Westerpark

Westerpark was a city district of its own from 1990 until 2010, when it merged into the new district of West; it is now one of West's planning areas. It takes in the neighbourhoods of the Houthavens, Spaarndammerbuurt, Zeeheldenbuurt, Staatsliedenbuurt, Waterwijk, the Centrale Markthallen area and the Frederik Hendrikbuurt. As a district it covered about 11 km², including water and port land.

The area is named after the Westerpark, a city park next to the Westergasfabriek, a former gasworks that has been converted into a cultural park with event venues. The historic wooden sawmill De Otter stands on the Kostverlorenvaart, a reminder of the industrial windmills that once filled this part of the city.

Westerpark is a lived-in mix of residential streets, workshops and cultural venues.

• Spaarndammerbuurt and Zeeheldenbuurt in the north and Staatsliedenbuurt and Frederik Hendrikbuurt closer to the centre: residential streets from the decades around 1900, including examples of the brick Amsterdam School architecture found across West.
• Houthavens, the former timber harbours on the IJ, from where ferries cross to Amsterdam-Noord.
• Westerpark and Westergasfabriek: green space, concerts, festivals and markets.

In 2006 Westerpark was the first Amsterdam district to appoint its own district poet, a sign of its active local cultural life.

• Tram 5 starts at the Westergasfabriek (Van Hallstraat) and runs via the Van Limburg Stirumstraat, De Wittenkade and Nassaukade to the Marnixstraat, Leidseplein, Museumplein and Station Zuid.
• Tram 12 starts in the Frederik Hendrikbuurt (Frederik Hendrikplantsoen) and runs via the Bilderdijkstraat and Van Baerlestraat to Museumplein, De Pijp and Amstelstation. An extension of line 12 to the Zoutkeetsgracht is planned for 2027.
• Ferries: from the Pontsteiger in the Houthavens, F6 crosses to the Distelweg (Monday to Friday, 6:30–19:30) and F7 to the NDSM wharf (every 20 minutes, including evenings and weekends); both are free for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Train and metro: Station Sloterdijk lies to the west; Centraal Station is within cycling distance.

The tram network was reorganised on 29 March 2026 (line 3, which used to serve this area, was discontinued), so check the GVB or 9292 planner for current routes.

Homes are mostly rented flats from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including Amsterdam School blocks, with newer buildings on former harbour and industrial land.

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

The Westerpark and the grounds of the Westergasfabriek are the main green spaces. There are community gardens towards Sloterdijk in the wider West district.

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.