Gable Notes8 June 2025
Across the IJ on the free ferry
Most visitors arrive at the central station, walk out of the front, and never think about what is behind it. Behind it is the IJ, the wide stretch of water that separates the old centre from Amsterdam Noord, and a row of ferry piers where small, flat, slightly battered boats come and go all day. They are free for foot passengers and cyclists, and they are one of my favourite things in the city.
The crossing
There is no ticket, no gate and no fuss. You walk or wheel your bike on, stand wherever you can find room, and a few minutes later you walk or wheel it off. The shortest crossing takes about as long as it takes to read this paragraph twice. Locals treat it like a bridge. I still treat it like a small holiday.
The best spot is at the very front, if you can get there before the bikes. You get the wind, the smell of diesel and river water, and a wide view in both directions: cranes and new apartment blocks one way, the long low silhouette of the old city the other. On a grey day the water turns the colour of pewter and everything looks like an old photograph.
The other bank
Noord feels like a different town. For a long time it was mostly docks, shipyards and workers' housing, and it still has more sky than the centre. The old shipyard further west along the bank has been turned into studios, workshops, a skate area and a lot of spray paint, with huge industrial halls that echo when you talk. Some people love it, some find it too self-consciously cool. I like it on weekday mornings when it is mostly people quietly working.
Right by the closest pier there is the striking white film museum building, all sharp angles, with a terrace facing the water. Even if you don't go inside, it is a good place to sit with a coffee and watch the ferries criss-cross.
Going further
If you have a bike, keep going north. Within a surprisingly short ride the city thins out into old dyke villages, wooden houses painted green, sheep, and long straight paths along the water. It is the fastest way I know to go from tourist crowds to complete calm, and the whole trip costs nothing but some leg work.
Coming back at dusk is the best part. The lights of the station come on, the water reflects them in long wobbly lines, and you are dropped back into the busy centre feeling like you have been somewhere much further away.