Accommodation in České Budějovice
As an exchange student, you have several possibilities of accommodation during your stay in České Budějovice. Find more information about the USB Dormitories or the private accommodatrion in the text below.
UNIVERSITY DORMITORIES
Every exchange student who comes to study at USB can be provided with accommodation at USB Dormitories. However, the choice of the specific dormitory is only a matter of preference, the place will be assigned to you according to currect room availability and capacity of the Dormitories.
Description of dormitories
A complete description of Dormitories (including photo gallery and a video) is available on the following link and on the official website of USB Dormitories and Refectories.
USB has five dormitories named K1 – K5, after the Czech word “Kolej” for “Dormitory”. Dormitories K1, K2, K3 and K4 are located on the main campus. Dormitory K5 is located about 15 minutes walk from the main campus, next to the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. See here the map with the locations of the different dormitories.
K1 has been recently renovated. It offers single and double rooms in the “cell-system” (small apartment). In the bigger cell/apartment, there are 3 single rooms and 1 double room sharing toilets and a bathroom as well as a small kitchenette in a corridor. In the smaller cell/apartment, there are 3 single rooms sharing toilets and a bathroom as well as a small kitchenette in a corridor.
K2 and K3 provide double rooms with a refrigerator, a sink, desks, beds, and cupboards. Shared sanitary facilities (toilets, showers) and common kitchens are available on the corridor on each floor.
K4 has been recently renovated. It offers double rooms in the “cell-system” (small apartment). In each cell/apartment, there are 2 double rooms sharing toilets and a bathroom in a corridor.
K5 provides double and triple rooms with its own sanitary facilities (toilets, bathroom). A shared kitchen is situated on each floor.
Equipment and facilities at dormitories:
- Overview of equipment at each dormitory is available here.
- Blankets, pillows and bed linen are provided.
- The kitchen or rooms are not equipped with dishes, cookware, kettle, neither microwave oven.
- In case of need, you can get useful kitchen or cleaning stuff from ESN storage – a place where previous foreign students left the things they did not need. Get info from student organisation ESN USB Budweis.
- Internet is available in all student rooms; WIFI (Eduroam) is available at K1, K4 and K5 dormitories. At K2 and K3 the connection is possible only by using an ethernet cable, you need to bring your own.
- USB Dormitories are open nonstop, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. You can arrive at any time.
Booking your accommodation
Each student who would like to be accommodated at USB dormitory must book a room in advance.
Exchange students can request for a bed at a dormitory through the online registration to the university (STAG system), by ticking YES to the question “Do you require accommodation at the dormitory?”. The link to the online registration and the concrete information and instructions about accommodation will be sent to you by the Welcome Officer of USB.
In order to confirm your accommodation reservation, you will need to pay a deposit in advance (3000 CZK) - you will be given all the information needed in the information email in advance.
In case you need a Confirmation of accommodation for visa requirements, please ask your Faculty coordinator.
Rules and prices:
All important documents you need are available here (especially Price list, Student Accommodation Code).
- The price for a bed ranges from 3500 CZK to 5500 CZK per month (academic year 2024-25). On the day of your arrival, you will have to pay the rent for the current month, according to the price list. You can pay either by cash or by card in Czech crowns - CZK (payment in euros or other currency is not possible). It is also possible to pay via online gateway in the ISKAM account that you create when paying the deposit.
- You will have to pay the next month rent always before the end of month.
- You will have to pay an accommodation deposit of 3000 CZK before the start of your stay. The deposit will be used to cover any possible cleaning or damage that might be caused by a student. It is usually refunded after an inspection of the room at the end of student's stay.
- The accommodation contract has to be signed upon your arrival at the office of the head of your dormitory. Please, be aware that there is a 30-days notice period in the contract (in case you want to leave earlier).
Dormitory management contact:
Mrs Ivana Lovětínská
In case of any inquiries concerning dormitories, you may contact the dormitory staff directly on their website.
PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION
Students can also choose to live in a private accommodation. In that case, you must find your accommodation by yourself. Please, note that the university does not collaborate with any of the listed accommodation providers; therefore, the quality of the room offer cannot be guaranteed. The university is not responsible for the offers and arrangements of external accommodation providers.
Also be aware that you will need to register your place of residence with the Foreign Police. Check with the accommodation provider if he will register you, or if you need to do it by yourself.
Some websites are only in Czech language, but you can use Google Translate for a quick translation if you don't speak Czech. Also you can get helped by your Buddy.
Below are some tips to find some suitable accommodation.
