Imagine sitting down for dinner in Amsterdam. Your table is set, the first course is on its way, and beyond the window, the scenery begins to move. Historic buildings, busy streets, canals and passing cyclists become part of the evening.
This is the idea behind AmsterTram, a restaurant housed inside a converted Amsterdam tram. Rather than remaining at a fixed address, the dining room travels through the city, offering an unusual way to experience the Dutch capital.
Inside, the former passenger tram has become a comfortable dining space with seating for up to 44 guests. Tables for two or four create an intimate restaurant atmosphere, while larger parties can reserve half the tram (22 seats) or the entire vehicle for birthdays, private celebrations and corporate events.
There is no need to interrupt dinner to explore the next neighbourhood. The city comes to the table instead.
Operating since June 2025, AmsterTram offers dinner journeys from Wednesday to Saturday, along with a shorter Sunday lunch experience.
Five Courses While Amsterdam Passes By
The evening experience lasts approximately two and a half hours, during which guests are served a five-course dinner prepared on board and accompanied by matching wines or other beverages.
The menu changes periodically throughout the year, offering different dishes and flavour combinations. The early autumn 2026 menu includes yellow tomato gazpacho with watermelon, slow-cooked salmon with citrus cream and beef with chimichurri. The following autumn selection introduces dishes such as pumpkin with miso and sage, guinea fowl with Madeira sauce and baked apple with miso caramel. Alongside the evening experience, AmsterTram offers a shorter Sunday lunch, lasting approximately one and a half hours and featuring a multi-course meal.
As of autumn 2026, prices are €119.95 per person for dinner and €84.95 for Sunday lunch, including accompanying drinks. Prices and menus may change, so guests can check the current menu and visit the official AmsterTram website for reservations and the latest information.
How It All Began — with a Love of Trams
Behind AmsterTram is Suzanne Knegt, a Dutch entrepreneur whose journey into hospitality began with a fascination for public transport rather than a career in restaurants.
Before launching her first restaurant tram, Suzanne worked for Rotterdam's public transport company, RET. She started in customer service, specialising in the tram division, and later moved into marketing.
She enjoyed travelling through the city by tram, although convincing her friends to join her for a ride simply for the pleasure of it proved rather difficult.
That gave her an idea. What if a tram journey came with food and drinks?
Suzanne began researching the possibilities and discovered that restaurant trams already existed in places including New Zealand, Milan and Brussels. There had even been a similar concept in The Hague.
Turning the idea into a business, however, required permission from the public transport operator to convert a historic tram, as well as the funding to make it possible.
After considerable persuasion, the transport company agreed. A crowdfunding campaign then attracted 237 investors, providing the financial support needed to bring the project to life.
On 28 June 2018, RotterTram made its debut in Rotterdam, offering guests a restaurant experience while travelling through the city.
From RotterTram to a New Chapter
RotterTram operated for more than five years, even surviving the difficult COVID-19 period thanks to the support of its original crowdfunding investors.
However, operating a restaurant on rails meant depending on the continued cooperation of the city's public transport company. In 2023, the transport company withdrew its cooperation — a decision Suzanne disagreed with — forcing RotterTram to make its final journey on 1 October 2023.
Meanwhile, another opportunity had already emerged. In 2021, the chair of an Amsterdam museum foundation had approached Suzanne about establishing a restaurant tram in the Dutch capital.
Determined to avoid the difficulties experienced in Rotterdam, she established clearer agreements about responsibilities from the outset. With the support of Amsterdam's public transport company, Suzanne purchased a former city tram and began developing her next restaurant on rails.
Giving an Amsterdam Tram a Second Life
The former passenger tram was stripped of its original interior and fitted with an entirely custom-made restaurant space. The conversion required fitting restaurant facilities into the limited space of a tram while keeping the vehicle suitable for operation on Amsterdam's tracks.
The permitting process alone took more than a year. Finally, on 6 June 2025, AmsterTram made its inaugural journey through Amsterdam.
The project also contributes to preserving the city's transport heritage. An Amsterdam museum foundation maintains the tram and provides its driver, while the fees paid by AmsterTram help support the preservation of other historic trams and rolling stock.
And the journey may not end in Amsterdam. Suzanne has not ruled out bringing the concept to another city — or perhaps even returning to Rotterdam.
What began as one woman's enthusiasm for tram travel has already brought an unusual dining experience to two Dutch cities. And perhaps, one day, another will follow.
