Are you visiting Tilburg, or are you living in Tilburg and you’re short on cash? Don’t worry, there are plenty of cheap and free things to do in Tilburg! On this page I’m telling you everything you need to know if you’re exploring Tilburg on a Budget. So you can see and do much of what Tilburg has to offer on a shoestring.
For free: Spoorpark
The Spoorpark in Tilburg is a wonderful park that is free to enter. You can stroll around or have a low-budget picnic. There’s a big Albert Heijn supermarket around the corner. Especially on sunny days it’s a great spot!
You can also visit the Kempertoren that you see on this picture for 1,50 per person, you can pay with you bank card at the entrance of the tower.
For free: Street-art
Low on money? Why not see the city as an open air museum? There’s plenty of street-art to see in Tilburg! I’ve created a blog post with all my favorite graffiti works in Tilburg and have created a handy Google Maps map with all the spots marked.
For free: Movie Nights
Every Thursday evening Hostel Roots organizes free movie nights. The movie starts at 7:30 pm and they show a different one every week. You can even bring your own snacks for a real low-budget evening in Tilburg.
Thursdays at De Pont Museum
Every Thursday evening you can visit modern art museum De Pont for free. From 5 to 9pm you don’t have to buy an entrance ticket and you can visit the museum for free. I’ve been to De Pont many times and I always love going. This contemporary art museum is located in a former wool factory and besides its own collection, they also have several temporary collections.
Kids until 18 years old can always enter for free.
Tuesdays at Pathe Cinemas
Every Tuesday you can go to the movies for only €5,- at the Pathe cinema on the Pieter Vreedeplein in Tilburg. And if you’re going to the movies in the morning on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday you also get a discount on your ticket.
Breakfast at HEMA
The restaurant of the HEMA shop is already really affordable, but in the mornings it’s even cheaper. You can get 5 breakfast items for only €2,- in total. And coffee or tea is just €0,75.
This bagel with avocado, egg and tomato was only €2,50.
Breakfast at Ketelhuis
You can find restaurant Het Ketelhuis near de Piushaven. Every morning from 10 to 11am they’ve got a Breakfast Deal. For only 5 euros you get a croissant, a boiled egg, a slice of toast with cheese, cucumber and Nutella.
Tosti at Anvers
This must be the cheapest breakfast you can get in Tilburg! At Cafe Anvers you can get a tosti (grilled cheese sandwich) for only €2. Their tosti’s are very popular in Tilburg and many people think they’re the best grilled cheese sandwiches you can get in the city. Mostly because of it’s homemade tosti sauce that’s served with it. The tosti deal is valid every morning until 11:30am. But don’t worry if you’re there later, the normal price is only €4,-, so it’s still a cheap lunch!
Please note that the deal is only valid with the purchase of a drink.
Dwars Hotdogbar
Looking for dinner on a budget? I suggest that you go to Dwars Hotdogbar where every hot dog is €8 tops. Their cheapest hot dog is even only €4,-. It must be the cheapest dinner you can get in Tilburg. You can also order every hot dog as a vegetarian one.
Corta Colina
Corta Colina, the Tex-Mex restaurant on the Korte Heuvel has a low-budget three course dinner menu. From Tuesdays to Thursdays you only pay €14,95 for three courses. As a starter you can choose between nacho’s or two kinds of soup. As a main dish you can go for loaded fries, loaded nachos or fajitas. And for dessert you can choose between strawberry cake and churro’s. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday this 3 course menu is €19,95, which is still quite a good deal!
Restaurant Hermitage
Restaurant Hermitage is a restaurant that’s ran by students from the Rooi Pannen school. They’re open for lunch on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and for dinner on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Both the chefs as the waiters are students from the school. Because it’s training for them you can get the meals for a very low price, especially considering the quality and service that you’ll be receiving. For lunch you can choose between a one course (€6,50), two course (€8,50) or three course (€11,50) menu. For dinner they serve a four course menu for only €13,50.
They’re closed during school holidays.
Click here to reserve at Restaurant Hermitage.
