Both neighbourhoods are part of Amsterdam-Zuid, but divided by the Schinkel River. A rather novel feature of living here is that you will often have to wait to cross the canal, while several bridges are lifted. This is due to the relatively high level of leisure yacht traffic that passes between the Ring canal at Haarlemmermeer and the IJ. I haven’t lived here long enough to find the wait time frustrating and still enjoy the charm of watching the boats pass by.

Having moved here only 6 months ago I am still discovering new parts of the neighbourhoods and the recommendations are based on my personal preferences. I am sure there are gems I have missed being a relatively new resident and I look forward to adding to the guide based on your insights and on on-going discoveries!

Housing

The charming homes and streets of Hoofdorppleinbuurt

The architecture in these two neighbourhoods varies slightly, in Schinkelbuurt houses are slightly older and from the beginning of the 20th century and in Hoofddorppleinbuurt they date back to the 1920-30s. Prices are steep like the rest of central Amsterdam, but you get a bit more space for your money in Hoofddorppleinbuurt than in other neighbouring areas of Zuid.

The location is the best part of the area for me. Its central, but still feels quaint. The ease of getting to all parts of Amsterdam makes it a very convenient place to live. My commute to work through Vondelpark is pretty cool, even on a rainy day and I am only a 10 min drive to the airport.

– From the Mamas

Schools and Nurseries

The Bockesprong building which houses both De Notenkraker and De Nautilus, two Dutch basisschools.

The neighbourhoods are home to excellent Dutch basisschools: De Notenkraker and De Nautilus (both schools are located in the Bockesprong building on Theophile de Bockstraat which conveniently is also where the ouder and kind team is located). De Nautilus is a relatively small school with incredibly personable teachers. I continue to be amazed by the diversity in the school. The school has families from all corners of the world. Many of the children speak several languages, but their common language is of course Dutch. You can also find a popular international school, the British School of Amsterdam, close by.

If you take a stroll around the area, you will likely be amazed by the sheer number of nursery options. There is one on every street-corner, if not more! All the large chain providers such as Partou, CompaNanny and Klein & Co have several branches in the area, but you will also find smaller independent nurseries like Nanny Poppins, KDV InieMini, Greenkidzz and De Uil. While waiting lists for nursery spots in most of Amsterdam are long, I was pleasantly surprised to get several spots for my youngest within a relatively short time, on enquiring.

Children’s activities

Westlandgracht on a sunny morning. Residents swim and picnic here in the summer.

If you are new to the Netherlands, you will soon come to learn that hockey is a very popular and competitive sport. Panasj Amsterdam runs weekend sessions at the Bockesprong for children aged 3-10 years old. For children aged 5 and above you can sign up for swimming classes (diploma) at Zwemschool Pardoes on Overtoom, which is only a short bike ride away.

Popular playgrounds (speeltuinen) with huge slides include De Vondeltuin at the entrance to Vondelpark and the Speelterrein outside the Bockesprong. For younger children, the enclosed playground of Legmeerplein has all the bikes and sand-toys you could possibly wish for! Another playground for children of most ages is the Spijtellaantje playground close to De Leertuin, Kindcentrum Amsterdam. In the summer, children and adults can enjoy open water swimming at Park Schinkeleilanden, which is also a great place to pick blackberries in the early autumn!

A great activity for the whole family in the neighbourhood is the historic museum tram line from Haarlemmermeerstation to Amstelveen and back (line 30). It runs every Sunday from the old Haarlemmermeerstation adjacent to the British School of Amsterdam.

Eating Out

If you are bringing the entire family for brunch, both Drovers Dog on Heemstedestraat and Dignita on Koninginneweg have little play corners giving you an actual chance to enjoy your poached eggs! Children are also more than welcome to roam around in the craft brewery, Butcher’s Tears. They have a large outdoor area behind the old Haarlemmermeerstation making it a great place to spend a time on a sunny afternoon. I often drink my morning coffee while doing some work at the newly renovated Caffènation on Warmondstraat. Besides the great coffee, the baristas are super friendly and always up for a morning chat. They actually also have a small play corner in the downstairs seating area. Did I mention how family-friendly this area is?

Amsterdam has surprisingly great pizza (!), but if you don’t want to wait 3 months for a reservation at Nnea, then Sotto Pizza or Pizza Mangia on Amstelveenseweg are great alternatives. Crayons provided for the little ones! My favourite neighbourhood restaurant (sans children) is Foodbar 63 Graden on Woestduinstraat. A local gem in my opinion! Delicious food and wine/cocktails and with stand-out service!

Although not technically in the immediate neighbourhood, I cannot write this guide without mentioning THE best chocolate shop in Amsterdam. They don’t have a loyalty programme, but if they did, I would have free chocolate for life! Chocolaterie ArtiChoc on Koninginneweg is a must. They have free samples, but it is impossible to leave without buying something. You are welcome!

I love our neighbourhood! Its very family-friendly, green and with good school-options, but I am also never far from a good coffee or restaurant!

– From the Mamas

Fitness and well-being

After all that eating, it’s good that the neighbourhood also has a number of great fitness options! The YogaDen on Zeilstraat is a must for yogis. Classes are in English and the café is a cute little spot to enjoy a tea after your session. The Bodystudio on Heemstedestraat offers personal training, but also smaller group sessions. Following your work-out you can enjoy a protein shake at the adjoining Juice Brothers. On Karperweg (just behind the old Haarlemmermeer station) you will find Crossfit Amsterdam for a real high intensity work-out.

