is considered the heart of Patras. The areas surrounding Georgiou Square are often preferred by the erasmus and local students to stay at, for one main reason: living right at the heart of the city, is the best way to experience the city vibe at its fullest! All the city’s shopping stores, coffee places & restaurants, as well as nightlife are here. So, staying in Patras city center means that you can decide at the last moment to join your friends that are having fun at the bar, and be there in just a few minutes walking.
You can check the available student housing in Patras Housing, and enjoy the student life at the heart of the city!
To reach the University of Patras, you will have to take the bus, which will take you there in about 25 minutes.
The area around Agia Sofia church is often preferred by students, mainly because of the lower rent apartment opportunities. Most students living there, usually go to the center of Patras on foot, as Agia Sofia, is just about 20-25 minutes walking from Plateia Georgiou.
To reach the University of Patras, you will have to take the bus, which needs about 20 minutes to reach its destination.
Staying at the campus at the student residence, has the advantage that the student doesn’t need to take the bus to reach his/her faculty. This option is better for easiest access to the University of Patras for the daily attendings, but not so convenient to reach the Patras city center, especially if you are planning to return late at night.
For an exchange student, finding a place to stay in Patras during the Erasmus period could be difficult at first. Nevertheless, there are many different student housing options to check out before visiting the city, to arrive well prepared, and ready to enjoy great student life of Patras! 🙂
Ανακαινισμένα και πλήρως επιπλωμένα διαμερίσματα και γκαρσονιέρες στο κέντρο της Πάτρας, κατάλληλα για βραχυχρόνια ή μακροχρόνια διαμονή.