Lunch on a Budget
There are several nice places in Tilburg where you can get a cheap lunch. Below is a list of my favorites. All offer a lunch of €5,- or less.
* Faja Lobi. Faja Lobi is a Surinamese restaurant that’s open for lunch and dinner and that’s mostly popular for take-out. They have all kinds of sandwiches on their lunch menu between €3,- and €3,95.
* The Talk. Sandwich restaurant The Talk has 8 sandwiches that are below
€5,- on their menu.
Dinner on a Budget
There are several restaurants in Tilburg that offer a cheap dinner. Below you see a list of all my favorites. All main dishes are cheaper than €10,-.
* Esplanade. Esplanade, the restaurant of Tilburg University serves a Student Meal for only 9,50 on Mondays and Tuesdays between 5 and 7:30pm.
* ‘t Taphuys. From Monday to Wednesday, from 5 to 6pm, ‘t Taphuys on the Piusplein serves a Smash Burger with fries for only €10,-.
* De Burgerij. De Burgerij always has a ‘stamppot’ for only €9,95. These mashed potatoes with vegetables and a meatball are available from Thursdays to Sundays.
* Cafe Bolle. Cafe Bolle on the Piusplein has a ‘Weekhap’ for €9,90. It changes every week, you can ask the staff for this week’s Week Deal.
* Breexz, at the central station of Tilburg has a ‘Daghap’ for €9,50. This dish is different every day and you can order it seven days a week.
* Bruin Kaffee. Bruin Kaffee offers a ‘Stadshap’ for €9,50. The dish is available 7 days a week. The dish changes every week, they often announce the new Stadshap on their Facebook page.
* Kim’s Kroeg. Normally a bar, but on Thursdays you can get a cheap meal at Kim’s Kroeg. For only 9 you can enjoy the ‘Maaltijd op Donderdag’. It’s also available in a vegetarian version.
* De Carroussel. De Carroussel is normally open for lunch only, but on Thursdays when the shops are also open in the evening, you can enjoy dinner there as well. They’ve got three dishes that are below €10,- on the menu, one is vegetarian.
* Brandpunt. Cafe Brandpunt has a ‘weekhap’ for €9,45, it’s available 7 days a week and changes every week.
* Happy Italy. Happy Italy is the most popular budget restaurant in Tilburg. There’s often a queue outside. They’ve got all kinds of pasta and pizza dishes, almost everything on the menu is cheaper than €10,-.
* Poke and More. The poke bowls at Poke and More are €8,50 if you order a small one and €10,50 if you order a big one (you get two extra ingredients and a larger bowl)
* Stoffel. Cafe Stoffel on the Korte Heuvel serves a ‘Stadshap’ for only €10,- on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. You can choose between a meat, fish and vegetarian dish.
* Focus Foodbar. Vegan restaurant Focus Foodbar has a Burger Night every 1st Wednesday of the month. On that evening you get a vegan burger of your choice with fries and a drink for €15,-.
B&B An Apple and an Egg
An Apple and an Egg is a Bed and Breakfast just outside the city center of Tilburg. The hosts Joy’c and Marco will make sure you have a great stay in this unique Airbnb. They started in 2013 with literally a mattress on the floor when they noticed that most hotels in Tilburg were full during music festivals or big concerts. They liked hosting people (and bands) so much that they’ve created their B&B An Apple and an Egg. They have room for 6 people, so it’s ideal if you’re travelling with a group of friends. The room is decorated with music and festival memorabilia. There’s free wifi, free parking and a kitchen that you can use. The room costs 25,- per person per night. For 7,- you can book a breakfast with your stay. They have a Continental or an English breakfast, and both are bookable in a Halal or vegan version.
Hostel Roots
Hostel Roots doesn’t only have its Meal Deal for those living or traveling on a budget, the hostel rooms are also very budget-friendly! You can book a bed in one of the shared rooms for only €22,50. You can also book a private room with your family or a small group of friends for only €32,- per person. Roots is a hostel, but it’s a very high quality one. Especially in the private rooms, it feels more like a hotel than a hostel.
Click here to book your room at Hostel Roots.
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