From wellness to dinner: this is where students can get a discount in Utrecht

There are many reasons why museums, movie theatres, gyms, shops, restaurants and other venues offer discounts to students: marketing, customer retention, contractual obligations and good old sympathy are some of them. But does it really matter why they do it? The important thing is that discounts can make your life a little bit more fun. You might have to be a bit bold here and there because not all entrepreneurs openly advertise their student discounts and not everyone will ask you whether or not you’re a student. Sometimes, it's up to you to ask if students are entitled to a reduction in that establishment. So, make sure you have your student card ready.

Urban Outfitters advertising a student discount with a poster on the window. Photo: Julie Nijburg

From the Dom Tower to Stadsschouwburg
Studying can be stressful and a home filled with students can sometimes be overwhelming, so planning a relaxing day every now and then amidst your jam-packed schedule is not a bad idea. While some prefer to cocoon indoors and binge their favourite series, others would rather be out and about. Lucky for them, there are many relaxing places in Utrecht that offer student rates. How about going to a sauna, for example? Wine and Wellness offers a day entrance including access to its infra-red sauna, salt wall sauna, swimming pool and steam cabin for 15 euros instead of the regular 22.50. They also offer memberships for a strongly reduced student rate, giving you the opportunity to plan even zen moments.

Most of Utrecht's museums offer reductions to students too. You can conquer Dom Tower's 465 steps and get a breathtaking view of Utrecht with a 5-euro discount. With this concession, the organisation hopes to encourage a demographic that has less money to spend to climb the city's biggest icon. If you're afraid of heights, another option is seeing the unique artworks at Centraal Museum for 6.50 euros instead of the usual 13.50. Alternatively, you can listen to old-school musical instruments at Speelklok Museum for 10.50 euros instead of 14 euros, learn everything about the weather and the stars at Sonnenborgh Museum for 7.50 instead of 9.50 euros, or enjoy Slot Zuylen's 500-year history with a 3-euro discount. Last but not least, UU students can visit the recently reopened University Museum Utrecht paying 7 euros less than the other visitors. 

If wandering through a museum is not your cup of tea and you'd rather watch a spectacle, the city theatre, Stadsschouwburg, has an interesting student scheme. Students can pay only 12.50 euros for a ticket to a show or play that is not yet sold out, as long as they buy their ticket on the day of the performance. For those who prefer the cinema, on Monday evening, Pathé welcomes students for just 5 euros. On Tuesday evening, it's time for Kinepolis to have its student night, when students pay 12 euros for a ticket that includes a free beer or glass of wine. At Louis Hartlooper, Springhaver and Slachtstraat, there are student discounts every day. In all three movie theatres, students pay 9 euros instead of 11 euros. These cultural movie theatres are aware of students' limited budget of students, so they hope to lure them in by offering a discount. They also believe that discounts may encourage students to be more daring and watch films they would not choose otherwise.

If you're really cash-strapped and would prefer to pay nothing at all, grab your student card and head to the Botanical Gardens at Utrecht Science Park. There, you can learn more about plants, imagine yourself in an oasis of butterflies or have a look inside the bird hide.

The Louis Hartlooper cinema. Photo: Utrecht University 

A bite for a bargain
Don't feel like cooking tonight and don't feel like having a microwave dinner? Florin has got you covered. On Monday and Tuesday, the pub offers a "student bite" for 7.95 euros. This offer has been around for 26 years already and it is insanely popular, so much so that the place is too crowded for them to even bother asking for a student card. If you’re smart, you’ll come a bit before 6:00pm so you don’t have to wait outside in the – usually long – queue.

Have you ever heard of the Knaek card? It is a discount card for students, with which you can get a great deal of reductions on food or drinks. In Utrecht, most establishments accepting Knaek cards offer a second item or meal for free. A great deal if you're looking to share burgers, fries, coffee, beer, or pizza with a friend. The Knaek card is completely free of charge for the first year. If you don't use it often enough, you can always unsubscribe once the trial year is over. Those who extend it pay 25 euros a year.

Florin Restaurant. Photo: Julie Nijburg

Beauty care
"As long as your hair is great," everything else will follow. But it would be nice if you could spend less to have such great hair! Popular hair salon The Barber Shop understands this all too well. “Life is expensive enough as it is and we want to help students in any way we can,” they say. When you walk into this barber shop, you feel as though you're going a century back in time. There’s a reason why a sign above the door says "Old-school barbershop." Men are entitled to a 20-percent discount there. Their retro interior completely fits their mindset, as they don’t even ask for a student card.

Don’t be sad if you’re not part of this barber’s target audience, though. You can also go to Be Beautiful and Haarhoek for student discounts. Make sure to check the exact prices online or ask your favourite hairdresser whether they are offering a student discount at the moment.

Okay, your hair looks great, so now all you're missing is a trendy outfit. At Urban Outfitters, students are always entitled to a 10-percent discount. This shop is really targeted at students, so much so that they will always ask you if you are one at the cash register. Your student card also lands you 10-percent off at Uncomelier, America Today and WE Fashion. JD Sports is a little bit more generous, with a  20-percent discount. For those who prefer shopping online, there are student discounts at ASOS (15 percent off), Weekday (11 percent off) and NA-KD (10 percent off).

The Barber Station. Photo: Julie Nijburg

Sports and courses
Practising sports is getting more and more expensive, even though it’s common knowledge that exercising is good for both your mental and physical health. Luckily, Olympos, the sports centre at Utrecht Science Park, is the most affordable place in Utrecht to get your body moving. A one-year membership costs 160 euros, which comes down to 13.35 per month. Blowing off steam in the gym, unwinding with a yoga class, doing SUP on Kromme Rijn, challenging yourself to learn real circus tricks... Those are just a few examples of modalities offered by Olympos.

If getting to the science park would be enough of a workout for you already because you live in Zuilen or Nieuwegein, the Train More gyms at Janskerkhof and Oog in Al cost only 25.50 per month for students in the first year. At TrainMore at the central station, students pay 30.75 per month for the first year. At Sportcity, you can work up a sweat for 19.99 per four weeks.

Did you know that students get a 50-percent discount at Parnassos? The cultural centre offers a wide variety of creative courses, from photography, film, theatre, and dance to painting, drawing, bookbinding or sewing. If you're looking to learn a new language, Babel has you covered with a 15-percent discount to UU students. You could even Swedish, Spanish, Japanese or even sign language.

Parnassos posters. Photo: Julie Nijburg

What have we missed?
This isn't a comprehensive list. There are many other places where students can benefit from reductions. If DUB hasn't mentioned your favourite spot, please share it in the comments below so that everyone can enjoy it too.