Study Spots

Coffe and coconuts

A former cinema built in the roaring ’20s, Coffee & Coconuts is now home to a relaxing and easy-going environment. A great place to study, especially if you feel anxious about your workload. It will make you feel like you’re on a holiday getaway, you’re even allowed to walk around bare feet!

Cafe de Yaren

Cafe de Yaren is a Cafe located near Oudemanhuispoort campus. It is right next to the canal with an amazing ‘Amsterdam’ view. A lot of students go there to study for its spacious layout, great coffee, and views. You can also connect to UvA Wifi from there which comes in very handy.

Rum Baba Cafe 

They call themselves “your happy eclectic home away from home”. The place is undeniably cozy, located a few doors down from their bakery. There’s plenty of seating, including a long wooden table perfect for groups. Work outside on sunny days and enjoy some banana bread with your coffee.

Bocca 

Bocca has a school of coffee, sells coffee beans wholesale, and even has an online shop. Basically, they’re coffee experts. Their coffee shop in Amsterdam has a minimalist vibe, perfect for a focused study session.

Bagels and Beans Waterlooplein

Bagels and Beans is a chain with delicious bagels and coffee. The Bagels and Beans in Waterlooplein is very spacious and you can study while enjoying your bagel.

Prisma Coffee Bar 

Prisma coffee bar is located near Oudemanhuispoort campus, is incredibly cozy and ‘gezellig’. You can enjoy your cup of coffee, interact with the very friendly staff during your study breaks and enjoy the delicious snacks they have. It has a very relaxing environment if you feel stressed about your exams.

Coffee Company Waterlooplein

The coffee company is another chain that is very famous in Amsterdam. They have great coffee and reasonable prices. The coffee company on Waterlooplein has a bigger area compared to other coffee companies so if you need to study for a few hours and don’t know where to go, you should stop by at Waterlooplein.

Coffee Bru 

The perfect coffee spot for socializing, meetings, and alone time. They have comfy chairs and a spacious table to work alone or in a study group. On top of the amazing coffee, they have an amazing white chocolate cheesecake.

City Transport

Within Amsterdam, it is easy to travel quickly by bike, but also by public transport. The tram, bus, and metro are a good means of transport to travel throughout the city. The infrastructure in Amsterdam is so good that the trams, buses and metros follow each other in quick succession.

To pay for public transport it is important to buy a public transport chip card. With this card, you can check-in when you arrive at the means of transport and check out when you disembark. No more cash is accepted in Amsterdam.

Regular public transport OV-chipcard (personalized)

Only Dutch students can get free public transport. International students can buy a public transport chip card. The card is valid for 5 years.

With this link, you can fill in your details and request a personal chip card (OV-chipkaart).

  1. Then you have to upload a personal photo which can be seen on your personal chip card.
  2. Then you can indicate the function to automatically upload the OV-chipkaart. This means that when the amount of money is lower than a certain value, the OV-chipkaart will be charged with money from your bank account. This action takes place automatically when this threshold is reached.
  3. Then you check everything and fill in your payment details.
  4. You can only pay with iDeal and PayPal.
  5. Within a few working days, you will receive the OV-chipkaart at home.

Anonymous public transportation OV-chipcard

There is also a possibility to travel with an anonymous OV-chipkaart. When people don’t travel much with OV or don’t want to share their personal information, you can choose to travel anonymously. You can share the card with the whole family (but not at the same time). For example, you travel to the library by metro with the anonymous card and your flatmate uses the same card one day later to go to football by bus.

  1. The card is available at railway stations, metro stations, tobacco shops, and service desks.
  2. If you load a balance on it, the card can be used immediately.
  3. The card is valid for five years from the date of production.
  4. A disadvantage of the card is that you can use prices that are not related to age. So a child will cost the same price as an adult.

Deals and discounts

NS is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. This company offers plenty of discounts and package deals for student public transportation, which are called ‘Flex Subscriptions’. These deals are structured in such a way that you pay a monthly rate and in return have access to many advantages for example a 40% discount on public transportation during the weekend or a 20% of discount during peak hours.

For more information, you can visit this website and decide which deal is best for you.

Night buses

Night buses also run between 01.00 and 05.00 hours in the Amsterdam region. The OV-chipcard can also be used or you can buy a separate ticket on the bus. The prices are a bit more expensive and there are fewer buses at night.

The University of Amsterdam: public transport

The University of Amsterdam also wrote information about public transport in Amsterdam. For more information, check out their website.

Clothing Stores

The Kalverstraat is the biggest shopping street in the center of Amsterdam. Here you can find all the most popular (mainstream) stores. If you cross the Dam you can also find more stores at the Nieuwendijk. When you walk in the direction of Leidseplein, there are some more stores in the Heiligeweg and in the Leidsestraat as well.

If you’re more interested in small boutiques, vintage stores, and less known clothing the 9 Streets (9 Straatjes) and Haarlemmerdijk are great places to shop.

And lastly, when you’re into high-end fashion and money isn’t an issue, the P.C. Hooftstraat is your perfect shopping street!

