Oud Zuid

Oud Zuid is not as old as the canal belt and some areas of Oud Zuid can be downright new, but generally Oud Zuid is a large neighbourhood located between Museumplein on the north, Vondelpark on the west, the Zuider Amstelkanaal on the south and the Boerenweteringkanaal on the east. This location gives residents easy access to some of Amsterdam’s greatest resources: the vibrant beauty of the historic Canal Belt, the peace and quiet of the vast Amsterdamse Bos, and of course, Schiphol Airport!

Oud Zuid itself has lots of green space, open spaces, and quiet residential streets. There are plenty of playgrounds and athletic fields, excellent schools – both international and Dutch – and attractive shopping areas. It has tram service and subway service to downtown and Centraal Station and from Station Zuid one can get to virtually anywhere in the Netherlands.

Is it the proximity to Schiphol, downtown, or Zuidas that has made Oud Zuid popular with the international community? Or is it the international schools in the area? It is not clear what came first but for whatever reason, there is a large international community in Oud Zuid and it is not uncommon to hear English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, German, etc. mixed in with Dutch at the local playgrounds.

Housing

While they all have Oud Zuid on the street signs, there are basically three distinct neighbourhoods in Oud Zuid, each with its own feel – MuseumKwartier and Willemspark, Apollobuurt and Stadionbuurt. The most noticeable difference among the neighbourhoods comprising Oud Zuid is their architecture. There have been three major building waves in Oud Zuid, all with different styles but with the same intention: providing attractive and comfortable places for people to live.

• MuseumKwartier and Willemspark

  The first of the Old Zuid building waves began in the last quarter of the 19th century. Agricultural land was developed into the area now containing Museumplein and Vondelpark and its residential neighbourhoods. Muddy pastures transformed into tree lined streets full of elegant row houses loaded with decorative brickwork, charming balconies and idiosyncratic detailing, and with easy access to the newly built Rijksmuseum, Concertgebouw, and the city’s new park.

  While the horse-drawn carriages of yesteryear have been replaced by bakfiets (and Brios (!)), this neighbourhood still retains its air of elegance and exclusivity. Alongside the tourists and museums and stately consulates in Museumkwartier, there are plenty of families who call this area home and avail themselves of the family friendly resources in the neighbourhood.

• Apollobuurt

  

  Canal homes on Apollolaan

  The next large-scale development of Oud Zuid happened in the early decades of the 20th century. Amsterdam desperately needed housing for families and much care was given to designing neighbourhoods that would incorporate schools, shops, playgrounds, places of worship, and open spaces. A hundred years later, these neighbourhood designs still hold up. Housing is a mix of large, well-appointed apartments and attached houses; buildings usually max out at five stories. The architectural style of these neighbourhoods is pure Amsterdamse School – think brick, rounded organic shapes, decorative glass, and wrought ironwork. Sidewalks are generally wide and easily accommodate little ones on scooters or balance bikes.

  Amsterdam hosted the 1928 Olympic Games and many of the streets in the neighbourhood are named after figures in Greek  mythology and culture: Apollolaan, Minervalaan, Agamemmnonstraat, etc. Others are named after classical painters and musicians: Beethovenstraat, Bachstraat, Michelangelostraat, etc. Apollolaan, which forms the northern border of the neighbourhood, is a beautiful parkway lined with gorgeous  homes and even more gorgeous trees.

• Stadionbuurt

  The neighbourhood around the Olympic Stadium is called Stadionbuurt. Much of it, like Apollobuurt, was built in the 1920s but there has been a lot of new development lately. Luxury modern apartment buildings with underground parking and bordering the Schinkel waterway and its modern parks have gone up next to the Stadium and more are planned for a former industrial area across the Stadiongracht. Stadionplein – a large open area with bars and restaurants that also hosts farmers markets on the weekends is located across the street from Olympic Stadium and is bustling with shoppers and young people.One of the most attractive aspects of life in this newly developing neighbourhood is the truly special bike path that runs behind Olympic Stadium to the Amsterdam Bos, which is shared between Zuid and Amstelveen.

Living in Oud zuid is wonderful as you are surrounded by both history and culture and yet you also have a feeling that you live in a village! I often bump into people I know, which is a wonderful feeling when you’re away from home. Oud Zuid also has amazing coffee and food places around every corner!

– From the Mamas.

Family Fun – Places of Interest / Parks / Sports

Zuiderbad, an elegant indoor swimming pool next to the Rijksmuseum, has plenty of family swim times and swim lessons for the  kids, not to mention floats and toys for making pool time loads of fun.

