A guide to serviced offices, furnished managed offices and office space for rent in Amsterdam, as well as general information that may be useful if you are thinking of renting office space in the city.
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History
Few European cities have the aura that Amsterdam does or a history as storied as the Dutch capital. And while its founding is relatively recent compared to many other Dutch cities, its importance grew incredibly quickly. The city started life in the 12th century as a small fishing village on the river Amstel. Its name literally means ‘dam on the river Amstel’. It was in the 14th century that the city began to thrive, largely through brisk trade with the powerful Hanseatic League, a guild of merchants that ran trade in northern Europe for centuries. The Netherlands gained its independence from the Spanish Empire in the 16th century, and with this, Amsterdam became known as a place of religious tolerance, which also helped its status as a centre of trade. Many Jews from Spain and Huguenots from France moved to the city from Spanish-controlled areas of Europe. In the 17th century, Amsterdam became the wealthiest and most progressive city in the world. This period is known as the Dutch Golden Age. Ships from Amsterdam sailed to all corners of the globe, including Africa, North America, India, and Brazil. The Dutch East India Company acquired territories abroad, which later became Dutch colonies. Amsterdam was the financial centre of the world, and in 1602, the city opened the world’s first stock exchange. However, in the 18th and early 19th centuries, wars with England and France took a toll on Amsterdam, and the city lost its status as Europe’s foremost trading city. The city’s fortunes turned around in the late 18th century with the construction of the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, which gave it access to the Rhine. The North Sea Canal, which connected the city to the North Sea, also dramatically improved trade with the rest of the world. The Netherlands remained neutral in WWI but was invaded by Germany in WWII, and the city suffered food and fuel shortages. After the war, much of the city was in disrepair, and a massive campaign of regeneration and, more importantly, restoration began. Today, Amsterdam has managed to preserve many of its old buildings and streets, which give the city centre its historic feel. Today, the city centre is a protected area, and in 2010, many of the city’s canals and neighbourhoods were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Economy
Amsterdam is the financial centre of the Netherlands, and a plethora of large corporations and banks are headquartered or have large offices in the city, including ABN AMRO Bank, Booking.com, Google, Heineken, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Just Eat, Netflix, Philips, Salesforce, Tesla, Uber, and WeTransfer.
Many international companies have chosen to base themselves in nearby Amstelveen, where, unlike in Amsterdam, one can buy land rather than lease it. The Zuidas district, in the south of the city, is a thriving business and financial hub. The area around Amsterdam Sloterdijk railway station is a popular business hub, as is the Financial District around Amsterdam Arena.
Tourism & Architecture
Amsterdam received approximately 9.5 million visitors in 2024 (a 3 per cent increase on 2023), making it one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations. The majority of tourists are from Europe or the US. They come to explore Amsterdam’s rich history and its stunning architecture, built around the city’s famous canal system. Many of Amsterdam’s buildings are from the 17th century, built in the immediately recognisable Renaissance style. This style is directly attributable to the famous Dutch architect Hendrick de Keyser. The Royal Palace on Dam Square is always popular with tourists, as are the old merchants’ houses lining the canals in the old city centre. Many also visit the famous Anne Frank house, the former residence of perhaps the most famous victim of the Holocaust. But Amsterdam is equally famous for its red-light district and coffee shops. Known as De Wallen, Amsterdam’s red-light district is perhaps the most well-known in the world. It is notorious for its legalised prostitution based a network of alleys in the heart of Amsterdam’s oldest part near the Oude Kerk church. Those seeking more cultural pursuits typically visit one of the city’s famous museums, located on Museum Square, such as the Van Gogh Museum or the renowned Rijksmuseum.
