Giessen, with around 75,000 inhabitants, is Germany's most student-dominated city, whose two universities with their 'extra population' of some 30,000 students provide a unique college-town atmosphere. The downtown area offers plenty of diversion for students, including movie theaters (with student concession tickets), the municipal theater with its experimental studios, swimming pools and sports and workout facilities, and a wide variety of pubs, restaurants (continental and ethnic), and nightlife venues. So there is lots of flavour you can add to your studies. The great thing about Giessen is that it's an easy place to get around in and, when the mood takes you, to escape from into the picturesque surrounding countryside or to the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main about 60 kilometers away.

To help you get a first taste of the city and a first impression of what it has to offer, we have put together some basic information for you. In Giessen and Environs you will find a starter-kit to help you round the city and the region. Under JLU's Essential Facilities and Institutions there is helpful information about college facilities. A guide to ways of organizing your leisure time is provided on the websites Extracurricular Activities and Excursions.

Under How to Get To and Around Giessen you will find tips on the simplest methods of reaching Giessen and finding your way around when you get here.

The high density of students in Giessen means that finding a place to live is not always easy. But don't worry – JLU has services designed to help and advise you here as well. You will find important information on finding and renting accommodation under Where to Live in Giessen.