Amsterdam DIY Walking Tour
> Amsterdam DIY Walking Tour Route Map <
Distance: 5 km (about 3.5 miles); Duration: 2-8 hours
Amsterdam DIY Walking Tour
This circular DIY Walking Tour of Amsterdam is just 5 kilometres long (about 3.5 miles), and takes in most of the attractions of central Amsterdam that you’ll want to visit: Amsterdam Centraal Station > NEMO Science Museum > National Maritime Museum > Wertheimpark > Hortus Botanicus > Museum Rembrandthuis > Dam Square > Koninklijk Paleis (The Royal Palace) > Damrak > and finally returning to Amsterdam Centraal Station again.
And because it’s a DIY walking tour of Amsterdam, you can take it at your very own pace; stopping for a coffee/snack/drink where, when, and for as long as you like; and lingering at the attractions of central Amsterdam which interest you (and speeding past those that don’t).
So if you were to simply rush round without stopping, you could easily complete the walk in 2 hours. However, I would recommend taking a full day to complete the circuit of central Amsterdam – as there’s just so much to see and do (splitting this DIY walking tour of downtown Amsterdam over two days would be even better).
Plus, as this DIY Walking Tour of Amsterdam is indeed a circular walk of central Amsterdam, you can start/end the walk at any point (wherever is easiest to reach from your Amsterdam hotel perhaps?).
Amsterdam DIY Walking Tour Directions
[These are very thorough walking directions – you shouldn’t be getting lost in Amsterdam when following this guide. However, I definitely recommend that you follow the Google Streetview route of the entire Amsterdam DIY Walking Tour first, from the comfort of your own home before you head to Amsterdam, as this will allow you to better visualise the entire route before you arrive].
START - Amsterdam Centraal Station
[MAP]:
The walk starts from the main Amsterdam Centraal Station (which is THE public transport hub in central Amsterdam). With your back to the main station building, turn LEFT and head along Stationsplein;
Pedestrian Crossing (unmarked) [MAP]:
This first part of your Amsterdam Centraal DIY Walking Tour is the trickiest part (after getting on the right route, it’s all pretty straightforward though). You will cross two sets of tram lines diagonally on your LEFT (you will be aiming for the big modern hotel building, which looks like its on stilts, ahead of you/near the station’s railway tracks [the Hilton Doubletree]). After crossing the first set of tram lines, you will reach a kind of pedestrian island. Ahead of you, you will see the second set of tram lines. After crossing these, follow the pedestrian path until you reach the first proper (light-controlled) pedestrian crossing (just after crossing the pedestrian bridge that crosses the water that passes beneath the Amsterdam Centraal train tracks) [MAP];
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:
After crossing the road here, continue STRAIGHT AHEAD. The Hilton Doubletree building will be on your LEFT, and the water of the Oosterdok will be in your RIGHT.
About halfway along Oosterdokskade, you will see the “Sea Palace“ (a floating Chinese Restaurant) on your right. Remember this place for later (the main restaurant is on the lower level, and is wheelchair accessible).
Sea Palace (Floating Chinese Restaurant)
[MAP]:
After passing the Sea Palace, continue along Oosterdokskade, until you see the pedestrian Mr. J.J. van der Veldebrug bridge on you RIGHT.
Mr. J.J. van der Veldebrug (pedestrian/cycle bridge)
[MAP]:
Cross over to the NEMO Science Centre, using the bridge.
At the end of the bridge, turn RIGHT (towards the lower part of the striking NEMO Science Centre building).
NEMO Science Centre
[MAP]:
The main entrance is at the lowest side of the sloping building. However, to reach the entrance, usually you need to climb five steps (by the Het Waterwiel waterclock sculpture). Don’t worry though. Just a few metres further along, there is also a ramp which bypasses the steps [MAP];
When you leave the NEMO Science Centre exit, and with the building at your back, turn LEFT. Again, there are 5 steps to descend. However, to the RIGHT of the steps, there is a ramp that zig-zags down to the dockside [MAP]. At the foot of the ramp, turn RIGHT, and continue along Oosterdok (with the NEMO Science Centre building behind you now).
Follow the Oosterdok as it turns to the left around the water. Just after the turn, you will see the striking ARCAM (Architecture Centre Amsterdam) building in front of you. Behind the building (on your RIGHT), a ramp rises to street-level. You may need some assistance to get a wheelchair up this slope though.
ARCAM Architecture Centre Amsterdam
[MAP]:
At the top of the ramp, turn LEFT along Prins Hendrikkade. It’s fairly obvious where to walk now – you are heading for the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum).
National Maritime Museum
[MAP]:
After visiting the National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum), turn RIGHT as you leave, and retrace your steps to the pedestrian crossing located just BEFORE you reach the ARCAM (Architecture Centre Amsterdam) building again (the pedestrian crossing crosses Prins Hendrikkade). It is easy to identify this crossing, as it is right beside the round tower of the SWEETS hotel Kortjewantsbrug.
