Amsterdam/Zuidoost

Zuidoost (Dutch for Southeast), often colloquially referred to as the Bijlmer, is a borough of Amsterdam. It is an exclave, separated from the mainland by Duivendrecht and Diemen.

Understand
With no shared borders with Amsterdam, Zuidoost is a separate entity. It was built up in the 1960s and 70s as a residential utopia of sorts with apartment blocks separated by tracts of green. Also known as ‘De Bijlmer’, Zuidoost is a vibrant multicultural district renowned as the home of the Ajax football team.

By car
Zuidoost lies southeast of the A10 ring motorway and west of the Weespertrekvaart waterway that connects with the Amsterdam-Rijn canal. To the north are the town of Diemen and its forest Diemerbos. To the south lies Nieuw Utrechtseweg (A2 motorway) and open fields, beyond which is the Amstel River-side town of Oudekerk aan de Amstel. The A9 motorway runs through Bijlmer from Haarlem and connects to the A1 for Eastern destinations.

By train
The architecturally-acclaimed Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA (Asb) railway station provides easy access to Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands. It serves the Bijlmermeer neighborhood.

Special (through) trains also run throughout the night commencing after the last train of the day and are available until the early morning. These trains run once an hour and the fare for the night train is the same as the day train.
 * From Schiphol Airport. Schiphol station is located directly beneath the airport. From the arrivals hall, walk through Schiphol Plaza to reach the train station.
 * Trains run to and from the Randstad (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht region)

Local trains on the Amsterdam - Utrecht and Amsterdam - Gouda - Rotterdam routes also stop at the new Holendrecht station outside the Amsterdam Medical Center (AMC) hospital, about 2 km south of Bijlmer ArenA.

By metro
Metro lines 50, 53 and 54 link the Bijlmer to the rest of Amsterdam.


 * Metro line runs from Isolatorweg to Gein along the same route as 54 and connects Bijlmer to the south and west of Amsterdam.
 * Metro line runs from Amsterdam Centraal Station to Gaasperplas and services the north and east of Bijlmer.
 * Metro line also from Amsterdam Centraal Station, runs parallel to the railway along the west of Bijlmer, then turns east to Gein in the south.

The two bigger stations of Zuidoost, both on lines 50 and 54, and  are also train stations serviced with Sprinter services (Bijlmer ArenA and Holendrecht) and Intercity services (Bijlmer ArenA). The latter, Bijlmer ArenA may be particularly crowded during matches of local football club Ajax or the Dutch national team.

Buy
As this is a new part of Amsterdam, shopping malls are generally modern and large. From Bijlmer Station, west of the railroad you can find large retail stores, such as IKEA, MediaMarkt and others. The area east of the railroad could be called "downtown Bijlmer", where you can find a more relaxed atmosphere with smaller stores and quick dining facilities.

Markets
Every day the same group of market traders sets up shop in a different location. Although it's basically just a street market for groceries, the diversity of the local population is reflected in its stands, with Caribbean and African produce, music and clothing.


 * Monday: Anton de Komplein (next to the eastern end of Amsterdamse Poort)
 * Tuesday: Reigersbos (under Reigersbos)
 * Wednesday: Kraaiennest (under Kraaiennest)
 * Thursday: Anton de Komplein
 * Friday: Anton de Komplein
 * Saturday: Ganzenhoef (on the Annie Romeinplein a short walk to the west of Ganzenhoef)

Drink
In part due to its bad reputation, Bijlmer suffers from an acute shortage of legal drinking premises. There are few bars and many close early (18:00). Thirsty locals either drink in the park, or in the past at various social clubs in the basements of the huge flats - where theoretically no alcohol may be drunk, but in practice it was brought, bought and sold. As these places were illegal and uncontrolled, tended to be in the worst parts of the neighbourhood, and were frequently the scene of drug dealing and violence, tourists should steer well clear of them unless in the company of a trusted local. However, things are changing, with fewer illegal dives and more legal alternatives.

Local bars are very lively and colourful places and have a quite different feel to anything in the center of town or indeed anywhere else in the Netherlands, and definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Coffee shops
For decades, despite having a large number of regular smokers and indeed the largest Rastafarian community in the Netherlands, Zuidoost did not have its own coffee shop. Locals had to go to the center of town, or resort to street dealers - with all the problems the latter caused. In 2017 that led the city council to approve the first coffee shop in Zuidoost.



Stay safe
As this used to be the most crime-ridden area of Amsterdam (and the Netherlands as a whole), it is important to always be cautious and stay within the well-populated areas. Do not walk around alone in the dark and avoid groups of youth standing around. Generally speaking, the area around Bijlmer ArenA station and along the Bijlmerdreef is quite safe, while the further off you get from there, the unsafer it gets. The area around Holendrecht is probably the worst. It must be said though that in the last 20 years crime has lessened considerably and the area can be visited safely during daylight.

Non-residents who never actually go there will tell horror-stories about Bijlmer, but not only are they generally out-of-date, but they also need some perspective: even though populist Dutch politicians claim otherwise, the Netherlands is one of the safest countries on earth, and Amsterdam one of the safest large cities. If you live in a city, chances are that it has neighbourhoods much less safe than Bijlmer. Even within Amsterdam, there are much worse neighbourhoods, such as the western suburbs of Slotermeer/Slotervaart.

Objectively Bijlmer may even be safer for tourists than the centre of town - pickpocketing is by far the commonest crime tourists suffer in Amsterdam and it is endemic in the center and on the trains to and from the airport. As there are almost no tourists in Bijlmer, there are hardly any pick-pockets either!

Go next
From Gaasperplas, you can cycle to Weesp, Muiden, or deeper into the Gooi en Vechtstreek. Another option is to go south into the Vecht en Plassen region of Utrecht.