Living in the Netherlands: Bussum or Hilversum?

[irishmumonthemove]

Hello,

I have recently posted about education in NL and have that question pretty much sorted in my head. Now on to where to live. We want to live outside Amsterdam, close enough but not a suburb and are looking at the above two towns. I have spoken to schools in both that have places for my 3 children and we could get a rental house in both too. I will be visiting NL soon but would love some opinions from anyone who has/is living there. Both are excellent regarding public transport. Hilversum is a lot bigger- is this a plus or minus? Are there areas to avoid? Where's better for family life while still offering culture, sports, cafes, restaurants, parks, nature etc? Any thoughts welcome.

Hi Pinkiemum,

My family and I are considering moving to either Hilversum or closer to Amsterdam, we currently live in a village about 8k from Hilversum but being closer to the station there will cut down on my husbands commute time. We've been living in NL (came from UK) for just a few months so I'm not that familiar with Hilversum yet. Can you recommend which area's are good for families? I've heard the area round the international school is nice but is there anywhere else we should consider? We'd like somewhere leafy and safe for the children to play etc.
I wasn't keen on the city centre there from the few times I've visited which puts me off Hilversum a bit but I've heard lots of good reports about the city in general from people I've spoken too.
Any help would be great, thanks

Hi there, just wondering if you got sorted with a place in the end. Or perhaps you want to move again. I have a beautiful 3 bedroom house in the lakes of Oud Loosdrect that is available 1st October in that price range. Check it out on funda.nl by entering post code 1231NE. It's no 150 Oud Loosdrechtsedijk. Or if you know someone interested you can PM me at [email protected]

Hi, as this is an old post just wondered if anyone who posted is still on here and wondered how you are getting on? I have the same queries with my girls 1yr and 4yrs and possibly looking at moving. any advise would be great for this newbie

Hi , i am living in Limburg And struggling to find parent And baby groups or playgroups to go to for expats !!! Can anyone help!!!

Hi Hannah !! I am also new on this thema's And hoping for a response 😳 where are you moving to ?

Thread not theme !!! Aargh

I am no longer living in the Netherlands, but am happy to answer any questions about Hilversum or Almere, it has only been 4 months since we moved.

Hello!
We have moved to Alkmaar (north of holland) 2 months ago. I am Brazilian, but I lived in Norway for the past 3 years and before that I lived in London for 10years. My husband is English and we have a daughter 2yrs 9 months and 10 weeks old son. We are seeking for any tips regarding to places to take toddlers, any playgroup activities for international kids, any mum's coffee meetings,etc... Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks :-)

Vanessa

Vanessa sign up to the Expat Connection NH group on Facebook, they have coffee mornings and such, most people in the group seem to be in Alkmaar or close by. I am in Alkmaar myself, bit past toddler stage so not so hot on that I'm afraid. Feel free to pm if you have questions!

You know Utrecht is not so far away....20 minutes drive to Hilversum. Much nicer x10 IMHO. Bussum is also nice. But Utrecht is a really amazing place to live. Excellent culture, social, restaurants, transport connections. Gorgeous architecture etc etc etc.

It's possibly the nicest city I've ever lived in

Thanks Katie! I will look into the Facebook group. I really need to get out of the house :-)

Have a lovely evening

Vanessa