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City guide

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Amsterdam is built at child height: school runs happen by cargo bike along the canals, nearly everyone speaks English, and the city is compact enough to live without a car. The French community is human-sized and gathers between Oud-Zuid and De Pijp.

Currency
Euro (€)
Language
Dutch (English everywhere)
Time vs Paris
None
Emergencies
112

FIAFE network

The Accueil for French-speaking families

In each city, a volunteer-run association from the FIAFE network welcomes, informs and helps French-speaking families settling in.

Amsterdam Accueil

Since 1970

Since 1970, Amsterdam Accueil has helped francophone families discover the Venice of the North: pram-friendly coffees, a monthly café, bike rides, neighbourhood lunches and a Projet-Pro club to relaunch your career.

Where to meet them

At De Lairessestraat 120 (Oud-Zuid); meet-ups and activities announced on the website calendar.

Visit the association's website Email the association See the FIAFE page

What they offer

  • Pram-friendly coffees and monthly café
  • Bike rides ("À bicyclette !") and walking club
  • Neighbourhood lunches and rotating French book library
  • Projet-Pro club and career workshops

Other support networks

Two large national networks also support the French abroad, each with its local chapter.

  • UFE

    UFE Pays-Bas

    The Dutch chapter of the Union des Français de l'Étranger: welcome, mutual aid and conviviality for the French in the Netherlands.

    Visit the website
  • Français du monde – ADFE

    Français du monde – ADFE Pays-Bas

    The Dutch section of Français du monde - ADFE defends the rights of French residents in the Netherlands and helps with their paperwork.

    Visit the website Facebook page

The French business network

The local French chamber of commerce (CCI France International network) is a real asset for work: networking, job offers and help to restart a career or start a business locally.

CCI France International

CCI France Pays-Bas

The Franco-Dutch chamber, based in Amsterdam, runs a business club and offers a jobs and relocation service to network, find a position or start a business in the Netherlands.

Visit the website CCI country page

AEFE network

Accredited French schools

Schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education follow the French curriculum: your child can continue their schooling seamlessly, abroad and back in France.

💰 Compare school fees

Source: official AEFE directory, verified June 2026. aefe.gouv.fr

Tutoring and private lessons

To support your children's schooling across two systems, two solutions designed for expat families.

  • Axiom Academic

    Private lessons and tutoring for expat families: French curriculum, IB and British curriculum, at home or online, with teachers who know the schools in your city.

    Discover Axiom Academic

  • IB Tutor

    Tutors specialised in the International Baccalaureate: online lessons in every IB subject, to aim for top grades from MYP to the diploma.

    Discover IB Tutor

Schools and education

Two AEFE-accredited schools share the south of the city: the International French School Amsterdam, which takes children from nursery to the final year, and the École française d'Amsterdam, the directly managed annexe of the Lycée Vincent-van-Gogh, for nursery and primary.

Good to know

  • The IFSA (Oud-Zuid) is the only school covering the full journey to the French bac, with small class sizes.
  • The École française d'Amsterdam (De Pijp) stops at the end of primary: pupils continue at the IFSA or at the Lycée Vincent-van-Gogh in The Hague, about 50 minutes by train.
  • Dutch school is free and welcomes children from age 4: immersion works well for younger children.
  • Places are limited in both French schools: apply as soon as the move is confirmed.

Children's healthcare

The Dutch system runs on mandatory private health insurance and on the huisarts, the family doctor who is the gateway to all care. Once the family is registered, everything is simple and remarkably well organised.

Good to know

  • First step: take out a basisverzekering (basic insurance) within 4 months; children under 18 are covered for free with their parents.
  • Register the family with a huisarts (GP) near home on arrival: there is no direct paediatrician access, everything goes through them.
  • The consultatiebureau follows the under-4s for free (check-ups, vaccines), like the French PMI.
  • 112 is the emergency number; the Emma children's hospital (Amsterdam UMC) is the paediatric reference.

French-speaking community

The French community in Amsterdam is human-sized and all the closer for it: you cross paths at the school gates of Oud-Zuid and De Pijp, and Amsterdam Accueil has animated it since 1970.

Good to know

  • Amsterdam Accueil (FIAFE network) gathers around a hundred households, from pram coffees to tulip bike rides.
  • Oud-Zuid and De Pijp, around the two French schools, are where the community meets.
  • UFE Pays-Bas and Français du monde - ADFE complete the support network.
  • Paris is 3h20 away by direct Eurostar: grandparents hop on the train easily.

Family outings and events

Amsterdam is a children's city: kids grow up in cargo bikes, the museums take them seriously and the beach is half an hour away by train.

Good to know

  • NEMO, the big hands-on science museum on the harbour, is paradise for ages 4 to 12.
  • Artis, one of Europe's oldest zoos, and its microbe museum Micropia make a winning combo.
  • The Vondelpark and the Amsterdamse Bos (goat farm included) are the weekend playgrounds.
  • Zandvoort beach is 30 minutes away by direct train; in spring, the Keukenhof tulips are worth the pilgrimage.

These landmarks change fast: the MumExpat community will keep them up to date.

Coming soon: the full Amsterdam guide.

Verified addresses, paediatricians recommended by mums, a family agenda updated every week. Join the waitlist to discover the Amsterdam page first.

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