Stadionbuurt — Olympic grandeur and neighbourhood ease

The Stadionbuurt grew up around a single event: the 1928 Olympic Games, for which the elegant brick Olympic Stadium was built. A century on, the stadium still hosts sport and concerts, and the neighbourhood around it has settled into one of Zuid's most pleasant rhythms. This is textbook Plan Zuid — the grand urban expansion drawn up by architect H.P. Berlage — with wide lanes, Amsterdam School brickwork and the Stadionplein as its modern centre. The eating here is neighbourly rather than showy: buzzing osterias, all-day bars with good terraces, and the southern end of the Beethovenstraat's restaurant strip within walking distance. The Vondelpark's quiet end and the Olympic harbour add green and water on either side.