The basketball courts and playground on Museumplein are frequented by local kids, as are the gardens and fountains of the Rijksmuseum. During the winter there is an outdoor seasonal ice skating rink on Museumplein that offers lessons to children.

Concertgebouw has children’s concerts, the Rijksmuseum has children’s programmes and the Van Gogh Museum can play host to your child’s birthday parties.

South of Museumplein, the buzz and busyness disappears. The entire neighbourhood is closely connected toVondelpark and there are entrances to the park on virtually every block. It is hard to overstate the importance of Vondelpark’s resources to the people (and dogs) of the area. There are playgrounds, a splashing pool, grassy areas for picnics and games, cafes, waterways, rose gardens, running and cycling paths. There is even a place for little ones to learn to bake their treats!

On the Apollolaan, the trees are joined every few summers by the temporary modern art installation ArtZuid, which is a wonderful way to introduce visual arts to kids. They even have a summer camp!

Another one of the main thoroughfares in Oud Zuid is Stadionweg which passes through Minervaplein and its organic Friday market, Olympiaplein and its football fields, and finally to the 1928 Olympic Stadium itself, which still hosts athletic events, including the Amsterdam Marathon.

In 10 minutes or less it is possible to cycle from the relative density of the city to a huge forest, Amsterdamse Bos, where one can kayak, ride horses, walk for hours, visit two farms, swim, and navigate a tree top obstacle course.

Schooling

Zuid has several good local, bilingual and international schools. The most popular ones are:

• International School of Amsterdam
• The British School of Amsterdam
• Amsterdam International Community School

For more information on local education and schools join the Amsterdam Mamas Dutch Education Group.

Shopping

The quiet residential streets of Oud Zuid empty into squares topped by chestnut trees where organic food markets set up on the weekends. The commercial streets – Koninginneweg, Cornelis Schuytstraat, Emmastraat – are lined with small cafes, chic boutiques, and gourmet grocery stores as well as the discreet Albert Heijn or Jumbo. The main commercial street of Apollobuurt is Beethovenstraat which is a mix of typical stores (Albert Heijn, Etos) and upscale boutiques and cafes. Two standouts for children are Boekhandel Van Rossum and MiniMarkt; Van Rossum’s has an extensive assortment of children’s books in both Dutch and English, and MiniMarkt has an eclectic and tasteful selection of children’s toys, clothes and home decor.

Calm and green streets very close to the city centre with lots of families and playgrounds. This is why I really enjoy living in Oud Zuid.

– From the Mamas.

For a first-hand account, from fellow Mamas, about living in and around Amsterdam, check our Neighbourhood Guides Series.

The post Neighbourhood Guide: Oud Zuid appeared first on Amsterdam Mamas.

Amstelveen’s location is quite convenient in terms of proximity to Schiphol airport, to some international schools such as ISA, BSA and AICS, and to ‘downtown’ Dam Square, Amsterdam. But the best part about it is that it is surrounded by the Amsterdamse Bos – you can simply and swiftly access the Amsterdamse Bos from several neighbourhoods / wijken in Amstelveen by biking or by walking there! Overall, Amstelveen, like many other neighbourhoods in The Netherlands, is safe, peaceful, and friendly.

The neighbourhood is quite diverse and is a fair representation of Amsterdam’s cosmopolitan nature with plenty of restaurants serving different cuisines, cafes, sport clubs, grocery shops and a few shopping malls. I will list some of the more popular ones here, so keep reading!

Housing

Amstelveen is a suburb of Amsterdam, therefore houses generally tend to be bigger than the ones in Amsterdam city. In general, the types of houses in Amstelveen are called: connected houses, corner houses, apartment buildings and even some stand-alone houses.

The buildings are relatively new and the architecture is different to the iconic canal houses in Amsterdam. Streets are larger with plenty of parking spots, parking in most of Amstelveen is free of charge.

You can search for houses for rent or sale: Pararius, Funda, in addition to other platforms or with the help of a real estate agent (makelaar).

Schooling

Amstelveen has many public schools in its ‘littler’ neighbourhoods, in addition to a few international schools:

• International school of Amsterdam
• Amity International School
• Amstelland International School
• Florencius International School

In terms of nurseries, the majority of them are Dutch, apart from the nurseries in the above-mentioned international schools and Hestia Amstelveen, a bilingual English/Dutch nursery.

