Amersfoort Old Town Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 4.1 km (2.5 miles), terrain: flat

Amersfoort is a fairly typical Dutch town, with a beautiful old town full of narrow lanes lined by elegant old houses, market squares full of outdoor seating for an ample assembly of pubs and restaurants, with the whole place criss-crossed by canals, boat-locks and sluices. And surrounding the old town, there's a pulsing, modern city with big, planned communities of tidy row-houses and bike-ways. The Dutch have a knack for preserving their heritage while embracing the modern.

Doors on Muurhuizen

Here's a scenic little running route that takes you up and down some of the nicest streets in the old town, following the canals and the old town walls as much as possible, passing the main sights, and avoiding traffic.

So, if you're lucky enough to be spending a bit of time in this friendly town, head to the main market square, the Hof, at the St. Joris church. There's a little fountain in the center of the square, so let's start there: turn south and run out of the square along the narrow alley between the two pubs and cross the next street and canal.

The Hof market square: run straight that way!

The street lining the canal is called Langegracht, where we'll turn left to run southeast.

In a block, you'll cross the main (pedestrian) shopping street, called Langestraat, and then run by the little covered fish market. 

The fish market

Just keep running straight along the canal, where the street is now called Kortegracht.

Kortegracht

The street ends at Muurhuizen, so turn left here and run north along the long-curving lane. The houses on your right were built into the first of the two old city wall rings, built aroung 1300.

Muurhuizen houses along the old city wall

There is an arched gate tower later on, and when you get back to Langestraat, turn right and run out the old city gate at Kamperbinnenpoort. 

The city gate called Kamperbinnenpoort

You'll see a canal lines the back side of the Muurhuizen houses, and we'll turn right here and follow the curve past the way we came, along Zuidsingel (southern moat).

Along the Zuidsingel canal

When you reach the cross-street called Kleine Haag, turn left to run south one block to the second city wall ring, which was built a hundred years after the first one.

Now turn left to head north again, curving along the path at the walls. This wall-ring is now a narrow park with a path called Plantsoen Oost. There are distance markers painted on the asphalt walkway every 100 meters, to remind you of your progress, although I don't like such frequent reminders!

Along Plantsoenoost and its city walls

So now we're running the course of the newer medieval walls, with still another moat (actually, the Eem River) to your right. Sometimes you'll run by remains of the walls, and a couple of blocks still have complete walls.

Some surviving city wall

A loud street, Stadsring, lines the beginning of this section, however, making it a bit loud. After crossing the street called Kamp, you can even run along the top of the walls for a block, if you like (hey, who doesn't like something like that?).

Running on top of the city walls

After that, the traffic across the moat dies down and it's nice and quiet again.

Just after the 2-km marker on the pavement, you come to the biggest surviving gate, Koppelpoort. It's nice to turn right to run through the gate and cross the bridge outside it to get a better look at it.

Koppelpoort at night

Then just turn around to follow the canal back into the old town, heading southeast along the street called Spui, which ends after one long block.

Spui, with its sluice

At the end of the block, facing the museum across the water, keep left to continue along the water as it makes a sharp turn to the right.

Langegracht

Now take the first little bridge to your right to get back onto Langegracht, where we started the run, heading past a small church towards the big church tower visible over the housetops.

Before we go back to the main square, though, take the first diagonal turnoff onto Lievevrouwestraat, heading to that big church tower at the other main square in the old town.

The square at Lieve Vrouwekerkhof

The square, Lieve Vrouwekerkhof, is dominated by the giant church tower, the third highest in the country. The Lieve Vrouwe church itself was blown up 230 years ago in a gunpowder explosion, and the spot where the church was located is now the square. Now, the place is lined with pubs and restaurants and is a great spot to hang out in the evenings (I love the Hete Kolen barbeque restaurant!).

Now turn northeast to head up Haversteeg the two blocks back to Hof, the main square. And there you are: another great run in paradise!

Best Amsterdam Running Routes and Trails

Top 5 Amsterdam Running Routes
Amsterdam is definitely a party town. The the little lanes of the red-light district, right in the heart of the old-town, are stuffed with mobs of fun-seakers every evening, who then fill the bars, pubs, restaurants and coffee houses. But that's just one aspect of any trip to Amsterdam. Other aspects you can discover best, like always, with your running shoes on. Head out into other neighborhoods, where things are quieter and you can appreciate the understated Georgian-era elegance of this very special town.

