# Amstelveen guide: living in and visiting Amsterdam’s southern neighbour URL: https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/amstelveen-guide/ Updated: 2026-10-29 By: Essentially Amsterdam Staff Publisher: Essentially Amsterdam (https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/) > Amstelveen is a separate municipality on Amsterdam's southern edge with 95,841 residents. Here is how to get there, what to do and what to know about living there. Amstelveen is a separate municipality on Amsterdam’s southern edge, with 95,841 residents on 1 January 2026, a large international community, the Amsterdamse Bos forest and a big covered shopping centre called the Stadshart. It feels like a leafy extension of the city, and two tram lines run straight into Amsterdam, but it has its own town hall and its own council. This guide explains what Amstelveen is, how to get there, what to do and what to know if you are thinking of living there. ## What Amstelveen is Amstelveen is a municipality in the province of North Holland, part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Until 1964 it was called Nieuwer-Amstel; the current name comes from the Amstel river and veen, the Dutch word for peat. Its population has grown from 19,856 in 1945 to 95,841 in 2026, according to the municipality’s own population figures. Because it is not part of Amsterdam, municipal matters such as registering your address are handled by the gemeente Amstelveen, not by Amsterdam. Major employers have their head offices there, including KLM and KPMG, helped by the short distance to Schiphol. ## Getting to Amstelveen Two tram lines connect Amstelveen with Amsterdam. **Tram 5** runs from Van Hallstraat (signed Westergasfabriek) in Amsterdam through the city to Stadshart in Amstelveen; it has reached Amstelveen since its extension south of Amsterdam Zuid in December 1990. **Tram 25**, the Amsteltram, runs from Amsterdam Zuid station through Amstelveen to Uithoorn Centrum. It replaced metro line 51, which stopped running south of Amsterdam Zuid in March 2019 so the route could be rebuilt for low-floor trams. Tram 25 began running to Westwijk in December 2020 and was extended to Uithoorn in July 2024; it stops at places such as Kronenburg, Zonnestein, Sportlaan and Oranjebaan, with about six trams an hour in the daytime and four in the evening. Tram 25 does not stop in the Stadshart itself, so take tram 5 if the shopping centre or the Cobra Museum is your goal. Our [Amsterdam bus and tram guide](https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/amsterdam-bus-and-tram-guide/) explains tickets and check-in. ## Things to do in Amstelveen ### The Amsterdamse Bos The Amsterdamse Bos is a forest park of about 1,000 hectares, laid out between 1934 and 1970 and mostly located in Amstelveen, though the City of Amsterdam owns and manages it. It includes the Bosbaan, an artificial rowing course originally 2,200 metres long, an open-air theatre, the Ridammerhoeve goat farm and 116 bridges, 67 of them designed by the Amsterdam School architect Piet Kramer. It receives around six million visits a year. See our guide to [nature in and around Amsterdam](https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/nature-in-and-around-amsterdam-forests-lakes-polders-and-dunes/) for more green escapes. ### Cobra Museum The Cobra Museum of Modern Art, at Sandbergplein 1, is devoted to the CoBrA movement of mid-twentieth-century artists and runs changing exhibitions alongside its collection. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 and closed on Mondays. Adults pay 20 euros, children aged 5 to 18 pay 7.50 euros, and Museumkaart holders go free; no advance booking is needed. Andy Warhol: The Textiles runs until 8 November 2026, and Cobra: More than Human runs until 22 May 2028. ### Stadshart Amstelveen The Stadshart is the town centre and shopping area, which won the title of best shopping centre in the Netherlands in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Shops are open seven days a week, mostly from 10:00 to 18:00, opening at 12:00 on Mondays and Sundays, with late-night shopping until 21:00 every Thursday. ### Markets The Friday market on the Stadsplein runs every Friday from 08:00 to 17:00 with more than 200 stalls, from bakers and cheese sellers to stalls selling Portuguese and Japanese food. On Tuesdays, a farmers’ market on the Rembrandtweg in the Stadshart sells sustainable and organic regional produce from 09:00 to 16:00. For markets across the region this week, use our [markets this week tool](https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/tools/markets-amsterdam-this-week/). ### Eating