Photo: Ainali, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Living in Da Costabuurt, Amsterdam
Kamer te huur van particulier Living in Da Costabuurt, Amsterdam - geen bemiddelingskosten - Amsterdam
A small residential buurt of Oud-West, around the Da Costaplein. Quiet streets, late-nineteenth-century brick architecture, central but tucked away.
Da Costabuurt is one of the smallest buurten in Oud-West, named for the nineteenth-century Dutch poet Isaäc da Costa. It sits between Kinkerstraat to the south, De Clercqstraat to the north, Bilderdijkstraat to the east, and Bilderdijkkade to the west. The streets - Da Costastraat, Da Costakade (along the canal), and the radial streets around the Da Costaplein - were built in the 1880s-90s. The buurt is calm, residential, and well-positioned: De Hallen and the Foodhallen are immediately adjacent, the Jordaan is a short bike ride east, Vondelpark a few minutes south.
Who lives here
A stable mid-income population. Long-term Amsterdam families, some Moroccan and Turkish residents from earlier migration waves, a steady international expat layer drawn by the central location at slightly lower rents than Vondelparkbuurt or Museumkwartier. Apartments are mostly tweekamers and driekamers, some with characteristic Amsterdam features (steep stairs, kruiwerk - the iron beam used to hoist furniture in from the canal side).
What it's like during the day
Calm and residential. The Da Costakade - the canal-side street with its houseboats and reflections - is one of the prettier small canals in the city. The Da Costaplein, a small square at the heart of the buurt, has a playground and a few benches. Kinkerstraat (the southern boundary) and De Clercqstraat (the northern) are the busy commercial spines with cafés, shops, and trams running through. The Hallen - a converted tram depot - is on the buurt's eastern edge with the Foodhallen, the cinema Filmhallen, and a hotel.
What it's like in the evening
Quiet within the buurt, lively on the boundaries. The cafés and restaurants on Kinkerstraat and De Clercqstraat stay open until midnight. The Foodhallen hosts dozens of food stalls and a busy weekend crowd. Inside Da Costabuurt itself, evening life is calm - neighbours walking dogs, occasional cyclists. For nightlife residents head to De Pijp or central Amsterdam by bike (15 minutes).
Getting around
Trams 7, 17 on Kinkerstraat; trams 3, 12 on De Clercqstraat. The buurt is small enough that walking is the default. The centre is fifteen minutes by bike east, Vondelpark five minutes south. Sloterdijk station is fifteen minutes by tram or bike for connections to Schiphol. Most residents barely use trams within the buurt itself.
Eating and shopping
The food scene is concentrated on the boundary streets. Kinkerstraat has the Foodhallen on one side and a strip of Turkish, Moroccan and modern Dutch places on the other. The Ten Katemarkt (a few blocks west) covers fresh produce on weekdays. Bar Spek, Vinnies Deli, Café Cook are local anchors. For groceries, Albert Heijn on Bilderdijkstraat and De Clercqstraat, Jumbo nearby, smaller Turkish groceries and bakkerijen throughout.
When NOT to pick it
If you want distinctive character or lively energy. Da Costabuurt is genuinely small and residential - many residents describe themselves as living in Oud-West rather than naming the buurt specifically. Apartments tend to be on the smaller side. If you want the canals, the museums, or a strong neighbourhood identity on the doorstep, the surrounding buurten (Jordaan, Helmersbuurt, Vondelparkbuurt) all offer more. Da Costabuurt is at its best for people who want central but tucked-away calm, with the Foodhallen and the canal on the doorstep - and who don't need everything on their own block.