Typical Amsterdam

Best Amsterdam Running Routes
Canalside run: The old canals are THE ingredient that makes Amsterdam so unique. And nowhere are the canals as beautiful as along the old Grachten on the west side of the town center. The concentric rings of water, lined by beautiful brick houses are a sight which you won't find in any other world capital.

Vogelpark / Rembrandtpark / EgmontPark: For a bit of green right from the city center, try this three-park route. It starts in Amsterdam's summertime back-yard, Vogelpark, full of barbeques and hangers-out on summer evenings. Then on through two quieter parks and a few canals before landing back in the center of town.

Amsterdamse Bos: This big park on the south side of town provides a huge expanse to run among fields and woods.

Amstel River run: Get a feel for real Holland by running out of the city along the Amstel River. Beginning at Amstelpark, you head past windmills, fields and farmhouses before the turnaround spot in the village of Amstelveen.

Sloterpark: The west side of Amsterdam has lots of modern apartment buildings, and doesn't seem too interesting at first. But this route around the lake in Sloterpark will give you a whole new perspective on the west side.

Amsterdam Amsterdamse Bos Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 10 km (6.4 miles), terrain: flat (it's Amsterdam, after all!)

Amsterdam running routes:
Three parks route
Amsterdam canals run
Sloterpark lake loop
Amstel river trail 
Amsterdamse Bos run
For more running routes, see Route List.

There is an urban idyll on Amsterdam's south side that's a great place to run, bike or hang around.
Built as a make-work project during the Great Depression, the Amsterdamse Bos park is entirely man-made. The place is huge: 3 times bigger than New York's Central Park, and is covered by a mixture of woods, meadows, farm fields, ponds, ditches (like everywhere in the Netherlands) and sports fields. It's divided into 2 parts (northern- and southern halves) by the A9 freeway. It's located right next to Schiphol airport, but it's not normally loud.

In Amsterdamse Bos

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
The north edge of the park is moated with a long, straight rectangle of water, the Bosbaan, which is used for rowing competitions. And north of that, you'll find the Niewe Meer, a lake used by sailors and motorboats.

The Bosbaan: an impressive regatta course, dug out by hand

There are marked running trails in the park (called "Hardlooproutes"), so this route is simple to follow. They all start and end at the visitor center, located at the northeastern corner of the park. The running trails are marked with short orange posts with a white running figure. 

One of the orange trail markers

There are 3 loop-trails, of 5-, 10- and 21- kilometers that all overlap. The two shorter routes just cut back towards the return-trail earlier. If you want to loop around the northern part of the park, it's 10 km. If you want to loop through both parts (plus an extra section along the Bosbaan), take the half-marathon (21-km) route. It follows the 10K route in the north and adds a loop through the southern park section. The 5-km route just shortens the 10K trail to the northernmost part of the park.

There is an interactive map at the park website at that shows the three routes. Just click on the arrow to the right of "Hardlooproutes" and click on/off the various routes to overlay them on the map (5-km is yellow, 10-km is red, and 21-km is pink).

NOTE: There are also two shorter, special routes. The purple "Trimroute" fitness route of 2.2 km connects various conditioning stops, and there's even a cross-country route (blue: 2.8-km), if you like hurdles!

The visitor center

The start/end-point at the visitor center is on Bosbaanweg, called Van Nijenrodeweg east of the park. The visitor center is a small oval-shaped building. To get to the park with public transport, take Metro lines 50 or 51 to Arent Ernststraat, a half-kilometer east of the park. Park maps are posted at the park entrances but not inside the park. You can buy a map of the Hardlooproutes in the visitor center, if you wish.

The start of the run

The starting point is, like most trails in the park, two parallel trails: one for bikes and one for walkers/runners (on the left side). Both are paved here, but the walking path turns to gravel later.

So off you go, as the path first curves to the right, going through lawns and past a kids' wading pool. It crosses a bridge over a canal, then curves towards the left.

The wading pool

After crossing a second bridge, the 5-km trail cuts off to the left. For the longer trail, keep running straight.

It then loops clockwise around a circular lawn, then heads north for a short ways, and then turns left, just before reaching the Bosbaan waterway.

In 200 meters, the main Hardloop trail turns to the left to go south. But you could go straight to follow the extra loop to the north side of the Bosbaan (if you want to run the 21-km section). It loops back to this same spot again.

Now you head south, as the trail winds through the woods along west side of the park. You cross a bridge, then turn right to follow the water on your right side. After 200 meters, the trail turns right, then left again to continue its southern meander.

