There are a few good cheap gyms in Amsterdam and I would like to share with you my experience with them. They are located in different areas of the city and based on where you live you probably choose another one. There are some gym networks with multiple locations. If you sign up at this gym you can go to any location you want. So what is the best cheap gym in Amsterdam?
The Best Cheap Gyms in Amsterdam are Fit For Free and Basic-Fit. Their basic membership costs about 20 euros per month, with gym and sauna included. A little bit better, but still on a budget is SportCity. For 54,40 per month, you get a gym, group lessons, sauna, and solarium.
I would like to mention that I don’t get paid for recommending any of these gyms, it’s just my experience and a little research. In this article, I will also find information on what’s included in the memberships, which gym would be the best for tourists, nomads, students. There is also a gym with a swimming pool that I can recommend. If you are a student they’re also a couple of interesting offers.
Cheap Gym Membership in Amsterdam
So let’s start with estimation what is a cheap membership? Everywhere in the Netherlands, a gym subscription is 4 weeks long. Cheap membership costs on average 20 euros per month. For that amount of money, you can get budget gyms such as Basic-Fit or Fit For Free. I’ve been training in both of them and I can recommend these gyms.
Each gym that belongs to these gym chains is different based on their location. Some of them have saunas and some have a solarium. For example, I was training in Fit For Free Haarlem, and it was a great gym. for 19 euros per month, I had access to the infrared sauna, solarium, spinning room and of course gym. For me, it’s important that there is enough equipment so I don’t have to wait, as I always plan my training and I have limited time. In Fit For Free, there are also group lessons and if you would like to sign up for them, there are some extra costs.
SportCity
At the moment, I have a membership in Sportcity and I must admit they have a pretty good deal. I pay 54,50 euros per month and in this package, there is gym + sauna + solarium + group lessons such as yoga, spinning. There are a few different kinds of yoga, Jin Joga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga both active and meditation, Power Yoga, Yoga Flow and there is also Pilates. In the past, I’ve been signed up to yoga studio and I was paying 110 euros a month a here for 54,50 it’s only a part of the membership. So here we can see a big shift in the fitness industry. Little brands have difficulty competing with big gym networks because these giants can lower their prices tremendously. The same happened to convenience stores and markets. In the past, there were plenty of them. Now, most of the people go to supermarkets. But… Let’s get back to the topic of this article!
Sportcity is a gym chain so when you get a membership you can go to any of their locations. Almost one year ago I signed up for Sportcity Haarlem because my friend was training there. When I moved to Amsterdam I could go to any of their 3 locations in Amsterdam. I go to Wibaustraat because this one is closest to my place. It’s a cool gym and I can definitely recommend it. The only downside I can think of is that they don’t have mirrors in Wibaustraat. But they have mirrors in Sportcity Leidseplein which is cool. I also often go to Leidseplein gym.
Which Gym Should I Choose??
There are three factors you must cosider: location, price and what’s included in a gym membership. For me, there must be different equipment, but nothing fancy and modern. I used to exercise in old school basement gyms, so if there are homemade barbells I am good with that. At this point (because as you know our training routine changes) for me, it’s important that there is a dry sauna. If there is also a solarium I am more than happy.
These cheap gyms such as Basic-Fit and Fit For Free are fine and I was even thinking about switching to Fit For Free Bijlmer Arena. It’s just closer to my place than SportCity. But they don’t have a sauna and that’s a deal-breaker for me. If you just want a cheap gym Fit For Free or Basic-Fit is a way to go.
Gyms For Tourists, Nomads, Day Pass
If you are a tourist the best thing you can do is to go for a free day intake to multiple gyms. For example in my gym – Sportcity – you can enter for 1 day for free. They will ask you if you need any guidance but if you don’t, you can just enjoy your training without paying for it. A day pass in SportCity costs 15 euros, that’s quite a lot for 1 training. In this case, I would go to other gyms that let you exercise for free. David Lloyd also gives a free day pass to every interested person. This way you can enjoy visiting a few gyms within one week without spending a dime.
I know that Fit For Free doesn’t give away free day passes as they used to do in the past.
Have you heard of Gym Nomad?