Places of Interest / Family Fun

• Amsterdamse Bos, especially Geitenboerderij Ridammerhoeve
  The Amsterdamse Bos is man-made forest  in the municipalities of Amstelveen and Amsterdam, though most of the park is located in Amstelveen. The forest offers many tracks for hiking, jogging and walking, in addition to other sports such as horseback riding and rowing. There are many cafes and restaurants in the forest. One of the more popular attractions is the goat farm where children can play with goats, feed them and watch other farm animals from a closer distance.
• Cobra Museum of Modern Art
  The Cobra Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Amstelveen. The collection consists of key works by artists associated with three art movements, Vrij Beelden, Cobra, and Creatie.  On Wednesdays, all Amstelveen residents have free admission to the museum, in collaboration with the municipality of Amstelveen.
• Clara Maria Cheese & Clog Farm
  This is a beautiful farm house where you can get fresh dairy produce, attend a cheese workshop and learn more about the cheesemaking process. The farm is also a place where you can buy the old Dutch wooden clogs.
• Amstelveen Public Library
  The Amstelveen public library is located right outside Stadshart mall. It offers free membership to children and an adult membership costs 20 euros per year. Even if you are not a member you still can use the library if you are looking for a quiet place to read, or enjoy a cup of tea/coffee. The library offers Taal Coach for those who want to earn Dutch and are looking for free of charge coaches to help. The library hosts many workshops every month for children and teenagers, and language story time for young children.

“During winter you can have a walk in the Bos and afterwards enjoy a nice cup of tea or coffee at any of the cafes in and around the Bos, Also, when it snows and it is really cold, the large lake behind the Gemeente Amstelveen freezes and often people can skate on it, IF the Gemeente puts up a sign that shows it is safe to skate here! Skating can also take place on the frozen canals and the large rowing canal in the Bos, depending on how frozen the water is.”
– From the Mamas.

Daily Life

There are many ‘mini parks’ for each block of houses in Amstelveen – making the neighbourhood not only very green, but also very family friendly.

Grocery stores are scattered across the neighbourhoods of Amstelveen – Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Vomar, are larger supermarkets but you also find several specialised stores like India, Surinami, Japanese, Middle Eastern etc. grocery stores as well.

Amstelveen hosts a weekly Farmers market, every Friday, at the Stadshart Mall from 9am to 4pm. The market carries fresh cheeses, eggs, vegetables and fruits, fresh meat, fish, and the freshly, hand-made Dutch stroopwafels!

On Tuesdays, the mall hosts an organic market “BioMarkt”, which though way smaller than the Friday market, carries only organic produce.

For shopping, Amstelveen has many small shopping centres, but you find the largest variety in the Stadshart mall.

“Don’t miss the fresh stroopwafels every Friday at the Friday Markt .”
– From the Mamas.

Sports

Amstelveen is packed with sport clubs where children and adults can practice many types of sports: at Sportlaan you can find several sports schools/clubs for football, baseball, tennis, basketball or swimming, to name a few. Most of the clubs accommodate non-Dutch speakers. There is also a Golf course in Amstelveen where you can rent to play or book lessons. They have classes for children as well as for adults.

“During summer you can always go canoeing or rent a boat and for little ones. Kids love the Groot Kinderbad and Klein Kinderbad, which are outside paddling pools for young children.”
– From the Mamas.

Learning Dutch

BC “Before Corona!” most of the Dutch classes in Amstelveen used to be in person, now you more easily find Dutch courses online. However, if you are looking for an in person experience you can always visit the Amstelveen public library to apply for one of their classes for Dutch, or join their weekly coffee time to practice your Dutch speaking. Registration at the public library is free of charge for children and it costs a small amount for adults. For in person classes you can also check Platform C for Dutch courses – it is located right next to the mall, the public library and Amstelveen central bus station.

Sustainability

As a neighbourhood, Amstelveen is top-notch in terms of sustainability – Most of the houses have solar panels and produce part of their own electricity; electric car chargers can be found in every corner (there are more than 100 electrical car chargers in Amstelveen); you find underground containers for garbage; and, in each block there is a block of 4 containers for Paper, Glass, Textile and PMD. There are frequent and consistent initiatives for ‘Green Amstelveen’ which help to make the neighbourhood become even more environmentally friendly. The Gemeente (municipality) of Amstelveen subsidies solar panels for houses and offers support to its residents to encourage the use of green and alternative energy. You can check the latest sustainability efforts at this link.

For a first-hand account, from fellow Mamas, about living in and around Amsterdam, check our Neighbourhood Guides Series

The post Neighbourhood Guide: Amstelveen appeared first on Amsterdam Mamas.