We’ve all been there: you want to go out and do something but you don’t want to spend a small fortune (well, a ‘small fortune’ in the eyes of a student). As an international student or even an exchange student you probably want to explore the new place you are going to be living and studying in for the next few years. You probably also have a long list of museums, events, and things you want to do. However, you don’t want to spend money on any of it. Well, there’s a solution: discounts! Whether you want to visit the best museums in the Netherlands or go and have a taste of Dutch cuisine, here are a few of our best picks for cultural discounts.
Museum Card
This is for all our art-lovers out there. Many galleries are free but the biggest (and sometimes the best) are often not. Even with a student discount, you might be looking at ticket prices of €10 and upwards. But don’t let that stop you! There’s such a thing as a Museumcard, where you pay a one-time fee of €56. With this card, you can enter almost every single museum in the Netherlands for free. You can even use it at 4 of the 5 must-see museums you should visit in the Netherlands! If you think about it, going to 5 museums would even out the price of this card, which can get you in for free anywhere. It lasts for one calendar year and let it’s worth it.
CJP Card
The CJP card offers discounts on cultural events including everything from festivals and concerts to theatre and museums. This discount card is aimed at people and students under 30 to promote Dutch and international culture. In some museums, for example, you can get up to a 50% discount. You can even get discounts on clothes, travel, and insurance. You can choose different types of CJP cards: for instance, you can get a 1-year pass for €17.50 with discounts for over 1000 locations across the Netherlands as well as other great offers.
City passes
There is also the possibility to get city passes. The Rotterdampas, for instance, costs around €12.50 with a student card. With this pass, you can get free access, in Rotterdam, to a lot of museums (like Museum Boijmans van Beuningen or Kunsthal), to go the movies for free three times, free access to attractions like the Euromast, lasertag, and even free ice cream (free ice cream is the real selling point here). You can also get access to some museums in The Hague or Delft. In total, you can get free or discounted access to over 750 activities! It lasts for one calendar year but from a set month to month date.
Cultural discounts for films and movies
Cineville
With the Cineville card, for only €19.95 a month, you can watch unlimited films in over 40 art house cinemas throughout the Netherlands. This pass was created to unite the community of independent cinemas so it's for the all film-aficionados out there. You can also get access to premieres, classic screenings, and movie festivals! This card lasts for 4 months at a minimum and you can buy it online or in select cinema locations.
Pathé Unlimited
Pathé is one of the biggest cinemas in the Netherlands with locations in every major city. With the Pathé Unlimited card, you can get ultimate access to all theatres around the Netherlands. A pass for €19 a month gives you unlimited access to regular film screenings as well as a 10% discounts on links and snacks. The Pathé Unlimited Gold card, on the other hand, gives you unlimited access to 3D and IMAX films and a 25% discount on snacks and drinks. This pass is €26 per month. So, if you are more of a blockbuster, thriller, type of person, this is for you.
Restaurant Kaart
Yes, this does sound too good to be true: a restaurant discount card? You must be joking... but we aren't. With the Restaurant Kaart, for only €6.99 per month, you can get a decent discount for eating out. For instance, you can enjoy 50% off on your total food bill if you order à la carte. Drinks, however, are not included. There are over 600 restaurants that are partnered with this deal in lots of cities around the Netherlands. If you find out that you don't really have much use for this card, you can cancel it anytime you want.
ISIC Card
The International Student Identity Card, or ISIC, gives you benefits and cultural discounts as an international student studying in the Netherlands. Well, you can actually use it in over 150.000 locations across 133 countries… but who’s keeping track? You must be studying full-time in the Netherlands. You can get discounts on tours, restaurants, tickets, museums, and even online shopping. There are also specific discounts depending on where you live. You can search on the ISIC website to see whether there are any local discounts for students. Prices start at €12 for an electronic ID, or €15 if you want a physical card included. It is valid for one calendar year.
Your own student card
And finally, an oldie but goodie: your own student card! You can use your student card or your student ID that you have obtained from your university, to get cultural discounts. If you want to buy a ticket to a museum or attraction, many offer a slight discount for students. This is not the case everywhere and the discounts can range in price. But hey, a discount is a discount, right? Just remember to keep your student ID with you at all times so that you can whip it out at every occasion possible!
Give some of these cultural discounts a try and tell us what you think! Are they worth it?