The canals in the Bos look like natural rivers

You'll pass the goat farm and bisons, and then the trail heads southeast, parallel to the freeway that separates the two park halves. But the trail keeps its distance from the freeway, so you don't hear much.

After crossing another bridge, the trail splits. The trail to the right heads southwards, under the freeway and does the big loop through the southern part of the park.

For the 10-km route, just keep running straight, parallel to the freeway. In just 200 meters, you reach the eastern edge of the park, where you turn left and start the way home, heading northwards.

Sports field along the eastern edge of the park

You'll later pass a horse-riding center and various sports fields, where the trail runs next to the road to the sports facilities.

On the way back

At the kids' wading pool, the route merges into the trail you ran at the beginning, where you turn right and head the last few hundred meters back to the visitor center.

Amsterdam Amstel River Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 11.6 km (7.2 miles), terrain: flat (it's Amsterdam, after all!)

Amsterdam running routes:
Three parks route
Amsterdam canals run
Sloterpark lake loop
Amstel river trail 
Amsterdamse Bos run
For more running routes, see Route List.

 NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!

If you want to get a feel for typical Dutch countryside while you're in Amsterdam, then just head out of town along the Amstel River, and have a run through the fields and villages south of the city.

The Amstel south of Amsterdam

Here's a route that starts at the RAI train station, reachable by Metro, tram and train. RAI is Amsterdam's convention center, located right near the river, just south of the center of town. The route will then cut through the beautiful gardens of Amstelpark and then just head along the riverside trail to the village of Ouderkerk, where it crosses the river and heads back north again, along the other, quieter side. There are no other bridges between the north and south ends of this route.

NOTE: If you want a longer run, just keep running south. The road along the river continues for many kilometers.

So, if you're ready to experience a bit of Dutch country life, let's get ourselves to the RAI train station. It's serviced by Metro lines 50 and 51, as well as the number-4 tram-line from the city center.

The unattractive start of the run at the RAI station

Leave the station and head south along Europaboulevard, going under the motorway overpasses. This spot is loud and ugly, providing a good contrast to the relative paradise waiting just a few hundred meters away.

After passing the A10 Autosnelweg (motorway) entrance ramps on the left side, you'll see the main entrance into Amstelpark on the right, the white entrance with the blue gates.

Amstelpark entrance gate

Run into the park and into the open square with the "Midgetgolf" course, and then turn right there to run south through the center of the park. Immediately, the RAI station seems like a distant, foreign nightmare as you soak up the great vibes from the green all around you.

Already in paradise: turn right here at the Midgetgolf, and head through the park

Amstelpark started life in 1972 as the Netherlands' biggest garden-show ever, and has remained one of the city's favorite parks. It's open from 8 a.m. (although I've found it open even earlier) till a half-hour before sunset.

The park has ponds, playgrounds, a little railroad, lots of specialized gardens and ecological projects. A great place to feel good about the human race! The wooded areas have the feeling of a botanical garden, with lots of interesting trees creating exotic effects.

Leave the park at its south entrance with the crazy-looking stainless-steel gates, and you'll run right towards an old windmill, the Riekermolen. This won't be the last windmill along this run, you'll pass another one later, on the other side of the river.

The Riekermolen windmill

Now take the path as it turns to the left, towards the riverside. Right behind the mill you come to the water.

Now turn right and follow the river road southwards, with the water to your left. You'll just stay right along the water for the next five kilometers on this road called Amsteldijk.

Traditional riverside restaurant along the way

You have a choice of either running along the narrow gravel pedestrian trail or along the bicycle paths on the edge of the narrow road. The road is open for cars, but with little traffic. There are more bikes than cars. And the road along the other side of the river is even quieter, with fewer houses and cars. I followed the trail -- because I like natural surfaces and hate traffic -- but all the other runners were on the bike lanes.

Runners along the trail

The scenery soon opens up to fields and farmhouses, with a horizon that sometimes goes out forever across the flat landscape. There are occasional rowboats, geese, swans, egrets and other waterbirds, a nice relaxing bit of country.

House along Amsteldijk

When you reach Ouderkerk at the 5.5-km mark, you'll come to the main street-crossing (at Oranjebaan) in the village, with the bridge crossing the river to the other half of the village on the opposite riverside. But rather than crossing here, keep going south for a few blocks to see the nicest part of the village, with the old houses. It's a charming place, with boats docked-up along next to the riverside restaurant tables.

