My Amsterdam: Interviews with locals

Learn more about what life is like in Amsterdam directly from people who've already made the move. Amsterdam international profiles introduces you to a wide variety of people from around the globe who've chosen to develop their career and live their life in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, finding new work, making new friends and enjoying a wealth of opportunities. Share in their experiences and get ahead with their tips.

Share your story

Do you have advice, ideas, tips and experiences about living in Amsterdam as an international resident that you would like to share with new and potential expats? We'd love to hear from you! To participate in International Profiles, please send an email to [email protected].

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."

Interviews and stories

Jason Denham // Denim designer
Hailing from London, Jason Denham has tailored himself a place among the denim greats with Amsterdam-born brand Denham the Jeanmaker.

Lara van Druten & Guy Thimister
South African native Lara van Druten, founder and Managing Director of The Waste Transformers, and her French husband Guy Thimister first arrived in Amsterdam in 1987.

Amanda Yiu // Tea specialist

Amanda Yiu
Amanda Yiu gifted Amsterdam all the delicacy and decorum of the Chinese tea ceremony with high-end tea shop Formocha.

Discover more Amsterdam stories

My Amsterdam: Sandra

10 Aug 2018
Meet Sandra, a Portuguese national who moved to Almere with her husband in late 2007. Her work as a volunteer at local organisations International Alm...

My Amsterdam: Deepa

10 Feb 2015
Meet Deepa, who's been enjoying life in Amsterdam for four years, working on her international media career while raising a family. As part of the Ams...

My Amsterdam: Denise

20 Nov 2015
Meet Denise, a systems engineer from Germany who moved to Amsterdam eight years ago. As part of the Amsterdam international profiles, you can learn mo...

My Amsterdam: Jessica

15 Sep 2015
Meet Jessica, an event specialist turned community manager who made the move from the US to Amsterdam last year with her husband. As part of the Amste...

My Amsterdam: John Veluchamy

21 Sep 2015
Meet John, a Medical Research PhD student from India who is currently living in Amsterdam with his wife and one-year-old daughter while studying at th...

My Amsterdam: Joyce

04 Sep 2015
Meet Joyce, a Nutritional Therapist who moved to Amsterdam four years ago and now runs a successful nutrition business, EatLiveLovefood. As part of th...

My Amsterdam: Kevin

28 Jan 2015
Meet Kevin, who's been benefiting from an international internship in Amsterdam. As part of the Amsterdam international profiles, you can learn more a...

My Amsterdam: Candace

22 Jan 2015
Meet Candace, who's been running a business in Amsterdam for five years and made the city her home. As part of the Amsterdam international profiles, y...

My Amsterdam: Guy

25 Feb 2015
Meet Guy, who's been building a new food future for himself in Amsterdam for two years now. He's the founder of Sir Hummus, a delicatessen specialisin...

My Amsterdam: Theodora

07 Oct 2015
Meet Theodora, a theatre producer, director and coach from Greece who moved to Amsterdam 14 months ago and now runs an arts foundation. As part of t...

My Amsterdam: Jagdeep & Sumeet

26 Mar 2015
Meet Jagdeep, Sumeet and their family. They made the move to Amsterdam four years ago and, as part of the Amsterdam international profiles, you can le...

My Amsterdam: Nicolas

20 Nov 2015
Meet Nicolas, a Recruiting Manager from Paris who moved to Amsterdam six months ago. As part of the Amsterdam international profiles, you can learn mo...

My Amsterdam: Ioana

28 Jan 2015
Meet Ioana, who's a first year student at the University of Amsterdam. As part of the Amsterdam international profiles, you can learn more about livin...

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