Transport
The Dutch are famous for being avid bicycle riders, and this is evident in Amsterdam, where heavy bicycle traffic is common throughout the city. Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, with many convenient bike lanes and bike racks. Driving is discouraged in the city centre, and parking is exorbitantly expensive. Most of the city’s public transport is based on bus and tram lines. There are 16 tram lines in Amsterdam, operated by the municipal public transport operator Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB), which also runs the Amsterdam Metro, city buses, and ferry services. Water taxis and buses are also a popular form of transport with tourists. The city has ten train stations, five of which are intercity stops. Amsterdam Centraal Station has international and European connections. For air travel, Amsterdam is served by Schiphol Airport, which is about 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal. Schiphol Airport served 68.8 million passengers in 2025, marking a recovery trend toward pre-pandemic levels.
Office space for rent in Amsterdam
When we first published this article, in 2013, many small offices were still located along the canals, and many major companies were beginning to establish offices outside the city centre. These were much easier to find and cheaper than those located in the city centre. The Zuidas district, much of which was still under construction, was set to become the city’s main business district. According to CB Richard Ellis’ overview of the Dutch office market for Q1 of 2013, office vacancy rates were running at about 14 per cent. Though the Dutch economy rebounded more quickly than expected, demand for quality office space was growing, especially in hubs like Amsterdam. The city witnessed the highest take-up of office space in the country during the first quarter of 2013. However, compared to the same period in 2010, take-up actually dropped 44 per cent. Office district West was the best-performing part of the city.
It was reported that the Dutch office market was showing signs of recovery in 2025, with total take-up through office lettings reaching 980,673 square metres, a 28.5 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
The share of take‑up by the G5 cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Eindhoven) was 46.7 per cent (vs 51.7 per cent in 2024), and vacancy levels across those cities rose from 6.2 per cent to 7.5 per cent due to 663,872 square metres (7,146,000 square feet) of added stock.
Prime office rents in the Netherlands at the end of 2025 were €600 per square metre (€56 per square foot) per year.
Amsterdam’s share of the take-up was 189,000 square metres (2,034,000 square feet) in 2025.
In 2025, Cushman & Wakefield observed that Amsterdam presented a mixed picture, with office take-up rising sharply, yet vacancy levels – particularly in the city centre – also increasing.
Booking.com’s relocation to its new headquarters on Oosterdokseiland (Eastern Dock Island) in 2023 released a considerable amount of office space across twelve buildings in the city centre. This office space has been gradually returned to the market following redevelopment and sustainability upgrades, but re-letting has been progressing slowly.
In Amsterdam, as in the rest of Europe and globally, occupiers are seeking the very best-in-class office space to justify relocating. This means new high-quality buildings with excellent ESG credentials and amenities. Until that is available, many occupiers are opting to extend leases until suitable options are developed.
However, due to numerous challenges, developers are under continued pressure, and new developments are limited.
There is a growing number of flexible office spaces and workspace providers in Amsterdam, including Beyond, Edge Workspaces, Industrious, Knotel, Mindspace, Offices For You, Regus, RIVVIA, Signature, Spaces, StartDock, The Collection, TOO, Tribes, and WeWork.
These provide agile business space alternatives to traditionally rented office space, available on shorter-term contracts with options to upsize or downsize floorspace mid-term in line with changing requirements.
They often require little to no capital expenditure, as the offices are fitted and furnished, and the all-inclusive, fixed-cost rent covers overheads such as utilities, cleaning, and reception services.
These solutions include serviced private offices, branded, fitted and managed office space and corporate coworking options. These are available in a range of building styles in several locations across Amsterdam, including Amstelplein, Asterweg, Barbara Strozzilaan, Europaplein, Fred Roeskestraat, Gustav Mahlerlaan, Herengracht, Herikerbergweg, Johan Cruijff Boulevard, Keizersgracht, Leidsestraat, Orlyplein, Parnassusweg, Prins Hendrikkade, Rijk, Schiphol, Singel, Singelstaete, Sloterdijk, Stationsplein, Trompenburgstraat, Vijzelstraat, Weedestein, and Zuidplein.
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