I can’t recommend this neighbourhood enough! When we first moved to Amsterdam, we lived very central and while there are great benefits to that, I much prefer the true neighbourhood feel of our current home. There is a real community feel, both in terms of conversations you strike on the playground, at school and with your neighbours, but there are also local, neighbourhood drinks, Easter egg hunts (just at Easter obviously!) and other organised activities such as concerts, street clean-ups and markets. It has got a great mix of Dutch and international residents and feels a lot less transient than our old neighbourhood closer to the centre of Amsterdam. If any new or old residents want to meet up, I’d be happy to organise a coffee, and equally, if anyone is considering moving here, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am a proud ambassador of this part of Zuid!

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History of Diemen

Diemen is a little slice of paradise, even though its name would suggest otherwise (I couldn’t resist sneaking in a bit of wordplay). The gorgeous neo-Romanesque tower of the Sint Petrus Banden kerk (church) is a prominent feature of the municipality and definitely one of the highlights of my walking route across Hartveldseweg, the main road connecting Diemen to the A10. Oud-Diemen in Diemen-Noord is another spectacle to behold. It used to be the centre of Diemen in the past and still contains the characteristic Dutch style gabled houses with painted wooden shutters, some going back to 1774.

Diemen was originally established as a fishing village along the river Diem, which is where its name comes from. It is also much older than Amsterdam, excavations revealing the first settlers to have arrived in the 11th century. It is a charming town with a bustling centrum complete with its Albert Heijn XL in Diemerplein, the main shopping centre. Diemerplein is surrounded by picturesque red-brick houses, a sun-dappled square on one side which becomes a sprawling terrace in the summer, and a basisschool on the other. The theatre can also be found on this road. The deep blue ‘Theater De Omval‘ building would be hard to miss. It’s a little gem, hosting jazz afternoons, serving coffee and drinks in a very charming and spacious café, and of course showing films and performances for all ages. The building is now also home to the OBA (library), newly renovated with a gorgeous interior and a separate reading/ play room for the youngest readers.

Diemen-Zuid is calm and green. The local schools are easily reachable by foot which is perfect for families with primary school-aged children.
– From the Mamas.

Public Transport

The proximity of the municipality to Amsterdam has made it very popular. Tram 19 connects you to Amsterdam Oost and eventually stops at Sloterdijk Station at the end of the line. The Sprinter takes you directly to Amsterdam Central Station in 10 minutes and Schipol Airport in 30. The metro in Diemen-Zuid also connects you to Amsterdam Central Station via Amsterdam Oost, along the Amstel. Bijlmer Arena Station is a 15 minute bus ride away. If you don’t have a car, it can feel inconvenient to have to rely on public transport all the time if you aren’t better connected. I live in Diemen-Centrum and still feel irked sometimes when I have to walk the ten minutes it takes to get to the nearest tram stop, while pushing a wailing toddler in her stroller. I can imagine someone living further away would feel even less inclined to walk that distance.

Activities and clubs

I was pleasantly surprised when I first moved here by the number of activities available for kids of all ages. A free playgroup for 0 to 4 year olds called the spelinloop is offered 3 days a week in Diemen-Centrum, Zuid and Noord. There’s another one starting soon in Holland Park. The Muziekschool Diemen is another hot favourite, offering classes for children as young as 8 months old. For children from 8 years old there are also horse-riding lessons at Manege De Eenhoorn. From football to dance classes, there’s something for every kid.

Schools

The schools here have generally good reviews, but waiting lists can be very long. The international school, AICS, is a 15 minute bus ride away from Diemen-Centrum. Swimming schools can also have long waiting lists.

Housing

The houses are a mix of the old and the new. Holland Park boasts some of the newest buildings, while the older parts of Diemen have the picturesque houses that, while pretty to look at from the outside, might be fixer-uppers or with low energy efficiency ratings. Information about housing prices and renting can be found on funda.nl.

Parks and other attractions

Diemen boasts a ‘nature’ playground, De Omloop in Diemen-Noord, which becomes a lively barbecue spot during the summer. Another lush green playground with a zip-line and a dedicated barbecue area has recently been inaugurated in Diemen-Centrum. Diemen-Zuid is dotted with playgrounds, big and small. Holland Park is also not far behind with three lovely playgrounds having recently sprung up. Diemen Sniep even has options for rainy days: Monkey Town and Street Jump. My kids and I are especially fond of visiting the little boerderij or petting zoo located next to the bridge which connects Diemen-Centrum to Sniep. The Diemerbos is also a favourite among both locals and non-locals. ‘House of Bird’ is located here: a gorgeous eatery with a playground right next to it, the winning combo. The kids can also follow a bird route and get a diploma when they complete the trail. Residents also get to enjoy having a Rataplan in the vicinity. It has a cosy café on the first floor where visitors can enjoy a hard-earned cup of coffee after browsing through the huge thrift store.

If you’re moving from the city (refer to our Amsterdam Neighbourhood Guide series), Diemen might seem a bit too quiet in the beginning. It differs from area to area, naturally. If you are a coffee snob living in Diemen might mean that you’d have to go to Amsterdam to get your fix. However, a new(ish) cafe in Holland Park DSTRCT DZ has reasonable coffee, complete with fancy latte art. Before I bought my coffee machine I took countless trips to Watergraafsmeer just to have a good cappuccino. Thankfully, that’s not too far from Diemen. Options for dining out are limited, although a couple of great Italian restaurants are located here. When I first moved to Diemen four years ago, there were hardly any food delivery options. Now, however, takeout options have expanded considerably.

As my family prepares to leave the Netherlands, heading further West, I look back at my time here, in Diemen, and can’t help but feel content.

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

The post Neighbourhood Guide: Diemen 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

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