How to find your way around the UvA: all hotspots in a nutshell
There is plenty to do on university campuses outside the UvA buildings and lecture halls too. Where can you find the best coffee, where the best book market, where to take a tai chi course and where to get the best lunch? We list the hotspots.
The University Quarter
The University Quarter, surrounded by old monastery walls in the historic city centre, is rich in gems: if you know where to go, you will stumble upon ancient books, delicious scones or other treasures just like that. ‘The city as campus’ is nowhere more palpable than here. If you want to take a break from the tourist bustle, the Binnengasthuisterrein - with its deep treasure chest of UvA history - is an oasis of peace and quiet, especially when the new University Library is fully completed.
If you stand near the Agnietenkapel and the Lutherse Kerk on the Spui (see map), you might be able to join public lectures or promotions taking place there. If you prefer to delve into history, cross Spuiplein and Rokin and enter the Allard Pierson, where you can check out exhibitions and old books from Special Collections, such as the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana. Other tip: the book market on Spuiplein on Fridays.
Got hungry? In the dark alley next to the Lutherse Kerk you will find café Het Pakhuis, which is characterised by large portions and low prices, in other words: a must for every student. We recommend the avocado burger. For coffee, your best bet is trattoria Caldi e Freddi, close to the P.C. Hoofthuis, and for fish, Seafood Bar on Spuiplein. Get dessert at De Laatste Kruimel, a cute little joint with sweets that also does student discounts, or head to De Drie Graefjes on Rokin for an Instagram-worthy slice of cake.
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The Roeter Island campus
Start the day with a cappuccino or matcha tea at J/K's new espresso bar, Coffee Star. The prices here are relatively low - by Amsterdam standards - while the quality is extremely good. Especially compared to the bad coffee from the coffee machines on campus.
When it is time for lunch, you can visit food stand Anatolia Kumpir. From this food stand on Nieuwe Achtergracht, owner Kuzey provides students daily with several Turkish specialities, including the Kumpir, a richly filled potato. It is the perfect student meal: good tasting, filling and affordable.
Also surprisingly good are the focaccias, filled with grilled vegetables or oyster mushrooms and gruyere cheese, from sandwich shop Het Kleine Lokaal. But really, you must have had lunch at Het Kleine Lokaal for the location as well. It is located on Artisplein: a little oasis in the city where you have a view of the flamingos, spoonbills and black lilacs of the adjacent zoo. Just walk past REC P via the bridge, then cross Plantage Middenlaan, and you're there.
Roeters‘ after-school club is also to write home about, with cultural centre Crea’s rich and ever-surprising course offerings. There will be no time in your life until retirement when you can do so much, cheerful and varied hardcore hobbying, so go pottery, try tai chi, improvise and write columns until you drop.
Across the water, interviewers from Room for Discussion have been interviewing Dutch celebrities for 15 years. Their guests often include many politicians, such as Sigrid Kaag and Thierry Baudet, but recently also Femke Halsema and Ernst Kuipers. Make sure to check the latest news beforehand, as experience shows that interviews are sometimes cancelled due to (announced) demonstrations.
Once the four is in the clock, the coffee can be exchanged for drinks. Crea is once again your crutch, especially when the sun shines and you can settle down by the water with a beer. Alternatively, there is café De Krater and Latin American Cantina Caliente, where you can go for wine, tequila and empanadas, among other things.
Science Park
Where betas congregate, life is good - or at least well organised. This is evidenced by everything the modern Valhalla called Science Park has to offer: its own train station, a huge sports centre, energy-neutral buildings, and even a patch of raw flora and fauna for biological experiments in Anna's Tuin en Ruigte. This ‘living lab’ is a breeding ground for permaculture and biodiversity, as well as the perfect place for a getaway, to let down the bulky twelve o'clock snack from Café Polder (a croquette, soup and a roast-cheese egg).
The Science Park is a world unto itself, although the neighbouring Indische buurt and Watergraafsmeer offer plenty of temptation in the form of hipster pubs and vintage shops. But basically, the residents of the student flats on Carolina MacGillavrylaan don't need to burst the ‘Science Park bubble’ to survive, as Albert Heijn, Lidl and Spar are all within a 300-metre radius. Furthermore, sports centre Universum offers space in classes and on machines to all UvA and HvA'ers with sports ambitions, and beer for after - or instead of - exercising costs 2.20 euros at neighbouring café Oerknal.