Groceries

Albert Heijn – This is by far the most expensive but also the most convenient supermarket in the city since there are over 60 stores in Amsterdam alone with a large number spread throughout the city center. Their blanket coverage means you will never be far away from one of their stores. The largest branches can be found at the rear of Dam Square’s Royal Palace as well as Jodenbreestraat 21. You will find a fairly broad range of products in these larger stores but expect a massively reduced selection in the smaller outlets and the tiny ‘To Go’ stores. Alcohol is also available in the larger stores but again the selection is fairly limited to basic beers and wines. Most stores close at 22.00 daily however one branch in Central Station is open until 00.00 which is always good to know for life’s little emergencies.

Aldi & Lidl are recognized economy stores in the Netherlands. Selling a broad range of international products at cheaper prices than the likes of Albert Heijn, they remain very popular with Amsterdam locals.

Jumbo & Vomar – With regards to pricing, they are somewhere in between Albert Heijn and Aldi/Lidl. If you need to hunt out stores local to your apartment check out the following websites and click on the ‘Winkels’ or ‘Filiaal-zoeker’ buttons which mean ‘shops’ and ‘branch finder’, respectively, in Dutch. Simply type in the name ‘Amsterdam’ and hit the search button. Move the maps around to locate the nearest store.

 

Gall & Gall – If you are looking for alcohol other than basic beer or wine then head to this: the city’s major chain-store off-license. These outlets are often located next door to Albert Heijn stores or in shopping centers.

Food

Every area has loads of nice and good restaurants. That is why the different restaurants are described depending on the area you are in. Making a reservation is recommended.

Restaurants in Amsterdam West:

Amsterdam West has many diverse restaurants and bars. Click here for a list of 48 amazing restaurants in Amsterdam West.

Restaurants in Amsterdam East:

Amsterdam East is also a very diverse area with lots of nice restaurants and bars. Here is a list of 35 diverse restaurants in Amsterdam East.

Restaurants in De Pijp:

De Pijp is a very popular area amongst tourists as well. It is way more touristy than Amsterdam West or East for example. However, it has many nice restaurants. You can find a list of 23 restaurants here.

Restaurants Amsterdam North:

To go to Amsterdam North, you have to take the ferry. There are a few ferries to different areas of Amsterdam North, so make sure you take the right one to go to the restaurant. You can find a few here.

Restaurants Amsterdam Centre:

Finding nice restaurants in the city centre is quite hard since this is the most touristic area of Amsterdam and therefore very focused on tourism. However, there are very nice restaurants here as well, you just have to look a bit harder. To make it easy for you, here is a list of restaurants in Amsterdam City Centre.

Different kitchens

Amsterdam is a very diverse city and therefore has a diverse range of kitchens. Every kitchen links to a website with a list of restaurants with that kitchen.

Nightlife

A nice part of the experience of being a student is of course going out, and thankfully Amsterdam has a lot of places that cater perfectly to this need! The most popular locations for bars and clubs are Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein, and the Dam.

Clubs

Under this list, you can find the most fun clubs of Amsterdam to enjoy the nightlife to its full potential!

  • The Chicago Social Club is one of the most fun clubs in Amsterdam! They organize different events that you can check out on their website.
  • Jimmy Woo is a worldwide famous club because of its strict door policy and many celebrated guests! The club is also famous for its interior and sound system.
  • Disco Dolly is open 7 days a week and with a varied program intended for everyone: disco, funk, soul, boogie, house, hip hop. It is music for everyone!
  • Bitterzoet does its best to offer as varied a range of music styles as possible. These music styles vary, for example, from rock, punk, ska to hip-hop, funk, and soul. Always check their agenda to see if it’s your kind of music.
  • Paradiso is a venue in a former church in the heart of Amsterdam. They organize many events so always make sure to check their agenda.
  • AIR Amsterdam is one of the 100 best clubs in the world and due to its diverse and international program, it attracts visitors from all over the world.
  • Club Escape is one of the most popular clubs in the Netherlands and abroad and has been around since 1986! After 3 major transformations, it’s still on pace with the newest technologies in sound, lighting, and visuals.
  • Chin Chin Club is the one and only place where Amsterdam’s hottest in-crowd goes to socialize, flirt, and party on their all-time favorite hits. It is open every Thursday to Saturday.

Bars

Under the list of bars, you can find all the best locations to grab a drink during the day but be prepared to dance as they turn into clubs at night!

  • Coco’s Outback is one of the most popular bars in Amsterdam. You are in the right place when you fancy a cocktail or a delicious burger. At night the Pub turns into a club and you are allowed to dance on the tables!
  • De Heeren van Aemstel is the borrel location for the VSPA and our all-time favorite bar! ;) From drinks to weddings, from concerts to confetti, from lager to pub quiz, from beer pong to bitterballen and from shots to silent disco… It’s all possible in De Heeren.
  • The Kopstootbar hosts a varied program with DJs, live music, game nights, and much more. Keep an eye on their socials for all specials. ,
  • The Cooldown Cafe is open every night of the week to give you an unforgettable time. Music ranging from Rock and R&B to Dutch pop and House is played.