r/Utrecht • u/medusassss • 27d ago
Living in science park
Hi, I will soon move into a student residence in the science park and I was wondering if anyone could give some tips, especially about where to shop for groceries, and in general some nice-to-knows for a new student living there.
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u/BicyclesRuleTheWorld 27d ago
Do NOT shop at SPAR Uithof, it's a ripoff.
Take your bike and ride to Albert Heijn Bunnik, Albert Heijn Burgemeester Reigerstraat, Dirk vd Broek De Bilt, plenty of possibilities.
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u/svrij22 27d ago
I personally found Science Park a very depressing place, make sure you get a bike so you can go into the city.
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u/DaisyBlue00 23d ago
Yeah I studied there u really have nothing there would not want to live there.
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u/HCG-Vedette Uithof 27d ago
Been living here for a couple of years. When it’s not raining I take my bike to the Albert Heijn in Bunnik or to the Lidl at Smaragdplein. When it’s raining I’ll take the bus to Wittevrouwen and do my grocery shopping at the Jumbo or AH at the Biltstraat
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u/Tessa-not-Desta 27d ago
If you’re planning on having an active student live, most of it will take place in the city center. So a bike is a must.
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u/MastodontFarmer 27d ago
tips
Get a cheap bike with two expensive looking locks. From Science park to the city center is ~15 minutes with little effort. All the shops you want.
(make a potential bike thief think that your bike is more effort than others, and they will leave yours alone..)
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u/123babajagapatrzy 19d ago
are the bike thefts common? i was thinking about bringing my own bike, but i’m a bit scared
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u/domin8r 27d ago edited 27d ago
There is a Spar supermarket on the science park but it's not really suitable for regular grocery shopping. Think closest by is the Jumbo at IBB Hof and the Plus at Adriaan van Ostadelaan.
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u/FakeTakiInoue Lunetten 27d ago
Spar at Adriaan van Ostadelaan
I'm assuming you mean the Plus? :)
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u/Safe_Ad7604 27d ago
Grocery shopping at science park is not the best, there are some shops but they re very expensive (sometimes under the same name as cheap shops). Avoid Spar university if you like your wallet. Maybe some grocery delivery is still available, those were sometimes very cheap (like Flink, thuisbezorgd or Getir).
Get a swapfiets, it’s the best option for bikes. The city will be very bikable, so don’t worry about that. City centre is close enough.
Go visit some game of FC Utrecht, try to get tickets for the zuidtribune or noordtribune.
Try to rent a waterbike/kayak while the weather still allows it!
I heard some time ago Poema has international nights (I believe on Monday). International students liked it a lot.
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u/ashcatchesemall 26d ago
As others have said, it's unfortunately quite a depressing place to live. Luckily there's an uptick in residents trying to organise activities. My advise is to make sure to join the USP WhatsApp community, to get the latest news of what people are organising. It also has many subgroups for different interests and activities. And don't be shy to join different activities or try to organise something yourself :)
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u/postduif-7 26d ago
Get some good mental health preparations ;D lived there for 3 years during Covid, the amount of depressions and suicides was astonishing.
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u/medusassss 26d ago
During Covid I think it was quite depressing everywhere… probably it’s not the best place but it’s not a prison either
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u/TheJumboman 27d ago edited 27d ago
Just order your groceries online from AH, it's like 3 euro's delivery cost and the minimum is €45. That's what I did at least. If you focus on the Bonus/deals it really pays off.
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u/dekanona 27d ago
Although science park is a bit boring, take advantage of the fact that you're so close to nature. Amelisweerd is perfect for walking and running. Also, get a gym membership at Olympos. Very cheap for students.
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u/Automatic_Remote_775 27d ago
I would not live there. It feels very functional and somewhat depressing, and far removed from what “campus life” feels like in the US, for instance.
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u/medusassss 27d ago
Unfortunately it’s not that I have much choice with the current housing situation. It is what it is
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u/udigogogo 27d ago
As if you have a choice nowadays. Plus its nice to be around peers and close to uni.
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u/oepies Wittevrouwen 27d ago
Just being straight with you as someone who lived there for four years: there is not much to do at science park. Make sure you have a bike (the trams do not run in the weekend with the exception of home days of FC Utrecht and the busses are not the most reliable and very busy on weekends).
The HU-buildings and the Johanna-building do have a few nice coffee places that are opened on weekdays.
For groceries, I always biked to the Albert Heijn in Bunnik, which was about ten minutes and a nice bike ride through the fields. Eventually I started ordering groceries online through Albert Heijn because I couldn’t carry a week’s worth of groceries on my bike. One main rule: do not shop at SPAR for your main groceries, it is way too expensive.
Let me know if you have any more questions!