In Ouderkerk village

When you reach the south end of the village, turn around and run back to the crossing at Oranjebaan, turn right and cross the bridge.

Turn left at the first cross-street, Hoger Einde, on the other side, and follow this riverside road northwards along the east side of the river. The street-name later changes to Ouderkerkerdijk, but it's similar to Amsteldijk: just a few local cars and tractors -- and quite a few bikes -- make their way down the road.

Crossing the bridge

You'll soon be among fields again, with cows and sheep staring at you blankly as you cruise by.

When you get back to the spot opposite Amstelpark, you'll approach the loud A10 motorway bridge. There is a pedestrian/bike track on south side of the bridge. Run up the ramp up to the bridge and now cross to the Amstel.

Farmland is pretty flat here

On the other side, run down the other ramp and head along the north edge of Amstelpark to Europaboulevard again, past the old defensive bastion in the north end of the park.

At Europaboulevard, turn right and run the last 100 meters back to the RAI Station entrance.

Amsterdam Sloterpark Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 6 km (3.7 miles), terrain flat (hey, you're in Amsterdam)

Amsterdam running routes:
Three parks route
Amsterdam canals run
Sloterpark lake loop
Amstel river trail 
Amsterdamse Bos run
For more running routes, see Route List.

Here's another peaceful park route for Amsterdam. If you are looking for new horizons with lots of water and green parkland, the Sloterpark is a good place to go. There are a lot of runners and bicyclists there, and a marked trail, the Rondje Sloterplas.

Along Sloterplas lake

Sloterpark surrounds Sloterplas lake on the west side of Amsterdam, located among housing blocks and row-houses. The park is a mixture of lawns and woods, with a few natural shoreline sections, plus a couple of marinas, cafès and a big public swimming area along the western shore. The lake is about two kilometers long and about a half-kilometer wide.

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
I was working in the nearby Sloterdijk business park this week, near the Sloterdijk Station, and decided to check it out. It adds an extra kilometer at each end if you run directly there from Sloterdijk Station. Otherwise, you can easily get to Sloterpark via the metro to nearby Jan van Galenstraat Station, or take one of several tram lines that head out that way.

Rondje Sloterplas trail sign

We'll start the run at the northeast corner of the park, at the corner of Jan Evertsenstraat and Oostoever. There is a café there, and a terrace along the water.

We'll just run clockwise around the lake, with the water to your right side. There are parallel paved foot- and bike-trails (as you often find in Amsterdam). The Rondje Sloterplas trail is marked with signs and maps, and every 200 meters a distance marker along the wider bike-trail shows how far you've gone.

The 1.2-km marker

So off we go, running south! At first, there is just a sidewalk next to busy Oostoever, but after 100 meters, you can turn to the right and head into parkland. Now you just stay on one of the trails running along the water. This first section is one of the most natural parts of the park, with reeds growing along the water and even a stork's next on one post over the water.

Boats along the shore

Near the south end of the lake the trail curves to the left to go around a marina. Then it turns northwest to follow the south end of the lake, along Meer en Vaart street. There is another cafè at this end.

Café at the south end of Sloterplas lake

Right after the cafè, you'll go over a canal, and then you need to turn right to continue along the water.

Follow the shore until you get to the first bridge, where your turn right again to head north along the west side of the lake.

At the swimming beach

In just a few hundred meters, you'll come to the public swimming area, with its own playgrounds and beach, and a gigantic swimming hall. It blocks access to the water, so you have to run to the left, around the swimming complex.

When you pass the swimming hall, you can turn right to get back to the water.

Neighboring houses near the north end

You're now almost back to the north side of the lake. When you reach the northwest corner, turn right and head along the north shore back to the start.

Amsterdam 3-Park Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 10.5 km (6.5 miles), terrain flat, (what else, you're in Holland!)

Amsterdam running routes:
Three parks route
Amsterdam canals run
Sloterpark lake loop
Amstel river trail 
Amsterdamse Bos run
For more running routes, see Route List.

Thanks to the creative photographers at Flickr CreativeCommons for the great photos!

Here's a route that will help satisfy your need for some green surroundings while in Amsterdam: it goes through three nice parks west of the city center, Vondelpark, Rembrandtpark and Erasmuspark. It will also follow a few scenic canals and interesting neighborhoods, after beginning right in the heart of the town.

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
This run starts at the same place as the Amsterdam Canal Run, on the town's main square, Dam, in front of the Royal Palace.

