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town and municipality in North Holland, the Netherlands
Europe > Benelux > Netherlands > Western Netherlands > North Holland > Amstelland > Amstelveen

Amstelveen is a town in Amstelland. It is a suburb of Amsterdam. In 2003 Amstelveen was named Most attractive city of the Netherlands for its proximity to the nation's capital Amsterdam, its safety, accessibility and richness of culture.

Understand

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The new city centre, Stadshart.

Amstelveen, known as Nieuwer-Amstel until 1964, is a city in the Amstelland. The city grew from a town founded for the harvesting of bog, which was a popular fuel at the time. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, wealthy Amsterdammers moved to the town in search of some peace and quiet. Southern Amsterdam used to be a part of the municipality. After annexation of Amsterdam Zuid, the former town hall of Nieuwer-Amstel housed the Amsterdam city archives from 1914 to 2007.

Not late after the first annexation, in 1921, another annexation followed taking away the northern and most densely populated part of Amstelveen. This left the municipality to conclude of the town of Amstelveen as well as several small towns. Amstelveen, however, kept its appeal to the wealthier citizens of Amsterdam, which shows from the suburbs built around 1930 in the northwest of the municipality.

Former Amstelveen railway station near the old town centre

After the Second World War, Nieuwer-Amstel became an overflow for Amsterdam, housing more and more people that could not find or did not want a home in Amsterdam, and for people that worked at the growing Schiphol Airport. During the 1960s Amstelveen was the fastest growing city of the Netherlands. In 1964 the municipality was renamed after the city that by now was considered an extension of Amsterdam.

Since the last half of the 1990s, Amstelveen's expansion has become more and more gradual. At this time, no further expansion is planned. The most recent expansion is Westwijk to the southwest of town. To suit the needs of the existing population, Stadshart has been created to replace the old town centre, located about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) west of Stadsplein, Stadshart's main square. In Stadshart you will find a central library, a large mall, cultural and gastronomical services, and offices.

Get in

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Line 5 tram terminal at Stadshart in Amstelveen.

By car

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The A9 crosses straight through the municipality and functions as a ring-road for traffic that does not need to go to Amsterdam per se. Amstelveen can be reached from The Hague, Rotterdam and Leiden using the A4 followed by the A9 once having passed by Schiphol. Utrecht, Den Bosch and Eindhoven can use the A2, followed by the A9 after passing by Abcoude. Apeldoorn and everything north there of is best off using the A1, followed by a kilometre of A2 heading away from Amsterdam, quickly followed by the A9.

By public transit

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Tram line 5 comes from Leidesplein in Amsterdam (connecting there with other tram lines from Amsterdam Centraal station), passes Amsterdam Zuid station and terminates at 1 Stadshart (former name: Binnenhof) in Amstelveen. Tram line 25 runs between Amsterdam Zuid station and WestWijk in Amstelveen; it bypasses Stadshart. The 2 Amstelveen bus station is about 700 metres east of the Stadshart tram terminal, near the Stadsplein. Busses also run from the central busstation to Aalsmeer (line 171 and 357), Uithoorn (line 174 and 374), Haarlem (line 300 and 356), Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA (line 356) and Amsterdam Centraal (line 347 and 357).

GVB and Connexxion have timetables and maps for public transit in the area.

By museum tram

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On Sundays from April to November, one can take a vintage tram (operating as Electrische Museumtramlijn Amsterdam) from Haarlemmermeerstation in Amsterdam/Zuid to 3 Station Amstelveen near an attractive small-town area with restaurants. Because of a construction project, the museum line will be shortened until 2026 to run south only to Molenweg, about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) north of Amstelveen's old town centre.

Get around

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The former country retreat of Amstelveen still has a lot of beautiful nature to explore.

Amstelveen's city centre is navigable on foot, with tram line 5 connecting Amsterdam Zuid station with the Stadshart. Tram line 25 runs south from Amsterdam Zuid Station to Westwijk in Amstelveen overlapping tram line 5 between the Amsterdam Zuid Station and Oranjebaan stops but bypassing Stadshart. Metro line 51 no longer serves Amstelveen south of Amsterdam Zuid railway station; it was replaced by tram line 25.

