Strasbourg.

The University of Strasbourg's international welcome service, the Maison universitaire internationale, organises welcome events and orientation programmes for incoming exchange students rather than leaving it to a single national club. A parrainage, or mentoring, programme pairs new arrivals with current students to help with the first weeks, alongside French language courses and cultural activities run through the same service. Between the six campuses and a large international student body inside a university of over 50,000, the easiest way in is through your faculty's own welcome week plus the MUI's programme rather than waiting for one citywide event.

• Join the MUI's welcome events and orientation programme as soon as you arrive.
• Sign up for the parrainage mentoring programme to meet local students.
• Take the MUI's French language courses alongside your regular coursework.

Strasbourg has cheap, practical basics even if rent still takes the biggest bite from a budget. Vélhop, the city's bike rental service, charges students 4.50 euros a month for a year long mechanical bike rental, dropping to 2.25 euros a month for CROUS scholarship holders on levels 3 to 7. CTS also runs a reduced rate subscription from 3.40 euros a month through the Eurométropole de Strasbourg, so check whether you are eligible. Between a subsidised bike, a reduced transport pass and the university's own housing aid guidance, day to day costs stay manageable if you apply for the right scheme early.

• Rent a Vélhop bike for 4.50 euros a month as a student.
• Ask about the 2.25 euro Vélhop rate if you hold a CROUS scholarship.
• Check eligibility for the reduced rate CTS subscription from 3.40 euros, if eligible.

CROUS housing requests for exchange students go through your mobility application to the University of Strasbourg rather than a separate portal, so flag your interest as soon as you apply. Other international students, particularly scholarship holders, can apply directly to CROUS for a room covering 10 to 12 months from September to August, though demand runs high and early applications matter. Private university residences work like standard rentals, often with a refundable entry fee, while the open market comes with real estate agency fees near one month's rent. Watch for scams: the local housing agency ADIL offers free legal and financial advice if a private arrangement feels wrong.

• Ask for CROUS housing directly inside your exchange mobility application.
• Apply early since CROUS rooms for 10 to 12 months are in high demand.
• Call ADIL for free advice if a private rental looks like a scam.

Six tram lines and an extensive bus network, run by CTS, cover Strasbourg and even cross into Kehl, Germany, carrying over 72 million tram passengers a year across 86 stations. From the airport at Entzheim, a TER Grand Est train reaches Strasbourg-Ville station in 7 to 12 minutes, a faster and simpler option than the local bus routes that only serve Entzheim itself. Cycling is just as practical: Vélhop's 30 plus self service stations and staffed agencies rent mechanical, electric and cargo bikes, with a discounted annual student rate. Between the tram, the train link and cheap bikes, most students never need a car.

• Take the TER train from Entzheim airport, just 7 to 12 minutes to the centre.
• Get a student rate Vélhop bike instead of relying on buses alone.
• Ride tram line D across the border into Kehl, Germany, for a change of scene.

Exchange students apply to the University of Strasbourg through its international relations structure rather than direct faculty admission, then get practical support from the Maison universitaire internationale once accepted. The university spans six campuses, including the historic Esplanade site with its Palais Universitaire, the Illkirch campus for pharmacy and the International Space University, and teacher training sites as far out as Colmar and Sélestat. As France's second largest university with about 52,000 students across 35 faculties, schools and institutes, it also belongs to the EUCOR European Campus, so some courses and libraries are shared with Freiburg, Basel, Karlsruhe and Mulhouse.

• Apply through the international relations structure, then contact the MUI for support.
• Locate your faculty first, campuses spread from Esplanade to Illkirch and Colmar.
• Check EUCOR options if you want a course at a partner university nearby.

What you need depends entirely on your nationality. EU/EEA/Swiss students need no visa and can just enrol. Non-EU students on an exchange over 90 days apply for a VLS-TS student long-stay visa before arriving, then validate it online within three months and pay a small OFII tax; under 90 days you may only need a short-stay Schengen visa or none at all.

Budget time for the admin marathon: you will want a French bank account, proof of accommodation, health cover (EHIC for Europeans, or enrolment in French social security), and civil-liability insurance. Book prefecture and OFII steps the moment you can, because slots vanish.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa, just enrol
• Non-EU, over 90 days, VLS-TS long-stay student visa, validated online after arrival
• Proof of ~€615/month funds usually required
• Get civil-liability insurance (assurance responsabilite civile) before term

Alsatian food leans heavily German in ingredients but stays distinctly its own. Choucroute, finely shredded cabbage fermented with salt and juniper in wooden barrels, comes piled with pork, sausage and steamed potatoes at a traditional winstub, the region's answer to a bistro. Tarte flambée, a thin crust topped with crème fraîche, fromage blanc, bacon and onion, works as a cheap, fast meal that easily feeds two. Beyond these, look out for baeckeoffe, a slow cooked meat and potato casserole, fleischschnacka meat rolls, and the ever present bretzel, all regular fixtures on winstub menus around the city.

• Try choucroute with sausage and potatoes at a traditional winstub.
• Split a tarte flambée for a cheap meal that easily feeds two people.
• Look out for baeckeoffe and bretzel on winstub menus around town.

Krutenau, on the eastern edge of the Esplanade campus, rebuilt itself around student housing after a late 1970s renewal project and has run Strasbourg's evening scene since the late 1980s, served directly by trams A and D. Petite France, the postcard quarter of half timbered houses along the Ill's canals, stays beautiful but touristy rather than a practical student base. Neustadt, built during the German Reichsland period with wide boulevards and the University Palace, blends easily into the Esplanade area and puts some faculties within walking distance. For most exchange students, Krutenau or the streets around Esplanade offer the closest mix of housing, bars and lecture halls.

• Base yourself in Krutenau for nightlife and easy tram access to campus.
• Visit Petite France for the scenery, but expect it to be touristy.
• Look around Neustadt and Esplanade for a quieter walk to faculties.

Colmar, Alsace's other well known town, sits about 30 minutes away by direct train, an easy half day for its own half timbered old town. Baden-Baden, just across the German border, takes as little as 35 minutes on the fastest services and averages around 1 hour 7 minutes, putting a spa town day trip well within reach. Basel, where France, Germany and Switzerland meet, is roughly 1 hour 17 minutes away on the fastest TGV, or about 1 hour 40 minutes on a typical direct service. All three stay realistic even on a single free day, without needing a flight.

• Take the direct train to Colmar, about 30 minutes for its old town.
• Reach Baden-Baden in as little as 35 minutes for a spa town day trip.
• Ride the TGV to Basel, around 1 hour 17 to 1 hour 40 minutes.

Flag your interest in CROUS housing the moment you submit your exchange mobility application, since rooms are limited and demand is high. Sign up for a Vélhop bike early too, enrollment does not wait for the fall intake and it beats relying on buses that barely reach the airport. Join the MUI's parrainage mentoring programme in your first days for a local contact who already knows the ropes. If a private housing deal ever feels off, call ADIL before signing anything or paying a deposit, their advice is free and made for exactly this situation.

• Request CROUS housing inside your exchange application, not as an afterthought.
• Sign up for Vélhop early, enrollment is open outside the fall intake.
• Call ADIL for free advice before signing any private rental agreement.