by the Amstel Loetje aan de Amstel, at Amstelzijde 37, is a steak restaurant in a building directly on the river, with two terraces and opening from 10:00 every day. It is on our directory as [Loetje aan de Amstel](https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/directory/amsterdam-american-restaurants-burgers/loetje-aan-de-amstel/). Our [What’s On calendar](https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/whats-on/) regularly lists Amstelveen events, from the Friday market to children’s workshops at the Cobra Museum. ## The international community Amstelveen is one of the most international places in the country. On 1 January 2026 residents held 146 different nationalities, and about 23,000 people, roughly 24 percent of the population, had a non-Dutch nationality. Indian citizens are the largest group, although their number fell sharply in 2025, and the Japanese community is the second largest and grew slightly. Amstelveen is home to the largest Japanese community in the Netherlands, supported over the years by a Japan Desk at Ziekenhuis Amstelland and by Canon choosing the town for its European headquarters. The International School of Amsterdam, despite its name, is in Amstelveen at Sportlaan 45; it teaches the International Baccalaureate from pre-school to grade 12, ages 2 to 18, with more than 1,000 students from over 60 nationalities. ## Living in Amstelveen: housing notes Amstelveen’s population barely changed in 2025, which the municipality links to the small number of new homes finished that year. More than 1,500 new homes were completed between 2022 and 2025. Large developments are planned in the Bovenkerkerwegzone, Kronenburg, Carmenlaan, the Stadshart and Nieuw Legmeer, where a former business park is to become a district of about 4,400 homes. At Kronenburg, the plans include 438 student homes and about 3,600 short-stay units. The council has agreed that two thirds of new homes will be built in the social and middle-rent segments. Everyday services are well covered: 1,071 businesses in our directory have an Amstelveen postcode, including 56 restaurants, 27 supermarkets, 31 sports clubs and 27 gyms. If you are weighing up a move, our [Amsterdam housing guide](https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/amsterdam-housing-guide/) explains the rental market across the region. **Related guides:** [Amsterdam-Zuid: A Neighbourhood Guide](https://essentiallyamsterdam.com/amsterdam-zuid-neighbourhood-guide/) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Amstelveen part of Amsterdam? No. Amstelveen is a separate municipality with its own council and town hall, although it borders Amsterdam and is part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. ### How many people live in Amstelveen? Amstelveen had 95,841 residents on 1 January 2026, according to the municipality. ### How do I get from Amsterdam to Amstelveen? Take tram 5 through the city to Stadshart, or tram 25 from Amsterdam Zuid station towards Westwijk and Uithoorn. ### Why do so many Japanese people live in Amstelveen? Amstelveen has the largest Japanese community in the Netherlands, built up around Japanese employers such as Canon and services such as the Japan Desk at Ziekenhuis Amstelland. ### When is the market in Amstelveen? The Friday market on the Stadsplein runs from 08:00 to 17:00, and a farmers’ market on the Rembrandtweg runs on Tuesdays from 09:00 to 16:00. ### Is the Amsterdamse Bos in Amsterdam or Amstelveen? Mostly in Amstelveen, with smaller parts in Amsterdam and Aalsmeer, but it is owned and managed by the City of Amsterdam. ## Sources - [Gemeente Amstelveen: first population figures 2026](https://documenten.amstelveen.nl/sites/default/files/2026-02/eerste-bevolkingscijfers-2026-amstelveen.pdf) - [Gemeente Amstelveen: council report 2022 to 2026](https://documenten.amstelveen.nl/sites/default/files/2025-10/collegeverantwoording_2022-2026-digi.pdf) - [Cobra Museum](https://www.cobra-museum.nl/en/) - [Visit Amstelveen: shop opening times](https://www.visitamstelveen.nl/en/shopping/opening-times) - [International School of Amsterdam](https://www.isa.nl/) - [Amsteltram (tram 25)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsteltram) *Photo: [A meadow in the Amsterdamse Bos](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amsterdamse-bos-heuvel.jpg) by Shirley de Jong, [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons.* The daily newsletter Every weekday morning we send one email with what is actually happening in Amsterdam - news, events, openings and where to eat. 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