After I spoke at a tech conference in London, my wife and I took Eurostar to Amsterdam for vacation: Keukenhof, the Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum, an open-boat canal tour, good food, day trips by train. Very enjoyable trip, though the weather was colder than expected.
My pre-trip planning usually means bookings – plane, trains, hotels, exhibits, etc. – are done 6-8 weeks in advance. This trip, however, a face-plant: I realized less than two weeks out that I hadn’t booked the Amsterdam hotel. Initial searches found nothing under €300 with some approaching €500, much higher than hoped or expected. D’oh!
Fortunately, the DoubleTree – NDSM Wharf was available and much more reasonable, around €225. Booked. Relief.
NDSM Wharf
NDSM is the acronym for Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij, a major shipbuilder until 1984. Left derelict until 2000, the NDSM Wharf neighborhood is being revitalized: newly-built housing and offices; artists’ workspaces in the shipbuilding building; television studios; restaurants; bars. We arrived to discover the IJ-Hallen Flea Market – claimed to be largest in Europe – in full swing just outside our hotel. Definitely a neighborhood on the ascent, many active construction sites, old and new coexisting.
Problem: Crossing The River
NDSM is on the waterfront of the River IJ but on the side opposite central Amsterdam where most tourism and business is found. With an established mass transit system, I assumed there’d be an easy way to cross but hadn’t confirmed before we left home. My concern grew when the taxi fare from Centraal Station to the hotel was €40, not what I wanted to pay for each trip across.
Solution: Riverboat Ferry
Ultimately my assumption was correct: riverboat ferries regularly shuttle passengers between Centraal Station and NDSM in about 15 minutes. The ferry runs 24×7, usually every 15 minutes (less often late PM and overnight). Best part: it’s free! The NDSM dock is about 150m from the hotel, making it easy to see when a boat was arriving or leaving. Extremely simple.
During our stay, we took the ferry round trip at least once daily, sometimes twice depending on the day’s activities. There are multiple routes which dock in different places with most starting or ending at the train station. Perhaps not as convenient as booking a more central hotel, we won’t hesitate to stay in NDSM next time and enjoy the ferry.