Private student dormitories
- Private dormitory Kolej Pedagog (situated next to the main campus, many USB students choose to live there)
- Other private dormitories: https://www.studentprogram.cz/soukrome-koleje/
Flatsharing / Roomsharing
In the Czech Republic, most students who do not live at dormitories prefer flatsharing or even roomsharing for the period of their studies.
- Flats are usually used by several students, for example, a 3-bedroom flat is usually occupied by 6 students, a 2-bedroom flat by 4 students. Students are used to sharing rooms.
- Depending on location, occupancy and the size of the flat, the monthly rent per student would usually range from CZK 3 600 to CZK 5 800.
- Besides renting a flat/room in blocks of flats, there is also the option of renting a flat/room in a family house all around the city of České Budějovice. Families offering such flats/rooms for rent usually live downstairs and the flat/room that they rent to students is on the first floor. Sometimes the whole house may be rented to students. These flats/rooms are usually very nice and there are often gardens that may be used but tend to be far from the University (exceptions may be found).
Where to find a room?
- In the different buildings of the university (Faculties, Library, Dormitories), you will find some announcements with accommodation offers. Most are written in Czech, but you can always try to contact the owners.
- Websites / Facebook groups:
- Espolubydlení.cz: https://www.espolubydleni.cz/podnajem-spolubydlici/jihocesky-kraj
- Student program: https://www.studentprogram.cz/spolubydleni/
- Spolubydlení ČB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/234631556716962
- Bydlení České Budějovice: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BydleniCeskeBudejovice/
Renting a flat
If you decide to rent a flat by yourself, you can find it through an estate agency or by your own.
Here are some websites where you can look for a flat:
- sreality.cz
- http://www.byty-ceske-budejovice.com/obec-ceske-budejovice
- https://www.expats.cz/praguerealestate/search/apartments/rentulovdomov.cz
- https://www.bezrealitky.com/
- byty.cz
- https://byty.hyperinzerce.cz/
While renting your own flat, pay attention to the following:
- In case you need to apply for a Czech visa or residence permit, you will need an accommodation contract or confirmation of a future contract to submit to the embassy during the visa process! Therefore, you should communicate this necessity with the property owner as soon as possible to receive your visa on time.
- We recommend you to find your flat or room before you arrive in České Budějovice, because usually at the beginning of the semester, there is a high demand for appartements and it may get difficult to find accommodation as České Budějovice is a university city.
- Always be sure that you receive a lease contract and that you understand it before signing.
- Also be sure that the person you’re dealing with is indeed the landlord, the owner of the property, and that he/she is entitled to rent the flat. You can check the ownership of a property in the online property register https://nahlizenidokn.cuzk.cz/. The platform is only in Czech, but the information is accessible for everyone. Ask your friend or Buddy to help you.
- In case you have a Czech visa or residence permit and need to prove your accommodation at the immigration office, the officer will check if your landlord is indeed the rightful owner of the property and if he is entitled to rent the property. If the officer finds anything lacking, they will reject your application and that is why it is important to check the ownership in advance.
- Rent is usually paid monthly, in advance. The rent may be either all inclusive (including energy – electricity, water, gas), or you will pay separately the basic rent for the flat and the bills for energy.
- Usually, the lease also includes a deposit, in most cases equal to one or two month’s rent. Usually you have to pay it at the beginning of your contract, and it will be returned at the end of your stay, unless damage has been caused to the property.
Best locations for a flat according to your faculty:
The Rectorate of the University, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters (some study programmes) and the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences are all situated on the university campus on Branišovská street. The nearest private accommodation can be found in the housing areas called ŠUMAVA, MÁJ and ČTYŘI DVORY (these locations are 10 minutes away from the campus on average).
The Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters is also located in the town of Vodňany (approx. 30 km from České Budějovice) or the town of Nové Hrady where there are research institutes of the Faculty, so check where you are going to study first and arrange your accommodation accordingly. In Vodňany and in Nové Hrady, there are also university dormitories.
The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences has several buildings in České Budějovice, in a walking distance of each other. The nearest housing areas are VLTAVA (south part) and ČTYŘI DVORY. The areas ŠUMAVA and MÁJ are around 10-20 minutes away. The K5 dormitory is next to the Faculty.
Buildings of the Faculty of Education are located around the main city centre. Instruction is divided between two buildings depending on your field of study/individual courses: one of the buildings is on Jeronýmova street, and the other is in Dukelská street. All buildings are within walking distance of each other (4 stops by bus from the university campus).
The Faculty of Theology is also located in the main city centre and there is also a canteen in the same building (4 stops by bus from the university campus).
