Amsterdam remains one of Europe's best cities to live in and each district has a distinctive atmosphere. Here's a guided tour through the best parts.

• Central Amsterdam
• Jordaan
• Eastern Docklands
• Oud Zuid
• De Pijp
• Amstelveen

Despite being besieged by tourists in the summer, the central area of Amsterdam, with its beautiful canals and authentic 17th and 18th century architecture, is a highly prized location.

While prices to buy or rent in comparable areas in London or Paris are still several times higher than Amsterdam, the grachtengordel (central canal ring) remains one of the most expensive, and highly sought after, areas in the Netherlands.

Many of the old canal houses have been renovated and broken down into smaller apartments, ensuring a good range of available housing. But competition can be fierce. It can be difficult to find an entire house to rent or buy, but the breath-taking architecture and lovely hidden gardens make it well worth the effort.

The canals that flow through these areas are littered with 750 houseboats. The Brouwersgracht and the northern parts of the grachten (canals) are particularly highly populated, while other stretches, such as the Golden Bend, are kept empty by the City Council. Living on a houseboat looks romantic, but defrosting the ice in your toilet is no fun. A boat with 21st Century facilities is near impossible to find.

What you can find is a mix of almost everyone; from students and artists, to Dutch yuppies, old families and business people with a huge dash of expatriates from around the globe.

The Jordaan is just outside the grachtengordel and has the hustle and bustle of urban life to it, but at a slightly slower pace. Housing prices there have exploded during the past ten years due to its local popularity and offer relatively poor value for money with smaller, more cramped living spaces — a testament to its history.

Traditionally, this small, 350-year-old neighbourhood housed working class families who worked for the wealthy burghers on the grachtengordel with several generations living in very small dwellings.

Nowadays, the Jordaan is shared between the yuppies, students and the remaining working class families who have not left for the suburbs. While these groups do not always mix socially, the bars and cafes around the area are often open to a great blend of people.

For shopping, the Monday morning market (textiles) and the Saturday farmer's market draw people from all over the city. But due to the district's size and continued local popularity, housing in the Jordaan can be very difficult to find.

Historically, the docklands were first used by big Dutch shipping companies, but since 1988 it has become the biggest post-war building project in Amsterdam, with 8,500 homes built in the IJ river in response to the chronic housing shortage.

The area consists of several new man-made islands interconnected by bridges. The water is one of the most important characteristics and qualities of this area, which is something of a laboratory in the field of urban development and architecture.

It also offers new, comfortable homes in an upmarket neighbourhood, close to both the ring road and the city centre.

KNSM island is the furthest out. The densely-built area counterbalances the enormous scale of the open water and offers a colourful collection of properties for rent and sale at a good range of prices. Java is glued to the KNSM-island and is split by the IJ and divided into five areas by means of newly cut narrow canals. The islands of Borneo and Sporenburg feature experiments in high-density, low-rise development.

Old Zuid is traditionally known as the posh neighbourhood of Amsterdam and is one of the most popular areas for expatriates.

Many houses are built in the world-renowned style of the Dutch School and originate from the early 20th Century. Most dwellings are privately owned, well kept and spacious. Close to the Vondelpark, it offers the best of urban living with a more leafy, suburban feel, easy parking and motorway access.

Transport is excellent with the centre just 20 minutes by tram and some centre areas are within walking distance.

The area around the Rudolf Hartplein is called Duivelseiland where you can find upmarket shops, restaurants and pleasant apartment blocks. The area between the Vondelpark and De Lairessestraat offers similar housing, but proximity to the park makes this area extremely desirable. If you like a very quiet, residential area with clean streets and large apartments, consider the Componistenbuurt and Rivierenbuurt.

This area of Amsterdam comprises two areas on opposite side of the city and offers quirkier, urban living. Both districts had been badly in need of renovations and as part of the government's city clean-up drive, they introduced the opportunity to buy flats. What were once two areas almost completely comprised of government housing, both now offer private possibilities

De Pijp (The Pipe) is often referred to as the Latin Quarter of Amsterdam and is named after the narrow, long and straight streets that run parallel to each other. Originally a blue-collar housing development, De Pijp still feels like a bustling, small, crammed and extremely lively district with lots of ethnic diversity.

Westerpark is conveniently located close to the city centre and the ring road, with good transport, but has major parking problems. Several new housing projects fill the gap for affordable 3 or 4 bedroom apartments with a large majority of the unusual buildings situated on former industrial sites.

 The green and peaceful suburban town of Amstelveen is situated immediately south of Amsterdam.

Amstelveen's botanic gardens are famous for their wild Dutch plants and the area is a stone's throw from the park and recreation areas of the Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Woods) and the Nieuwe Meer (New Lake).

It is a favoured location for both multi-national companies (Canon, KPMG and KLM, to name a few) and their employees. Some Amsterdammers think of Amstelveen as a dormitory suburb, though city publicists point out as many people commute in as out each day. Trade and IT are big business in Amstelveen and Schiphol airport, a major European transport hub, has been there since 1917.

Amstelveen has a family sort of feel with an unusual combination of Dutch families, suburban singles, pensioners (currently 18 percent of the population), and Japanese and American business people.

This means that there are plenty of restaurants, cafes and sushi bars, as well as a wide range of housing available. But prices for larger houses can rival those of the expensive Wassenaar, located outside of The Hague.

9 June 2004

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Where to live in Amsterdam