Oost

Oost was created in 2010 by merging the former districts of Oost-Watergraafsmeer and Zeeburg. It covers about 30.6 km², including a lot of water, and had about 142,000 residents on 1 January 2020 (the most recent district figure in the sources used here). It lies east of the Singelgracht, bounded by the Amstel to the west and stretching to the IJ and IJmeer in the north and east.

The district grew in distinct waves, which explains its variety:

• Late nineteenth century: the Oosterparkbuurt and Dapperbuurt (Oud-Oost).
• 1900s to 1930s: the Indische Buurt and Transvaalbuurt (see the Indische Buurt profile).
• 1990s: the Eastern Docklands (Oostelijk Havengebied), former harbour piers turned into residential areas.
• Since 2002: IJburg, built on artificial islands in the IJmeer (see the IJburg profile), and more recently new neighbourhoods such as Oostpoort on the site of a former gasworks.

The Watergraafsmeer in the south of the district, which includes Betondorp, is mainly residential.

Oost has a mixed character. Shopping streets such as the Javastraat in the Indische Buurt give way to quieter residential streets in the Watergraafsmeer and to modern waterfront architecture in the Eastern Docklands and on IJburg.

In 2007 the Transvaalbuurt and the Indische Buurt were among the neighbourhoods selected for extra national investment in housing and services, and both have seen large-scale renewal since.

• Trams: 1 (Azartplein in the Eastern Docklands via Alexanderplein to Weesperplein, Leidseplein and Osdorp), 7 (Flevopark via Insulindeweg, Muiderpoortstation and Oosterpark to Leidseplein and Slotermeer), 12 (Amstelstation to De Pijp and Museumplein), 14 (Flevopark via Javaplein and the Plantage to Centraal Station), 19 (Muiderpoortstation via Javaplein and Mauritskade to Leidseplein and Sloterdijk), 25 (Muiderpoortstation via Linnaeusstraat and Wibautstraat to De Pijp, Station Zuid and Amstelveen) and 26 (Centraal Station via Zeeburgereiland to IJburg).
• Metro: lines 51, 53 and 54 stop at Wibautstraat; line 54 also serves Amstelstation.
• Train: Muiderpoortstation and Amstelstation have regular rail services.
• Ferries: F1 links Azartplein with the Zamenhofstraat in Amsterdam-Noord (daily, every 20 minutes from 6:30 to 22:30), and F9 links the Ertskade (Sporenburg) with the Sluisbuurt on Zeeburgereiland on weekdays. Both are free for pedestrians and cyclists.

Works on the Linnaeusstraat in 2026 mean that lines 14 and 19 run diverted via the Javaplein and line 19 has been cut back from Diemen; a temporary line 29 runs between Oostpoort and Diemen Sniep. The whole tram network was reorganised on 29 March 2026, so check the GVB or 9292 planner.

Oost has some of the widest variety of housing in the city: nineteenth-century and interwar flats in Oud-Oost and the Indische Buurt (where housing associations own more than half of the homes), houses in Betondorp, 1990s waterfront apartments and houses in the Eastern Docklands, and new-build flats and family homes on IJburg, where the city plans a mix of social rent, mid-rent and private homes.

There is no official rent figure for Oost alone. According to I amsterdam, Amsterdam rents are among the highest in the Netherlands, social housing has waiting times of typically 8 to 18 years and most newcomers rent privately. Check whether a rent falls under the points system before you sign (see our tenant rights guide).

Green space and water are relatively plentiful: the Oosterpark in Oud-Oost, the Flevopark at the eastern end of the Indische Buurt, the Diemerpark next to IJburg and the beach at Strand IJburg, open for swimming and water sports since 2019. IJburg has new primary and secondary schools.

Register in good time for primary school, as many schools keep waiting lists; I amsterdam recommends Scholen op de Kaart to compare schools near your address. Our schools and childcare guides explain the system.