A Gr8 Home Base to Tour Amsterdam
If the idea of staying in The Pipe (or De Pijp in Dutch) reminds you of sleeping under a bridge, you have a very wrong impression. In fact, the pipe is a considered to be a very cool borough in Amsterdam, directly south of the city center. The Pijp is a fun location with a great vibe, served by De Pijp metro station. You will find many of the streets named after Dutch painters, like Frans Hals, and Vincent van Gogh and Aelbert Cuyp. We slept in the Pijp and toured Amsterdam from this great location over a period of five days.
Sleeping in De Pijp is a convenient hub and spoke local for touring Amsterdam.
The food, transportation, tourist sites and central location make this a fantastic place to stay. Our hotel was conveniently located near De Pijp Metro Station on the newly developed subway line or Metrolijn 52.
Our hotel in De Pijp was conveniently located adjacent to the busiest street market in the Netherlands, known as the Albert Cuyp Market. It is open six days per week and attracts plenty of tourists, even during March winds and rain. Not only the busiest, the Albert Cuyp Market is also the largest daily outdoor market in Amsterdam. With hundreds of vendors, you will find souvenirs, clothing, sweatshirts, and caps with the classic XXX markings for Amsterdam. Perhaps just as exciting are the delectable treats available at the Albert Cuyp Market. The rotisserie chicken is fantastic and there are numerous fried and pickled fish dishes available, very well priced. But perhaps the most famous delicacy from this location is the Stroopwafel, a thin, round waffle cookie with two layers of sweet baked dough held together by caramel.
The former Heineken brewery is also a tourist attraction in the Pijp. Next to the former Heineken brewery is the Marie Heinekenplein, which has several bars and cafes. But perhaps more importantly, the Pijp offers numerous restaurants if you desire a warm and cozy place for an indoor sit-down meal. In fact, this location is arguably one of the greatest culinary locations in all of Amsterdam. There are literally hundreds of restaurants with menus from around the world. I have never seen so many specialty restaurants in one location - you’re never at a loss for a great place to eat. We found Korean, French, Spanish, Italian restaurants, just to name a few. However, there were many exotic styles we had never tried such as Nepalese and Indonesian (My wife's brother Kevin and Wife Vira would be proud).
As previously mentioned, the transportation modes stopping at the Pijp are fantastic. You will find three tram stops and the subway stop, along with numerous other forms such as Uber and Taxis. Of course, if you are in Amsterdam you will want to ride a bike, with rentals available everywhere. However, many locations are close enough to walk to. In fact, we found ourselves walking to the Rijksmuseum and van Gogh Museums, through the nearby Vondelpark.
But having Metrolijn 52 nearby was fantastic. This new link is only five years old, just opening before Covid in late 2018. The facilities still look brand new, and it is very inexpensive to ride this fast and efficient system. Amsterdam Centraal or main train station is only 4 stops away from De Pijp. This not only makes for a convenient method of getting in and out of the city, you also have a tremendous number of bus and canal tours departing from the train station on an hourly basis.
Make sure to get off the subway at Rokin metro station for a minute or two, where 9,500 archaeological pieces are on permanent display next to the escalators at the North and South entrances to the platforms. The artifacts were found during the dig of Metrolijn 52 and are well worth the 5-minute diversion during a trip to the inner city.
There are several nice retail stores in the area, if you want to do some shopping. You’ll also find Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, and all the other classic fast-food locations. But skip them for breakfast as they are expensive and there are numerous fantastic bakeries with great coffee and pastries. Quick lunches and dinners are also available everywhere in The Pijp, varying from the inexpensive to quite posh.
So, if you’re looking for a great location to stay in Amsterdam with tremendous transportation networks, lots of food to explore, and plenty of tourist sites to visit by foot, look no further than the Pijp, located just west of Rijksmuseum on Metrolijn 52.
