Student cafés and discounts

Amsterdam student restaruant cafeteria at university

There are student cafés and eateries at most universities and hogescholen, which offer students a nice lunch menu for discounted prices.

The University of Amsterdam has a big canteen at the Atrium next to the Service and Information Centre of the Binnengasthuis building, at Oudezijds Achterburgwal 237, as well as at the locations of all the faculty buildings, one of the biggest being the Agora café at Roetersstraat 11. Weekly menus are available at www.smaa.nl in Dutch. There is also a huge canteen on the 3rd floor of the P.C.Hoofthuis, a Humanities building of the UvA, at Spuistraat 134, just behind the Dam royal palace.

The Vrije Universiteit has a large canteen situated on two floors and a terrace, offering a versatile menu, at its main building at De Boelelaan 1105.

The hogescholen cafés include the HvA Café LAX, Hogeschool InHolland's canteen De Kooi, and the Hogeschool voor Economische Studies (HES) Café.

The Uilenstede student building at Amstelveen also has a Café Uilenstede near the area (Uilenstede 392, Amstelveen).

Cheap student restaurants in Amsterdam city:

Lunchcafé Singel 404, a cosy eatery at Singel 404 serving lunch with items such as fruit shakes, yoghurts, sandwiches, pies and tosties.

De Groene Vlinder at Albert Cuypstraat 130, offering student discounts and a daily special menu for students.

Het Gasthuys at Grimburgwal 7, next to the Law Faculty of the UvA just off the Rokin, with a good priced menu.

Firenze, a cheap Italian restaurant with a good service personnel at Halvemaansteeg 9, off Rembrandtplein.

Blaffende Vis at Westerstraat 118.

Café Bern at Nieuwmarkt 9.

’t Pakhuis at Voetboogstraat 10.

The Movies Wild Kitchen at Haarlemmerdijk 159.

Places in Amsterdam with the student discounts

If you are the holder of a student card from your university, the International Student ID-card (ISIC) or the member of a student organisation, there are places in Amsterdam that offer discounts to holders of these cards. For student union discounts, consult the web pages of student unions or the relevant brochures issued by a specific union.

With the ISIC-card, you get a discount at:

  • Museums, such as the Rembrandthuis, KIT Tropenmuseum, the Allard Pierson Museum, Joods Historisch Museum, Cobra Museum for Modern Art, De Oude Kerk, the Royal Palace at the Dam, the Maritime Museum, Madame Tussaud’s and the Amstelkring Museum.
  • Restaurants such as the Hard Rock Café, El Rancho Argentina, Chicanos, Cheesers BV.
  • Cinemas and cafés such as Cinema Kriterion, Boom Chicago Comedy café, Café Meander, De Balie, Cinema De Uitkijk.
  • Youth hostels and their bars, such as the Flying Pig Down Town Hostel, Flying Pig Palace Hostel and The Bulldog Hotel. For updated lists of discounts, see www.isic.org.

Discount for sports for students in Amsterdam

The two universities of Amsterdam have their own sports centres where you can try out any type of workout imaginable for very little money, sometimes with free trial classes:

USC (sports centre of UvA and HvA)
De Boelelaan 46, 1082 LR Amsterdam
(tram 4, stop RAI, tram 5, stop WTC, metro line 50/51, stop RAI or WTC)
Tel.: 0031203013535, fax: 0031203013530,
Email: usc@usc.uva.nl, website: www.usc.uva.nl

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Sports Centre
Uilenstede 100, 1183 AM Amstelveen,
(trams 5 and 51, Uilenstede tram stop)
Tel.: 0031205985090 fax: 0031205985099.