Rooms and doors of IJburg
Homes on IJburg are new by Amsterdam standards, built in the last twenty years, and they come with lifts, large windows, balconies and modern bathrooms. Many rental apartments look over the water or across wide inner courtyards. The floating houses on Steigereiland are compact but well designed, with bedrooms often on the lower level, close to the waterline, where the sound of the lake is very soft. There are few hotels, and most visitors rent flats or houses for families or longer stays. The evenings are calm: a handful of restaurants on the central avenue close around ten, and the beach empties when the sun goes. Strong winds come across the IJmeer, so a walk from the tram stop can feel cold even in spring. Neighbours on IJburg are used to delivery drivers and visitors arriving by taxi at every hour. Visitors on longer stays tend to like the routine of the islands: a morning swim or run along the beach, a tram into the centre for the museums, and a quiet return at night to an apartment where the only sound is the water against the embankment.