Moody shot of Dam, with royal palace and Niewe Kerk, photo by Emilio Santacoloma

Facing the palace, run straight westwards, past the left side of the palace, on Palaisstraat. In two blocks, you'll cross the Singel canal (ex-defensive moat of the old town). Turn left after crossing the bridge.

Now head south along the Singel until you get to the lively crossroads with the tram line, Konigsplein. Turn right to cross the square, and cross the bridge over the next canal, Herengracht.

Houseboats along the Singel, photo by dutchamsterdam.nl

You are now heading southwest on Leidseplein. You will now cross two more canals (Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht). Three blocks after Prinsengracht, the street narrows as a theater, the Stadsschauburg, protrudes into the street from the right side, at a big tram- and bus-stop.

Run past the theater and then over the bridge for the next canal, where you turn left to run along the water for just 100 meters, past the Holland Casino across the water.

At the next pedestrian/bicycle bridge, turn right to cross busy Stadhouderskade to go through the entrance to Vondelpark, running westwards.

Vondelpark entrance, photo by svacher

In just a few steps, everything gets quieter and nicer. This part of the park is narrow, basically a tree-lined sidewalk. But after 200 meters, the path goes under a street and comes out into the real park. The park is filled with a chain of ponds and all the other pleasant stuff that make for a nice city park: fountains, statues, formal gardens, outdoor cafés, flower beds. 

Blue Teahouse café in Vondelpark, photo by dutchamsterdam.nl

There are paths to either side and also down the middle. Take your pick.

Shady spot in Vondelpark, photo by nicola

The park is really popular, and on weekends and nice summer evenings it can be full of people picknicking and grilling, with their bicycles parked all over.

Barbeque time in Vondelpark, photo by Berend B

When you reach the western end of the park, cross Amstelveensweg and continue running westwards, running along the little bike/pedestrian way, with the trees and playground on your left.

You'll cross a drawbridge over another canal (hey, remember, this is Amsterdam), and continue running along Theophile de Bockstraat, in a quiet residential neighborhood.

When you get to Woesduinstraat, a block before the street ends, turn right to run northwards. You'll cross another canal and then keep right to run up a tree-lined path between two canals.

The path takes you under a big street and right into the next park, Rembrandtpark.

This park is also a fairly equal mixture of land and water, with meandering streams and ponds everywhere, and less going on than Vondelpark, probably due to the traffic noise of the freeway along its western edge.

Kids playing in Rembrandtpark, photo by tres rosas amarillas

You can just stay on the main path along the eastern edge and go by the ponds on each side. The path goes under another cross-street and you'll go through the middle section of park.

After still another street-overpass, you'll enter the northern section of the park, and pass by a swimming pool. You will exit the park at Jan van Galenstraat at the SportPlaza building, a really interesting building, covered in green plants on every side.

Cross the street and then turn right to begin the eastward trip back to the city center.

After three blocks, you'll begin running past the third park, Erasmuspark. When you get to the entrance, turn left to run across this unspectacular little park.

Follow the path to the right side of the park and through the little formal garden. Then turn left to run out the north end of the park at the polar bear statue, crossing two little bridges.

Treeline where you leave Erasmuspark, photo by Natashenka

Now, at the north side of the Erasmusgracht canal, turn right and run eastwards along Erasmusgracht.

Keep running for a few blocks until the street ends at Willem de Zwijgerlaan, with an industrial area ahead, across the next canal.

Turn right on Willem de Zwijgerlaan and run the few blocks into the park-like square, returning to Jan van Galenstraat. Turn left here and head east again towards town.

For the next half-kilometer, the street curves to the right, changes its name, goes through a big square with a roundabout, crosses a canal and then becomes a pleasant street with a canal down the middle, Bloemgracht, with nice old houses lining each side.

You are now in the cool Jordaan neighborhood, one of the liveliest residential neighborhoods in town.

Flowers showing how Bloemgracht got its name, photo by jpmm

Bloemgracht ends at the next nice canal street, Prinsengracht. Turn left here and run to the next bridge, where you turn right to run eastwards along the little connecting-canal, Leliegracht.

Now keep running straight over the next three canals (Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Singel) crossing Singel over the square over the old locks.

Along narrow Leliegracht, photo by jim forest

Continue straight east as the street narrows into a little alley, and run two more blocks to the coronation church, Niewe Kerk, next to the Royal Palace.

Now just try to avoid all the trams coming through, and run around the right side of the church, between the church and the palace, and you'll find yourself back in Dam square.