It’s an app that is created particularly for travelers and nomads. You can find there gyms which offer short term memberships. You can find the Gym Nomad website here. It’s an amazing website 😉 You can find there free spots, such as calisthenics outdoor gyms and there are plenty of them in the Netherlands. This app doesn’t only show gyms but also yoga schools, running tracks, CrossFit boxes, and fight centers and fight clubs. On average for 20 euros you can get a 7-day ticket.
Gym With a Swimming Pool
David Lloyd is a gym I have never been to but my friend has a membership there and he said it’s great. It’s quite pricey because they charge 90 euros per month but there is a swimming pool. This price for a gym and swimming pool is a good deal. You also get free solarium and group classes. Only the sauna is paid extra – they charge 4,95 per entrance.
It’s kind of luxury gym and 90 euros is the average price of a luxury gym. In the end, it’s not that much. They make real money on personal training. For example, a month in a luxury gym with 12 personal pieces of training may cost as much as 750 euros.
On the other hand in budget gyms, you get, once a month, free personal training with a coach. He makes a plan for you and shows you how to do exercises. After one month you see him again and you do the next workout schedule. Basically, this 1 personal training is included in the price of most budget gyms.
What Is The Best Gym In Amsterdam?
The best gym is the closest gym to your apartment 😉 As you can see the prices of gyms in Amsterdam aren’t that high if you compare them to an average income. I really mean that I always choose a gym that is close to my place. Parking in Amsterdam is very expensive and if you have to commute too long just to do training it doesn’t make any sense to me. I would prefer to go out and do some HIIT training or calisthenics.
But for the sake of this article, I did some research and check the best gyms in Amsterdam. The gyms with the best reviews are Gustav Gym – Zuidas, The Gym Amsterdam – Personal Training and Vondelgym Oost.
Exercise For Free
There are multiple options when it comes to free training. You can just go for a run or find the closest calisthenics outdoor gym. But as you are looking for a gym I assume that you want to be around people and in the training vibe. I understand that and I also prefer to go to the gym. When I try to train at home it just doesn’t work out. I finish quick or I don’t start at all. There is always some sort of excuses, but when you go out and get to the gym it’s just easier.
That’s why I come up with another solution which is MeetUp. Meetup is a website/app which lets you organize some events, meetings and invite other people. You can also join already established MeetUps. In Amsterdam, you can find a lot of fitness Meetups. For example, there is Yoga, Bootcamps, Running, mobility and bodyweight training! There is a Football afternoon organized every Sunday in Museumplein – anyone can join. There are plenty of different fitness opportunities. Some of them are paid and most of them are free. I encourage you to research MeetUp and exercise together with other like-minded people.
Summer Free Exercise
During sunny months, there are a lot of outdoor sports events organized in different parts of Amsterdam.
There is for sure a Sunday yoga in Vondelpark(I think you can also find it on meetup) It’s free and for all yoga levels. You can join if you are a professional, as well as if you are a beginner.
If you like rollerblades you should definitely go for Friday Night Skate. If you have skates that’s great and if not you can rent them in Amsterdam. Just google it. Below you can watch a video I recorded during one of Friday Nights.
You can find more info about this event on the website Friday Night Skate. It’s an event organized in Amsterdam since 1997 and it’s organized on each and every Friday. The only exception is when there is raining or there is any national holiday. Definitely worth checking out. I’ve been on other Friday Nighs Skates, in other European cities but I must admit that this one is by far the best. It’s because there aren’t too many people so there is quite a quick tempo and it’s not boring at all. I would say it’s good cardio!
Now something different. Running and cycling. You can just go for a run in Vondelpark. There are plenty of people running so there is always some competition. It feels good when you run and you say hello to other like-minded people. There is also cycling. There are not many places in the world with that amazing cycling infrastructure, so basically take advantage of it and make cycling your exercise routine.
Wrap Up
So basically the best budget gym option is Fit For Free or Basic-Fit. For a little bit more money you get a great deal in Sportcity. But if you like trying new different activities and get to know people, then Meetups or Friday Night Skate can be a great experience. I would like to mention once more a Gym Nomad app which help you find the closest gym offering short term memberships!
