Tips

Last updated on 2023.02.11, 13:34

Back to overview

Thankfully, life isn’t all bureaucracy and administration. Here are some tips to life in the Netherlands that make it a little better.

Finding a bike

Having a bike is a pretty good way to get around Amsterdam, however, sourcing a good bike that doesn’t break every couple of months or get pilfered off the street can be a bit of a mission. A good source for second-hand bikes is the Rietveld/Sandberg FB page⁠⁠(opens in a new tab)⁠⁠, where at least the person you are buying it from isn’t a complete stranger. Be careful of buying it secondhand from a bike-shop/online marketplace, as often these bikes break super quickly. Another option is Swapfiets⁠⁠(opens in a new tab)⁠⁠ - it is modelled on subscription capitalism but it does provide you with a decent bike with the promise of a replacement/repair without additional costs. Just make sure to never forget your keys in the bike ‘cause it will get stolen and then you will have to pay a hefty replacement fee. Bikes being stolen is a reoccuring issue here, so it is advised to always double lock to a fence/pole as that greatly reduces the risk of theft.

Public transport

Unfortunately public transport is really expensive in the Netherlands, and non-EU students are not eligible for the free public transport available to Dutch students. A way to see the Netherlands for a slightly reduced fee is to get an OV-chipkaart⁠⁠(opens in a new tab)⁠⁠ with a NS-Flex⁠⁠(opens in a new tab)⁠⁠ subscription.

Culture

Food

The cost of eating out here is pretty prohibitive, but here is a list of places you can be sure to get a decent meal (at various price points).

Student life

There are a number of organisations, unions and resources for students in the Netherlands.

Anonymous 🐋 on 2023.04.06, 11:37 

Always get a second copy of your bike keys made! :)

Always get a second copy of your bike keys made! :)

When submitting comments to this website, no “Personally Identifiable Information” (PII) as defined within the “General Data Protection Regulation” (GDPR) is collected. Nonetheless, anonymized identifiers as well as your (personally) submitted comment data are collected for purely functional purposes (namely content authoring, spam detection and prevention). Please read this website’s data policy for more information about how your data is processed and safeguarded.

If anonymity is of absolute importance, you can also use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service as well before submitting comments. More information on DuckDuckGo⁠⁠(opens in a new tab)⁠⁠ or WikiHow⁠⁠(opens in a new tab)⁠⁠.

Back to top