1. Bicycles
The Dutch love travelling by bicycles to get around quickly, easily, and cheaply. You can get a second-hand bicycle for around €150 at most bicycle shops and shelters at Central Station. There are also bicycle shops at Woudestein campus and Erasmus MC. Remember to buy a good quality bicycle lock to prevent theft.

Flying Chalks’ tip: Biking in winter is not recommended as the winder can be pretty harsh and chilly!

2. Train
In winter, the most convenient way to travel is by train. More information about the Dutch railways, ticket prices, and travel information can be found here! It is highly recommended for you to buy one of the discount passes if you plan on travelling by train a lot. Visit this webpage for more information!

3. Cars
Travelling by car is convenient but the parking fees or parking permit is very expensive. However, if you want to hire a car, through the StudentCar, you can rent a car hourly and pick up the car from Woudestein Campus. Find out more about the StudentCar here!

EUR has a day where international students would be taken to register at city hall and open their bank accounts. More information can be found here!

Depending on the bank requirement, to open a bank account, you will need to bring along your:

• Passport
• Proof of residence
• Letter of acceptance from EUR

Your bank may ask you for a BSN - ID number assigned by the government. You may also need to make a minimum deposit, depending on the type of account you’d like to open.

The biggest banks in the Netherlands are ING Diba, Rabo Bank, ABN-AMRO, and SNS Bank. The bank allows you to withdraw money from an ATM that is not ING Diba once a day and free-of-charge within the entire EU. That makes travelling uncomplicated and cheap. Online banking is set up right away and all information is provided in English and in Dutch.

Flying Chalks’ recommendation: Even though ING Diba charges a small fee of about €4.60 per year for your bank account, it is recommended for students. Owing to their contract with the university, they are used to dealing with foreign students, which facilitates the signing up process.

Major Banks in Netherlands:

1. ING

2. ABN Amro

3. Rabobank

There are post offices at various locations in Rotterdam. You can get the stamps for letters and postcards and also send larger packages there. Mail can be posted at post offices that bear the sign ‘Postkantoor’ and/or ‘PostNL’ or at any orange mailboxes you find. Note that mail is not delivered on Sundays and Mondays.

There is a postal service available in school but not by the Dutch royal mail. Refer to more information here!

General Practitioner (GP)

The first consultation for medical assistance is usually done by a general practitioner (Dutch: huisarts). Only if you have a serious illness will you be referred and needed to make an appointment with a specialist in hospital.

Following are several arrangements with the GPs made by EUR:

Students living in Kralingen

1. Dr. C.H. Baar-Poort / Dr. F.E.E. van der Does
Noordeinde 97
Tel: + 31 (0)10 412 24 30
Entrance hours: 7.45 - 8.15, or call to make an appointment

2. Huisartsenpraktijk Kralingen (Dr. T.J. Schenk)
Oudedijk 60U
Tel: + 31 (0)10 452 78 78
Call to make an appointment

3. Gezondheidscentrum DWL de Esch
Rijnwaterstraat 10
Tel: + 31 (0)10 452 63 63
Call to make an appointment

Students living in Rotterdam Zuid

1. Gezondheidscentrum Afrikaanderwijk
Maashaven Oostzijde 155
Tel: + 31 (0)10 485 41 11 Emergency: + 31 (0)10 485 68 59
Call to make an appointment

Pharmacy and Chemist

Pharmacy (Dutch: Apotheek) generally only issues medications on prescription. You will need to get the prescription from your GP first before you can collect your medications. Most pharmacies open every day even in the weekend.

Chemists (Dutch: drogist) sell medications that do not require prescriptions such as that of aspirin for headaches or medicine for coughs.

Hospitals

Erasmus medical center (Erasmus MC), Rotterdam’s main hospital (Dutch: ziekenhuis) is located at Gravendijkwal 230.

Dentist

To visit the dentist (Dutch: tandarts), you should make an appointment. EUR has made arrangements with these following dentists to provide services to its students:

1. Tandartsenpraktijk Strevelsweg
Strevelsweg 121
Tel: + 31 (0)10 485 92 06
Call to make an appointment between 9.00 - 17.30 or make an appointment through their website here!

2. Mondzorgcentrum Noordereiland
De Ruyterstraat 4-6
Tel: + 31 (0)10 414 12 00
To make an appointment you can call between 10.00 - 17.00

3. Tandartspraktijk Uys
Voorschoterlaan 130A
Tel: + 31 (0)10 413 28 93
To make an appointment you can call between 10.00 - 16.00 (Mondays-Thursdays) or 9.00 - 13.00 (Saturday).

For students who do not intend to stay in the Netherlands for several years, it might not make financial sense to get a contract. Companies that do provide contracts are KPN, Vodafone, Telfort, and T-Mobile. Most students however, purchase a “SIM-only contract”. With that option you will only get a SIM card and pay as you go. With this prepaid system, you just need to top up money onto your phone and use it as you see fit. Many of these SIM-only contracts also have the option to purchase monthly packages with data, free-text and call.

Apart from the big providers that were mentioned earlier, many independent providers and even supermarkets (e.g. “Aldi”) also offer these prepaid options. Packages usually vary from €6.20 - €23.25 per month, starting from 250MB data, calls and text messages to 500MB data, calls and text messages.

1. Vodafone Prepaid packages

All-in-one and separate packages for internet, calls, and text messages possible

2. T-Mobile Prepaid packages

All-in-one and separate packages for internet, calls, and text messages possible.

3. KPN Prepaid packages

No option for an all-in-one package, hence you can buy different packages for internet, text messages, and calls.

4. Telfort Prepaid packages

No option for an all-in-one package, hence you can buy different packages for internet, text messages, and calls.

5. Aldi Talk packages

All-in-one and separate packages for internet, calls, and text messages possible

Flying Chalks’ tip: Aldi Talk is recommended because it is cheap and the sign-up process is relatively simple. It starts at €15.50, and allows you to choose among different monthly package depending on your needs. An additional benefit is that you can possibly call your friends for free as this provider is popular amongst many young people. Calls made using the same provider are free.

Having said that, it does not really matter which provider you choose because their offers are usually very competitive and hence highly similar.

Weather:

The weather in the Netherlands is moderate, with cool summers, mild winters and typically high in humidity. The most important thing to know about Dutch weather is that it is unpredictable —you could be wearing a tank-top and shorts in the morning, a rain jacket in the afternoon and a parka in the evening.

Average temperatures in Winter are around 3.1 °C (37 °F) - 6.2 °C (43 °F); temperatures in Spring ranges between 9.2 °C (48.6 °F) - 13.2 °C (55.6 °F); temperatures in the Summer are around 15.6 °C (60.1 °F) – 17.5 °C (63.5 °F); and the temperature in Fall ranges between 6.7 °C (44.1 °F) - 14.5 °C (58.1 °F). 

Flying Chalks’ tip: The school will provide the students with important hotlines during the orientation program.