  • 1 Molen de Dikkert, Amsterdamseweg 104a (corner of Molenweg and Amsterdamseweg), ☏ +31 20 643 3333. Windmill, which serves as a restaurant now. Molen de Dikkert (Q20824323) on Wikidata Molen De Dikkert on Wikipedia 
  • 2 Amsterdamse Bos. A larger forest/park that straddles the border between Amstelveen and Amsterdam. Access from Amstelveenseweg. Horse rental, canoe rental and an open air theater are some of the attractions. Amsterdamse Bos (Q511560) on Wikidata Amsterdamse Bos on Wikipedia 
  • 3 Cobra Museum of Modern Art. The collection of the museum consists of key works by artists of the movements Vrij Beelden (1945), Cobra (1948–1951), and Creatie (1950–1955). Cobra Museum (Q2161858) on Wikidata Cobra Museum on Wikipedia (updated Sep 2017)
  • 4 Museum Jan van der Togt. A modern visual art museum, which was established in 1991 by Jan van der Togt, an industrialist and founder of the company Tomado who was a collector of contemporary art. Museum Jan van der Togt (Q2514360) on Wikidata Museum Jan van der Togt on Wikipedia (updated Sep 2017)
  • 5 Poppodium P60, Stadsplein 100a, ☏ +31 203 453 445, . P60 offers an audience to up-and-coming pop artists, and already established artists, whether they are Dutch or not. (Q2177438) on Wikidata (updated Mar 2018)
  • Cricket: VRA Cricket Ground (capacity 7000) is in the sports complex at Amsterdamse Bos. It's the usual ground for Netherlands to play international 50- and 20-overs matches, and it hosts VRA Amsterdam in domestic fixtures.
  • 1 Winkelcentrum Stadshart Amstelveen (Stadshart Amstelveen shopping centre) (near tram line 5's Stadshart terminus). Tu-Sa 10:00-18:00, Su M 12:00-18:00. This modern shopping centre has 145 stores, exterior pedestrian streets and a town square (Stadsplein). (updated Jan 2020)
  • 2 De Markt van Amstelveen (Market Place of Amstelveen), Stadsplein 98 (on a square within the Winkelcentrum Stadshart Amstelveen). Fr 8:00-17.00. A weekly farmers' and flee market with 400 stalls. (updated Jan 2020)

Drink

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Sleep

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The former train station of Amstelveen is not only a hotel, but is also located along the heritage tram line of Amsterdam.
  • 1 Cityden Stadshart, Professor J.H. Bavincklaan 3, ☏ +31 20 3100 260, . Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. The best of both worlds combined: half-apartment, half-hotel. Cityden Stadshart has 89 Apartments & Studios are the perfect place to find your balance. (updated Feb 2023)
  • 2 Cityden Zuidas, Professor J.H. Bavincklaan 3, ☏ +31 20 308 02 95, . Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Cityden Zuidas is a unique aparthotel with 134 Studios & 1-Bedroom Apartments, where guests can make the most of their stay. Whether it is for business or pleasure, we got the right place for you. (updated Feb 2023)
  • 3 Grand Hotel Amstelveen, Bovenkerkerweg 81, ☏ +31 206 455 558, . €85. (updated Mar 2018)
  • 4 Station Amstelveen, Stationsstraat 28, ☏ +31 6 1137 2741, . This bed and breakfast is located in the former train station of Amstelveen. On Thursdays to Sundays, it also serves brunch until 14:30 with the general public welcome if there is a free table. €136. (updated Mar 2018)
  • 5 Alp de Veenen Boutique Hotel, Ouderkerklaan 19, ☏ +31 206 415 078. €72. (updated Mar 2018)
  • 6 Abina, Amsterdamseweg 193, ☏ +31 206 401 101. €69. (updated Mar 2018)
  • 7 Amsterdam Forest Hotel, Amsterdamseweg 465a (bus routes 348/358 and 347/357 stop at Graaf Florislaan; walk 150 m north), ☏ +31 202 622 102. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Named for the Amsterdam Forest, a large green park that starts almost in the hotel's backyard. Extensive breakfast buffet for extra charge. No children under the age of 12. No pets. No smoking. €150; parking €10 (reservation required). (updated Feb 2023)
  • 8 Ibis Budget Hotel, Professor J.H. Bavincklaan 1, ☏ +31 207 154 333, . A case of getting what you pay for. The room will be small but clean enough, with a bed and a backless stool and not much else. As some of the rooms have two, three, four, or five single beds, it is a good option for families or friends traveling together. Best for people who travel light, spend most of the day outside the hotel, and just need a place to crash until they can get up and get out again the next morning. $100–150. (updated Feb 2023)

Connect

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Go next

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Using the metro and tram network of Amsterdam, the city centre of Amsterdam is 30 minutes away. Both tram lines 5 and 25 connect Amstelveen to Amsterdam Zuid Station, where one can use the metro system to visit various parts of Amsterdam. Other cities surrounding Amsterdam are Hoofddorp and Zaandam. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, from which you can fly virtually anywhere, isn't far either.

Routes through Amstelveen
Alkmaar ← Schiphol ←  N Rijksweg 9 E  → Amsterdam Zuidoost
Amsterdam Centraal ← Amsterdam Zuid ←  N Amsterdam Tram, line 5 S  → END
Amsterdam Centraal ←  N Amsterdam Metro, line 51 S  → END


This city travel guide to Amstelveen is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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