Neighbourhoods
Westelijke Eilanden — Amsterdam's secret harbour islands
Three 17th-century islands — Bickers, Prinsen and Realen — of former shipyards, wooden drawbridges and artists' studios, hiding in plain sight ten minutes from Central Station.
- Quiet
- Historic
- artists
- Waterside
- photogenic
The Western Islands were built in the 1610s as Amsterdam's working harbour: shipyards, tar sheds and warehouses for the trades the city centre didn't want next door. Four centuries on, that industry has softened into one of the quietest, most painterly corners of the city — converted warehouses and artists' studios on Prinseneiland, boatyards still working on Bickerseiland, and the Zandhoek on Realeneiland where historic sailing ships moor along a row of gabled houses.
The wooden drawbridges between the islands are the signature: cross the Drieharingenbrug and the city noise simply stops. There are no major sights here, and that is the attraction — come to walk, photograph and drink coffee where Amsterdam still feels like a port town. The Haarlemmerbuurt's food street runs along the southern edge, and serious dining has arrived on the water at the Westerdok side.
Getting there
Directions from the nearest transit hubs to Westelijke Eilanden — Amsterdam's secret harbour islands.
Amsterdam's main station — intercity, sprinter, metro 51/52/53/54, most tram lines and city ferries all depart here.
Ten minutes on foot from Central Station via the Haarlemmerdijk, or through the passage under the railway at the Buiten Oranjestraat. The Brouwersgracht and Haarlemmerbuurt border the islands to the south.