Life in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a wonderful place to live and work in. The city’s got a great quality of life, with the ubiquitous bikes making it easy to get around, an always-buzzing cultural life – and plenty of time to enjoy it all, as the Netherlands is famed for a good work-life balance and sets high standards in education, healthcare and family life.

Meet the locals

Alexandra // Living in Almere
"It’s a new and interesting city with a lot of potential. It’s quiet, with a lot of nature, separate infrastructure for bicycles and dog-friendly."

Daniel // Living in Alkmaar

My Amsterdam Daniel
"Alkmaar has all the characteristics we were looking for: it is close to my office, it is a medium-sized city with all of the facilities and services I needed."

Helena & Pedro // Living in Amstelveen

My Amsterdam Helena
"One of the first things that amazed me when I first came here was how family-friendly this busy city can be."

Dorothy & Stanley // Living in Heemskerk

Dorothy and Stanley header
"Living in Heemskerk gives us a better quality of life. The fact that it is accessible to big cities such as Amsterdam, Haarlem and Alkmaar means we don’t lose out by not living in a big city."

Tessa // Living in Hilversum

My Amsterdam Tessa
"Hilversum has a strong and well-integrated international community. Make sure you get to know your neighbours and join in with local activities."

Paola // Living in Aalsmeer
"We love sailing on the lake. One of the reasons to move here was to have a boat parked at the end of the garden."

Shirley // Living in Purmerend

Shirley Ke
"If you want to enjoy the rural, peaceful life, Purmerend is a good place for you."

Tracy // Living in Haarlem
"We love having so much available to us – experiences, restaurants, shops, museums – and the overall quality of life is great."
Girl on bike Amsterdam CC BY-SA 2.0 Franklin Heijnen via Flickr

Daily life in a cosmopolitan village

Find out more about daily life in Amsterdam and how to join in: from jumping on a bike to getting to know the international community.
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Concertgebouw Amsterdam Leander Lammertink

Amsterdam’s cultural life

Don’t be fooled by Amsterdam’s village-like charm: this is a European capital and as such offers an exciting art, music, film and theatre scene.
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9 kids in bakfiets amsterdam CC BY 2.0 WIkimedia Commons

Families and kids in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is great if you have kids: its small size and green spaces mean a relaxed lifestyle, but at the same time, there’s always something to do.
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Explore life in Amsterdam

The city’s international community
Amsterdam neighbourhoods
Bilder en DeClerq shop Amsterdam Marie Charlotte Peze
Amsterdam schools
man riding bakfiets with child Amsterdam
Housing in Amsterdam
Living in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Find out more about Amsterdam

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