Prague is a great starting point for travelling to many beautiful and affordable cities. Whether you are looking for nature, culture, food, or adventure, here are five destinations for students on a budget.

has the advantage of being just a train-ride away with unique castles, caves, hot springs, folk architecture, and beautiful wilderness. There are many direct trains only 5 hours long to Bratislava from Prague, making it a good starting point to explore Slovakia.

Enjoy Bratislava’s old center, castle, and great food. Then, hop on another train north to one of Slovakia’s the national park VeÄľká Fatra—passing through TrencĂ­n located in a valley with the third most fortified castle in Slovakia and Ĺ˝ilina where three rivers converge along the way.

If you are looking for adventure and affordable places off the beaten path, Slovakia is for you.

Looking for culture and history? Also just a short train ride away from Prague, Vienna has got you covered with tens of museums highlighting everything from famous composers to art and even . It will give you the feeling that you can get lost and disappear into the art and architecture—in a good way.

Austria boasts more than big cities, though. Take a round-about way back to Prague through cities like Linz with breathtaking mountain and monument views. While not as affordable as Slovakia, Austria offers collections of art and culture not seen elsewhere.

Looking for a place that blends the modern and the old seamlessly, Austria is for you.

For food, nightlife, and architecture, Hungary takes the cake. Known to be affordable and fun, Budapest is named in the in the world. It boasts 7 restaurants. Not looking for a fancy meal? Budapest is famous for its ruin bars and food trucks in the Jewish Quarter. The Central Market Hall offers an array of fresh produce, meats, and traditional Hungarian foods.

Want to get out of the city and explore? is a preserved Palóc settlement and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While a little more difficult to get to—transfering a few buses—it is like traveling back in time to a medieval village. Easier to get to (even by bike) though a bit more touristy is Szentendre, an aesthetic city with galleries and cobblestone streets.

If you want affordable, beautiful, and versatile, Hungary is for you.

Poland is a must see for all students studying in Prague. It is not only close, but has a vibrant cultural scene full of important history. is especially important for students to see first hand the history at Wawel Castle and the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum.

Poland is another country where many cities are akin to Prague with ancient squares, cobblestone streets, and beautiful churches. Visit Warsaw for interactive museums, a diverse culinary scene, the UNESCO-listed old town square, the safety and walkability. Interested in architecture, travel a bit further to Poznań for Renaissance-style buildings in pastel colours.

If you are interested in learning about recent history and ancient history as well as enjoy beautiful architecture, Poland is for you.

Last but not least, stay close to home for the most affordable trip and learn more about Czech culture, history, and heritage. Travel to Southern Bohemia to visit the stunning cities of České Budějovice and Český Krumlov with their ancient churches, castles, and squares. On the other hand, go east to Moravia for some nature in the Protected Landscape Area.

Interested in the history of Czech business and industry, visit Ostrava known as the “steel heart” of Czechoslovakia with its former mines, industrial structures, and museums. Dive into Czech culture by exploring more small towns in , enjoy castles, monuments, and mountains.

If you would like to keep it cheap and learn more about the place you call home now, exploring the Czech Republic is for you.

Prague received a score of 99.35 out of 100, with average costs of student accommodation at €500 or 12,000czk per month and public transportation at €22.76 for 550czk for a monthly pass.  The Czech Republic has also been ranked as the 6th safest country in the world with a low crime rate, political stability, good healthcare, and low risk of natural disaster.

This is not the first time Prague has been in the spotlight as a student-friendly city. It was ranked number one student city by EDUopinions with Anglo-American University ranked first out of the top 10 universities of 2026 and second out of the top 10 universities across Europe, according to an analysis of 3,475 real student reviews.

With studying abroad becoming more popular among university students to learn a new language and be exposed to new cultures, moving to a new city can also be a financial strategy. With the cost of living and education rising across Europe, finding a beautiful, cultural, international, safe, and affordable city with good educational options can sound like an impossible task. 

Discovering Prague is almost like uncovering a hidden gem with everything a student could want: affordable rent, walkability and good public transportation, English-friendly events, top higher education, lively nightlife, and study-cafe culture.

Interested in exploring what Prague has to offer? Here are winter and early spring activities that students enjoy. Looking to see what cutting-edge programs you could study? AAU announced three new concentrations starting in  Fall 2026. Start your exploration today.

