That means: a disarming mix of living, activity and a contemporary culture with beautiful memories of the long shipping history of Amsterdam (the IJ is a former sea arm). In addition, there is plenty of space for recreation, going to the theater together or catching a movie in the Eye Film Museum. And of course you can enjoy the sunny quays at the waterfront from time to time.
Imagine, after a busy day at work taking a relaxing walk through your own neighbourhood. Plenty of time to stroll along the promenade and gaze at the boats on the water slowly passing by, or catch the last rays of sunshine shimmering upon the IJ. In the distance you hear the lively buzz coming from a lounge café, tempting, but today you’ll decide to lay out a blanket on the grass. Well worth knowing, the old quay is being transformed into an elongated Riverbank Park called Oeverpark, a surprisingly green ‘Garden on the IJ’.
For a while North Amsterdam is no longer a secret tip or ‘suburb on the rise’. In many aspects it’s the new bustling, informal heart of the city. The famous Amsterdam vibe has slowly but surely moved to North Amsterdam. In many ways it’s now a preferred residential area. North has become a melting pot for the old and ultramodern, with room for greenery, new culture, industrial heritage, bold and adventurous architecture.
You’ll be living in a suburb with relaxing parks and gardens (Noorderpark, Buiksloterbeek, Vliegenbos, Baanakkerspark), secluded between inspiring activity of intelligent start-ups. Shopping? The choice is yours! A bubbling street market in the Van der Pekbuurt or the shops around Buiksloterplein. Your backyard leads to the wide open polder landscapes of Noord-Holland with its old idyllic villages, wetlands, North Sea beaches, the IJsselmeer.
Picture this: a day in the countryside, hiking on a narrow dike along a canal, meadows, old villages where nothing seems to have changed in decades: Broek in Waterland, Ilpendam, Durgerdam, the harbour town of Monnickendam on the Gouwzee. Dutch windmills, a campsite close to a lake, an antique drawbridge of the kind you only find here. The watery nature reserves of Het Twiske, wetlands and stretches of reed, the typically Dutch ‘polders’ near Ijperveld. Drive on the stretchdam to the historic island of Marken, watch the waterbirds near Kinselmeer, Markermeer, the Uitdammer Die or Ijsselmeer.
It’s just a short walk to the Kaap Pavilion where you can grab a coffee, just a bit further along the promenade you’ll find the Eye Film Museum and the A’DAM Tower with it’s fantastic observation deck and multiple co-working spaces. Everything in the historic canal ring and western district is readily accessible, but why bother? You’re at home in North Amsterdam – it’s just a pleasure to live there!
Take the free ferry (just around the corner) and in a couple of minutes you’ll land on the Pontsteiger quay west of Central Station trainstation, right in the heart of busy Amsterdam Centre, with it’s monumental 17th century town houses along the canals and exciting new architecture. See the idyllic islands with old warehouses near Realengracht en Bickersgracht, just north of the world famous Grachtengordel (ring of canals), close to Westerpark with it’s lively hub called Westergasfabriek (television studios, cinema, theatre, art galeries and bars). You are now on walking distance of the Haarlemmerdijk en Haarlemmerstraat, together probably the ‘quirkiest’ shopping area of Amsterdam. Both posh and pleasantly common at the same time.
Everything within the Grachtengordel and West is nearby and easy to access. But why should you? You feel at home in Noord – the part of town where you belong.