Almere

Almere is a new town, it has a new city centre. Because it is so new, if you're looking for old buildings, just go elsewhere: the oldest building is only from 1976! Almere had about 191,000 inhabitants in 2011, which makes it the 7th city of the Netherlands.

By train

The busy railway corridor called Flevolijn/Hanzelijn runs right through Almere from East to West. Along it, no less than six train stations are strung within Almere: Almere Poort, Almere Muziekwijk, Almere Centrum, Almere Parkwijk, Almere Buiten and Almere Oostvaarders. There are direct train connections from Almere to Schiphol, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Hilversum, Leiden, Delft, Dordrecht, Roosendaal, Vlissingen, Lelystad, Dronten, Zwolle, Leeuwarden and Groningen, among others. One can easily transfer to trains taking you to almost any other station within the Netherlands in one of those destinations.
Only Sprinter trains stop at all of the stations in Almere. Intercity trains generally only call at Almere Centrum. Consult ns.nl or 9292.nl for up-to-date schedules.

By bus

Apart from its bus rapid transit (BRT) system, Almere is also served by transregional bus lines utilizing the same BRT infrastructure. They are distinguished by their three-digit numbers (city bus lines in Almere are only numbered using one or two digits
Some of the lines stop at Almere Centrum, but some do not. Since December 2017 all the local bus lines have their endpoint at Almere Centrum. Most regional busses also stop at Almere Centrum, but there are some exceptions. They usually, however, stop at some other railway station within Almere or at the bus transfer point Almere t'Oor on the outskirts of Almere.
The bus lines are meant to supplement the railway by offering direct connections between more remote areas without the need to use the congested trains during peak hours. Therefore, for most tourists, it will be much more convenient to stick to using trains. If, however, you indeed want to start or finish your journey in a point not close to a railway station, consult 9292.nl for up-to-date information on connections and schedules.

By car

Almere is at the intersection of two motorways - the A6 going through the entire Flevoland, connecting to the Amsterdam-bound A1, and the A27, which forks southwards, towards Hilversum and Utrecht, from the A6 in Almere.

By plane

Almere is close to the Schiphol Airport, one of the best-connected airports in the world. From the train station directly underneath the airport concourse, you can take a direct train to Almere.

Almere has six train stations. Almere Poort, Almere Muziekwijk, Almere Centrum, Almere Parkwijk, Almere Buiten, and Almere Oostvaarders. Almere also has an extensive network of freelaying bus routes. On most of these routes, buses run every five minutes from Monday to Friday. In the weekend, early in the morning and in the evening and night. The busses drive less frequently.
The city also features an extensive network of free laying bike paths covering the entire city. Bikes can be rented at the bike shops at the train stations Almere Centrum and Buiten.

Modern architecture

Almere is rife with prominent examples of modern architecture from 1970s onwards, and prides itself in its collection thereof. If this is one of your interests, you will surely not be disappointed in Almere.
Your tour of the architectural marvels of Almere would head off to a good start with a visit to those two places, both housed in rather interesting buildings, close to each other and right in the centre of the city:

• CASLaCentre for architecture, city construction and landscape of Almere, with exhibitions and various events. The staff will be happy to talk you through Almere's architectural richness, give you an overview of the town centre using a scale model, and will often be able to provide you with maps, guides and publications on architecture in Almere.

• VVV AlmereThe local tourist information office will be happy to suggest walks or tours for you to take, and has maps and electronic guides with pre-programmed architecturally-themed routes to take. They also have state-of-the-art bicycles for rent if you want to explore Almere that way.

Some of the most prominent works of architecture are to be found in the town's new centre (Stadshart):

• De Citadel, Jewel and Smaragd and Angle form a multi-functional centre with shops on the ground level, residential quarters over them and parking and transit hidden undernath
• De Nieuwe Bibliotheek complements them with a striking building with functions beyond that of a traditional library and more of a true community centre. Next to it is the sprawling city hall, Stadhuis Almere
• The waterfront of Stadshart is a collection of striking residential buildings: Lakeside, The Wave, Side by side and The City. Next to them, striking De Kunstlinie houses the local theatre (Schouwburg Almere)

Art and culture

• Utopolis - the local outlet of the multiplex cinema chain

• Tour Almere the traditional wayThe local company Almere Veertje offers many of the traditional tourists treats, including trips by boat, an ultra-cheesy tourist train with a hop-on-hop-off option and guided tours to some of the city's attractions.

• Walk! - Almere is a very walkable municipality, offering both urban and natural landscapes to explore. There are plenty of organized and pre-planned walks available via VVV Almere . Or you can simply grab a map and explore yourself.

