Rooms and doors of Watergraafsmeer
Visitors here usually stay in rented family houses or flats, or in one of the few hotels near the Science Park and the edge of the district by Amstel station. The houses in the garden-village streets are small but complete, with two floors, a front garden and a bedroom upstairs under a sloping roof. Apartment blocks along the main roads are more modern, with lifts and balconies. The Science Park area has newer hotels and short-stay apartments for researchers and conference guests. Evenings are very quiet: the Middenweg has some cafés open until about eleven, and the side streets empty soon after dark. Parking is easier than in the centre, and a car or taxi can stop directly at most doors. Readers who stay here are often visiting the university or institutes, or have chosen a house for a family trip and want an evening to themselves while the rest of their plans wait until morning. Because the polder sits so low, the district can feel damp on autumn nights, and older houses take time to warm up; turning the heating on an hour before the booking makes a real difference to the comfort of the room, especially for oil.











