Exploring Amsterdam North
Getting to Amsterdam North, or Noord as the Dutch say, is a lot easier than you’d think. From Centraal station, exit to the north and you’ll find the free ferry that takes cyclists, small cars, and pedestrians across the canal. Buiksloterweg is the name of the ferry we took every day to get to our AirBnB.
With the Noord being so accessible, I think everyone should take the time to explore it if you have more than a couple days in Amsterdam. It’s also a great place to stay if you don’t mind the small commute. It added about 20 minutes one way of walking to visit everything on the other side, but by bike it’s a quick five minutes. There are quite a few budget saving places. Our house was just off the Kamperfoelieweg.
Along the way, Van der Pekstraat is home to the Pekmarkt. The market has different themes depending which day you visit. Even if you miss the market, there are plenty of stores along the street and it’s quite idyllic now that the city has cleaned it up in their efforts to make the north a pleasant place to call home.
The flower shop on Van der Pekplein was one of my favourite stores. I have a few favourite restaurants, but I will share them in another post. The Eye Film Institute, Bimhuis Jazz Venue, and Pllek (the shipping container restaurant), are a few well-heard of sites in Noord. I didn't personally check them out, but I hear they're worth the trip!
If I were to go back to Amsterdam, I would practice riding my bike in this safe, quiet neighbourhood, all the while exploring the quaint, village-like streets of Noord.