In the City Centre - a large shopping center that is completely specialised in home and DIY. In Almere Poort are two supermarkets, a pharmacy, a drugstore and a number of small eateries. Besides these, there are many local shops, for instance at the C. van Eesterenplein, Literatuurwijk , Muziekwijk, Parkwijk and De Meenten

Budget

• Almere Fried Chicken

  address: Grote Markt 9
  Halal Fried Chicken.

• King of the Ribs

  phone: +31 36 202 20 71
  address: Forum 18
  Kebab burgers, chicken products and spareribs.

• Febo

  address: De Diagonal 26; and Stationsplein 20
  Burgers, chicken, wraps, ice cream. Fast food chain.

• IJspressi

  address: Schutterstraat 44, Grote markt
  Ice cream parlor and espresso bar

• IJsalon Mariola

  phone: +31 36 53 16015
  address: Mariola
  Ice cream parlour.

• Mockamore

  address: De Diagonal 3
  Coffee, bagels, etc.

• Bakker Bart

  address: Kruisstraat 33-37
  Sandwiches, bread, snacks.

• Family

  address: Noordeinde 247
  Sandwiches €2-5, hamburgers €3-6.

• Kwalitaria

  address: Prozastraat 113
  Burgers, sandwiches, fries, shakes. Also at Rio de Janeirostraat 12, and Condigent Rimsky-Korssakovweg 41.

Mid-range

• Bistro Rood

  phone: +31 36 5348619
  address: Kruisstraat 43-45

• Restaurant Het Indisch Veerhuys

  address: Havenhoofd 7

• Tapas Barça

  phone: +31 36 53 40 881
  address: Grote Markt 75
  Wide choice of cocktails, meat and vegetarian tapas.

• Sake

  address: Brouwerstraat 15
  Japanese/Asian fusion, sushi and grill.

• Sapporo

  phone: +31 36 530 12 51
  address: Grote Markt 53
  Chinese, Japanese, sushi, grill and wok.

• Sasa Lounge

  phone: +31 36 521 57 61
  address: Havenzicht 16
  Hispano-Japanese fusion: sushi, tapas, vegetarian

Splurge

• Brasserie Bakboord

  phone: +31 36 540 40 40
  address: Veerkade 10
  Included in Michelin's Bib Gourmands 2018 for the Benelux.

• Restaurant Boathouse

  phone: +31 3 530 50 00
  address: Noorderplassenweg 150

• Restaurant Bij Brons

  phone: +31 36 540 1126
  address: Sluis 3

• Restaurant Treasure

  phone: +31 36 531 75 80
  address: Sluiskade 2-10
  Pan-Asian, sushi, etc.

• Brasserie Julia

  phone: +31 36 531 15 57
  address: Sluiskade 16-20

• Atlantis

  phone: +31 365344900
  address: Pim Mulierstraat 101
  World kitchen.

Most bars are on the Grote Markt. There are some bars in the Havenkom, this is harbor of Almere-Haven, here you can eat and drink while enjoying the view of the bay in a very calm setting.
At Almere City Centre you'll find

• Club Cell

  phone: +31 6 15270303
  address: Schrijverstraat 2, 1315 HX Almere

There aren't many accommodation options in Almere, and all are geared towards business travellers - expect modern, non-nonsense design and the usual features.

• Apollo Hotel Almere City Centre

  phone: +31 36 52 745 00
  address: Coach track 2
  In the centre of Almere, next to the impressive waterfront, and featuring unusual architecture itself.

• ANNO

  phone: +31 36 5488 344
  address: Grote Markt 121
  This hotel has 26 rooms in the city centre, in an inassuming location over a bar of the same name.

• Hotel Finn

  phone: +31 36 5395 940
  address: Koopmanstraat 3
  Close to the other two hotels in central Almere.

• Van der Valk Almere

  phone: +31 36 8000800
  address: Veluwezoom 45
  This plush hotel, featuring a swimming pool, is in a business/industrial district quite a bit away from the centre.

• Bastion Deluxe Hotel Almere

  phone: +31 36 5367755
  address: Audioweg 1
  Like most other Bastion Hotels, it is geared towards business travellers arriving by car. It is in an industrial park just by the A6, but pretty much far away from everything else.

• Csmart Hotel

  phone: +31 36 8451 500
  address: Zeeduinweg 11

For more accommodation options, you may want to base yourself in one of the neighbouring provinces of North-Holland or Utrecht.

Camping

• Camping Waterhout

  phone: +31 365 470632
  address: Archerpad 6, 1324 ZZ Almere
  Free Wi-Fi. Restaurant. Snack shop.

• Lelystad — has some interesting sights, such as the recreated VOC ship
• Oostvaardersplassen — this nature reserve is one of the prime birding areas in Europe
• Schokland — this island used to be similar to Urk, but had to be evacuated; a ghost village remains and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Urk — traditional old Dutch village community that once was an island