This celebration ties together what all Czechs love: food, drinking, and spending time together. Restaurants all around the country will have goose on their menu as the star of the St. Martin’s show. But how did this tradition come to pass?

Saint Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier from what is now Hungary. He was canonized and known for his acts of compassion and generosity—he famously cut his cloak in half to share with a freezing beggar. The day celebrating him traditionally falls on the post-harvest time of feasts and the start of Christmas preparations.

Now to the goose: this dates back to an old legend when, hiding among a flock of geese, Martin wished to avoid becoming the new bishop. However, their loud honking gave the stranger away and cemented his association with geese. Additionally, because this was a time where farmers would be taking home more money due to the harvest, eating meat—rare in the typical diet at the time—was a way to celebrate.

The feast you can expect at any restaurant will include a slowly roasted goose with sides of dumplings and cabbage, though each place will have their own twist. Also accompanying the food is St. Martin’s very own wine, the first wine of the most recent harvest.

At exactly 11:11 on November 11th, winemakers and enthusiasts all over the country will uncork the first bottle of wine, so prepare yourself with a bottle found at most grocery stores this time of year. You can expect a fresh and slightly sparkling taste with a lower alcohol content.

Get your first taste of a Czech holiday and enjoy the feast!

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Look no further, here you’ll find a comprehensive list of activities to enhance student life in Prague— whether you prefer an indoor boardgame night, exploring the sights, watching a game, or enjoying the night life.

Boardgames are a great activity for catching up with old friends or breaking the ice with new ones. If you don’t have a stash of games at home, there are student-budget-friendly spots where you can choose from classics, such as Uno and Monopoly, or strategy and world-building, like Catan.

Watching sports with ambiance and a lively atmosphere is a perfect way to meet new people. Try one of the many bars with sports: from football to boxing and darts.

Bowling, laser tag, and mini golf are a good alternative to trying to accommodate a big group in a restaurant or cafe, though reservations are still recommended.

Prague’s nightlife has a lot to offer those who like to dance the night away, but it can be hard to decide where to go. Whether you are looking for techno, pop, oldies-but-goodies, or reggaeton, here are some recommendations:

Want to enjoy the fresh air on a sunny, but cold day? Here are some food, drinks, and activities to try!

Beer Gardens are a cultural phenomenon and the winter does not scare drinking a cold one away, though they are brought inside or under a heat lamp.

The B.A. in Visual Art Studies: Studio Art & Curatorial Studies concentration expands on the theoretical grounding of the Visual Art Studies major, offering students a closer interaction with the creative and managerial aspects of the art world. The program is taught by a diverse faculty of artists, academics, and art professionals active in both the local and international art scenes. Students first develop skills in the traditional art genres of drawing and painting combined with new media forms that they can later apply to managing collections and designing exhibition spaces.

Class of 2022 graduate and Manager of the Colloredo-Mansfeld Art Collection, Maximillian Colloredo-Mansfeld, emphasized the positive impact AAU’s pedagogical style had on his career:

“I greatly benefited from its emphasis on real-world engagement and small class sizes, which fostered close connections with art professionals and a robust theoretical foundation. This unique environment inspired my career and enabled me to establish a startup that leverages AI to help private collectors inventory their art and streamline processes like art loans, promoting greater cultural exchange.” – Colloredo-Mansfeld

Colloredo-Mansfeld was fascinated by how humans view time and history, dedicating his final curator’s project to the concept: moving away from linear ways of thinking and towards a more conceptual approach to exhibiting collections that span different styles. This idea was embodied in the group show with artists Tomáš Kurečka, Štefan Tóth, Tereza Zelenková, Martin Pondělíček, Šárka Koudelová, Dana Sahánková, and Roman Štětina. Colloredo-Mansfeld found that placing older works by contemporary works opened them up to new critique and/or admiration.

“It is no longer valid to portray eras into different rooms because it does not build a relationship between the viewer and the work of art,” Colloredo-Mansfeld said. “Contrast helped spark questions about how we see history and how contemporary art can offer new ways to think about the past.”

Colloredo-Mansfled’s current project lies in caring for his family’s art collection and building a business to digitalize art collections, called Kollektor, with the goal to make private collections more accessible to the public.