Your island in Amsterdam
KNSM Island is part of the city: Amsterdam-Oost, in the old Eastern Docklands. Water all around and quiet streets, with Central Station and the canals 14 minutes away by bike. That mix is why our guests keep coming back to the Boatsuite on houseboat Kadans.
· By Renske and Tim, your hosts on Kadans
Part of the city, not outside it. Water on every side, quiet quays, neighbours who stop for a chat, and Central Station 14 minutes away by bike.
Is KNSM Island in Amsterdam?
Yes. KNSM Island is an island in Amsterdam itself, in the district of Amsterdam-Oost. This is the Eastern Docklands seen from above, looking towards the city centre. Kadans is moored on the sheltered Levantkade of KNSM Island, between the old harbour buildings and Piraeus. Follow the water west, past Java Island, and you reach Central Station.
- Kadans on the LevantkadeThe quiet, sheltered side of the island, with the houseboats.
- Central Station, about 3 km14 minutes by bike, or bus 43 from Azartplein.
- The IJ all aroundBig water on one side, the harbour on the other. Free ferry F1 to Noord from the island.
Key facts
- Where
- KNSM Island, Amsterdam-Oost (Eastern Docklands), part of the city of Amsterdam
- Address
- Houseboat Kadans, Levantkade 174, 1019 BG Amsterdam
- By bike
- Central Station 14 min, Dam Square 15 min, Rijksmuseum 19 min
- By tram or bus
- Tram 1 and bus 43 stop at Azartplein, 7 min on foot. Rijksmuseum 27 min without changing
- By ferry
- Free F1 ferry from the island to Amsterdam-Noord
- Built
- From about 1900 as a harbour island, rebuilt as a place to live in the 1990s
Around the boat
How far is it from the centre?
Open the route mapNot far at all: Central Station is 14 minutes by bike and 28 minutes by bus 43 or tram 26, door to door. Tram 1 runs from Azartplein straight to Artis, the Rijksmuseum and Leidseplein.
Tram 1 runs straight through the city. See every route| From the Boatsuite to | Bike | Tram / bus | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Station | 14 min | 28 min Tram 26 or bus 43 | 49 min |
| NEMO Science Museum | 12 min | 30 min Tram 26 + short walk | 44 min |
| Artis Zoo | 12 min | 25 min Tram 1, no transfer | 43 min |
| Dam Square | 15 min | 36 min Tram 1 + metro 54 | 57 min |
| Anne Frank House | 18 min | 48 min Tram 1 + tram 5 | 70 min |
| Rijksmuseum | 19 min | 27 min Tram 1, no transfer | 70 min |
| Leidseplein | 19 min | 29 min Tram 1, no transfer | 74 min |
| A'DAM Lookout | 16 min | 41 min Tram 26 + free ferry | 54 min |
Door to door, Google Maps, Friday 10:00 departure.
Why stay here and not in the centre?
The centre is wonderful to visit. Sleeping there is another story. On KNSM Island you are out of the crowds, and it feels like a real holiday: quiet nights, water all around, and the city still close by.
“A unique experience to live on a houseboat, with the charming owners as neighbours. Impeccably clean, an excellent bed and a peaceful neighbourhood after a long day exploring Amsterdam.”
| A hotel in the centre | The Boatsuite on KNSM Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Night noise | Bars, party crowds and late-night street cleaning below your window | Silence on the water. You hear the harbour, not the city |
| Sirens | Ambulances and police racing through busy streets, day and night | A quiet residential island, with no through traffic |
| Crowds | Tourist crowds and selfie sticks outside your front door | Locals, swimmers and wide quays along the water |
| Holiday feeling | A room on a busy street, like any other city trip | Your own deck on the water, and a morning swim from the boat |
| Getting around | Everything on foot | Central Station in 14 minutes by bike, tram 1 to the Rijksmuseum |
From steamships to houseboats
For most of the twentieth century this was where Amsterdam met the world. Ocean steamers loaded and unloaded at these quays, and the island was busy day and night. Today it is one of the quietest places in the city. Here is how that happened.
- 1856A shipping company is bornThe Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot-Maatschappij, KNSM for short, is founded on 1 October 1856, with Amsterdam as its home port.
- c. 1900From breakwater to islandThe island starts life as a breakwater for the Oostelijke Handelskade. It is raised with soil dredged from the North Sea Canal, and a new harbour takes shape.
- 1903KNSM moves inThe company takes over most of the island and builds its offices, sheds and quays here. Steamships leave for the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Suriname and New York. The quays still carry their names: Levantkade, Surinamekade.
- 1956A hundred years at seaFor the centenary, staff donate a fountain dedicated to the sea goddess Amphitrite, and garden designer Mien Ruys lays out a company park.
- 1977The last ship leavesContainer ships, airplanes and the end of the colonial trade make the old harbour too small. KNSM leaves the island and merges into Nedlloyd in 1981.
- 1980sSquatters and artistsThe empty sheds fill up with squatters, artists and urban nomads. Studios, parties and boats move into the abandoned harbour.
- 1988A new planArchitect Jo Coenen draws the masterplan: big residential blocks along a central avenue, echoing the old warehouses. In the 1990s the island is rebuilt as a place to live.
- TodayA neighbourhood on the waterLandmark buildings like Piraeus, Emerald Empire and Skydome stand next to the old canteen and Loods 6. The fountain is back on the Azartplein, and houseboats line the quays. One of them is Kadans.
