None of the five schools below publishes its fees, so the only way to compare them on price is to ask each for the cost per level with materials included, and the only things you can compare in advance are hours, class size, level range and location.
Those are set out for each school here, because a 33-hour week and a seven-week evening course are very different commitments even when they land you on the same rung of the ladder.
1) Taalhuis Amsterdam
Taalhuis is at Gerard Doustraat 220 in De Pijp, a few minutes from the Albert Cuyp market, and covers the full ladder from A1 to C2.
It runs the widest set of formats of any school here: regular courses once a week, intensive courses twice a week, fast tracks, summer immersions, conversation and deepening courses, private lessons and in-company teaching.
There is also a book club and a debate club, which is where you go once grammar has stopped being the problem and confidence has become it.
New courses start throughout the year rather than in fixed terms, and the school reserves about five free places each course period for undocumented refugees through a partnership with the ASKV.
Enquiries go to info@taalhuisamsterdam.nl or 06 14 30 31 31.
2) Koentact
Koentact teaches at Elandsgracht 70 in the centre and works at A1, A2 and B1.
Its evening and morning group courses both run to 31 hours, the evening one spread over five weeks and the morning one compressed into a month, and both include two field trips out of the classroom.
The intensive option is 33 hours of teaching over six days, which is the fastest route on this list to a working A1.
There is also a conversation course of seven lessons across five weeks for people who already have some Dutch and have stopped using it.
Online evening classes, private lessons and in-company teaching complete the range.
3) UvA Talen
UvA Talen is the University of Amsterdam’s language centre, at Roetersstraat 25 beside the Roeterseiland campus, and it lists 26 Dutch courses across the levels.
Its courses are mapped to the Common European Framework, which is what makes it the school to use if you need a certificate an employer or an institution will recognise.
Both intensive and regular-paced tracks run, on site or online, from absolute beginner upwards.
It is reachable on 020 214 1234 or trainers@uvatalen.nl, and being university-run it works to academic terms rather than rolling start dates.
4) Dutch Courses Amsterdam
Dutch Courses Amsterdam is at Admiraal de Ruijterweg 175 in West and caps every class at eight students, the only school here that publishes a class size at all.
It covers A0 to B2 and splits grammar and conversation between specialist teachers rather than having one person do both.
The formats are a two-week intensive running Monday to Friday, an evening course of seven weeks meeting twice a week, an afternoon semi-intensive over four and a half weeks on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the same evening course online.
Study materials are included with most courses along with access to an online vocabulary tool, which removes the usual hidden cost.
5) Talencoach
Talencoach runs one thing, a seven-day live course in Amsterdam called Dutch Brainwash, built by Albert Both around pattern recognition rather than grammar drills.
It is the outlier here: a single week rather than a term, aimed at people who have already failed to get going by conventional means.
The school does not publish levels, so ask where it expects to leave you before booking, particularly if you need a level for a formal purpose.
It also does not publish a price, and as a one-week intensive it is unlikely to be the cheapest option on this page.
How To Choose A Dutch Course In Amsterdam
Start with what the certificate is for, because that decides more than teaching style does.
If you need a recognised level for a university place, a job or a residence application, UvA Talen’s framework-mapped courses are the safe route, and any school you consider instead should be asked directly whether it prepares for the Staatsexamen NT2.
If you only need to hold a conversation at the market and with neighbours, the conversation courses at Taalhuis and Koentact are aimed at exactly that and cost less time.
Ask three questions of every school before paying: the fee per level, whether materials are inside it, and the maximum class size.
Only Dutch Courses Amsterdam publishes the last of those, so on the others the answer you get is itself informative.
Which Course Type Fits Your Schedule
An intensive course means most of a working week for two weeks or a full six or seven days in one go, and it suits the gap between arriving and starting a job.
Koentact’s six-day intensive and Talencoach’s seven-day course are the compressed end of that, and Dutch Courses Amsterdam’s two-week day course is the more conventional version.
Evening courses meeting once or twice a week are the realistic option alongside full-time work, and both Koentact and Dutch Courses Amsterdam run one.
Private lessons cost more per hour but let you set the focus, which is worth it if your Dutch is uneven rather than absent.
Online versions of the evening courses exist at Koentact, UvA Talen and Dutch Courses Amsterdam, and are the answer if you travel for work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Dutch schools in Amsterdam are best for absolute beginners?
Dutch Courses Amsterdam starts at A0 and caps classes at eight, and Taalhuis Amsterdam starts at A1 with rolling start dates so you do not wait for a term.
Koentact also starts at A1 and builds field trips into its group courses, which gets you using the language outside a classroom early.
How much do Dutch courses in Amsterdam cost?
None of these five publishes a price, so you have to ask each one for the fee per level and whether materials are included.
Ask about the whole ladder rather than one level, since the cost of getting from nothing to B1 is what actually matters.
What is the difference between intensive and part-time courses?
Intensive courses run most days for a short block, from Koentact’s 33 hours in six days to a two-week full-day course, and move you up a level fast.
Part-time evening courses meet once or twice a week over five to seven weeks and take longer to cover the same ground, but survive contact with a job.
Are there free or low-cost Dutch classes in Amsterdam?
Taalhuis Amsterdam reserves around five free places each course period for undocumented refugees through the ASKV.
Beyond that, subsidised lessons exist under the integration programme for those who qualify, and libraries and volunteer language cafés offer informal practice rather than structured teaching.
How long does it take to reach A2, B1 or B2?
That depends on hours rather than months, and the published course lengths here are the only reliable guide: roughly 31 to 33 hours of teaching per level at Koentact.
Any school quoting you a timeline should be asked how many contact hours it involves, because that is the comparable number.
Which school suits international students and working professionals?
UvA Talen for students, because the certificate is recognised and the campus is on Roeterseiland.
For people in full-time work, the evening courses at Koentact and Dutch Courses Amsterdam are the two built around that schedule.
