Oost (East)

Oost is the neighborhood that rewards people willing to leave the canal ring. The Tropenmuseum, housed in a grand colonial-era building on the edge of Oosterpark, is one of Amsterdam's best and least crowded museums. Its collection on Dutch colonial history is honest and unflinching, and the building itself, with its soaring atriums, is worth the visit.

Dappermarkt is the market that Albert Cuyp used to be. Running daily along Dapperstraat, it's where Amsterdam's Surinamese, Moroccan, Turkish, and Indonesian communities actually shop. The prices are lower, the produce is fresher, and the food stalls serve some of the best cheap eats in the city. Surinamese roti for EUR6, Turkish gozleme for EUR4, fresh juice for EUR3.

Oosterpark itself provides the green space, with enough room that it never feels crowded. The Slavery Memorial and the National Monument for the Deceased of the Dutch East Indies add historical weight to what might otherwise be just a pleasant park. The surrounding streets have a growing cafe scene, but Oost's real draw is the food: specifically, the intersection of Javanese, Surinamese, and Dutch cooking traditions that you won't find anywhere else in Europe.