Decision Time....
When you reach this point, you have a choice to make. Wheelchair users might want to just to retrace your steps back to the starting point of this Amsterdam Centraal DIY Walking Tour at Amsterdam Centraal Station.
Why?
So far, the going has been fairly easy (although the streets are not real cobbles, the pavements have been paved using interlinked bricks – and the slight rumble does get tiring after a while). And, if you do decide to continue, there are a lot more of these to come (plus some real cobbled streets to negotiate too – especially around Dam Square). For all other walkers though, follow on:
The Route Continues....
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:
After crossing Prins Hendrikkade here, continue STRAIGHT AHEAD along Kadijksplein (the canal will be directly to your RIGHT. At the end of Kadijksplein, turn RIGHT and cross the now reopened Scharrebiersluis bridge;
Scharrebiersluis [MAP – when it was still closed though];
At the end of the canal bridge, turn LEFT into Rapenburgerplein, which soon becomes Nieuwe Herengracht (same street, same direction – just a different street name). The canal will always be on your LEFT here. At the end of Nieuwe Herengracht, turn LEFT again onto the Latjesbrug bridge and continue STRAIGHT AHEAD along this lefthand side of Anne Frankstraat, until you see an unmarked pedestrian crossing on your RIGHT (although this crossing is unmarked, there are dropped kerbs on either side – and on the central island too – plus, as the pedestrian crossing is located on the bend of the road, you will be able to see any traffic coming in either direction);
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:
A tricky part of the route – as it uses a very pleasant shortcut that allows you to enter the Wertheimpark by the canalside entrance.
At the end of the crossing, you will see a gateway – that leads to a small path that surrounds the tennis courts [MAP]. Follow the path around, first RIGHT and then LEFT, until you see the entrance to the Wertheimpark (the canal will be on your RIGHT at this point) [MAP].
Wertheimpark
Turn LEFT onto the first smallish path as you enter Wertheimpark from this direction, and you will immediately arrive BEHIND the broken mirrors of the Auschwitzmonument (Spiegelmonument) / Auschwitz Monument (Mirror Monument) – a sobering memorial to the 100,000 Dutch Jews murdered by Nazi Germany in the Auschwitz and Sobibor concentration camps (follow the path around, to the front of the monument);
Wander through the rest of the park, eventually exiting the park via the main entrance (yes, a very back-to-front visit to the Wertheimpark, but a very unique, accessible, and timesaving way to visit the Wertheimpark and the Auschwitz Monument).
Immediately outside the main entrance to the Wertheimpark, you will come to the first of 3 pedestrian crossings that you must now use (none are light-controlled, but all have dropped kerbs where needed).
You are ultimately just going to be heading along the road on your RIGHT. But there are no pedestrian crossings/dropped kerbs before you reach your next destination (Hortus Botanicus – Amsterdam’s botanic garden), so you need to cross three roads of this junction to get across.
This first crossing, directly AHEAD of the main entrance to the Wertheimpark, crosses Plantage Parklaan;
Pedestrian Crossing (1 of 3) [MAP]:
At the end of this first crossing, turn RIGHT, and you will see the start of the second pedestrian crossing here. This crosses Plantage Middenlaan;
Pedestrian Crossing (2 of 3) [MAP]:
Again, turn RIGHT at the end of this second crossing, and you will immediately arrive at the start of the third. This third crossing crosses a tiny sidestreet;
Pedestrian Crossing (3 of 3) [MAP]:
After this final crossing, you will now end up on the LEFTHAND pavement of Plantage Middenlaan – opposite to where you were when you left the Wertheimpark. Continue STRAIGHT AHEAD along this pavement until you see the entrance to Hortus Botanicus (Botanical Gardens) on your LEFT [MAP].
Hortus Botanicus (Botanical Gardens)
[MAP]:
After visiting Hortus Botanicus, leave by the main exit (the same one that you arrived at), and turn LEFT, and continue across the Hortusbrug, and continue STRAIGHT along the left hand side of Muiderstraat until you reach the pedestrian crossing just before the junction of Muiderstraat and Mr. Visserplein (on your RIGHT);
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:
Cross the main Muiderstraat here, and turn LEFT at the end of the crossing and continue along the RIGHTHAND side of Mr. Visserplein until you reach the junction with Valkenburgerstraat where you will see another pedestrian crossing;
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:
After crossing Valkenburgerstraat here you will immediately see yet another pedestrian crossing (on your LEFT), this time crossing Jodenbreestraat (Google Streetview uses an image from 2009 which shows construction here – but the construction has long-since ended, and the pedestrian crossing is there).
At the end of the crossing, turn RIGHT, and walk along the left hand side of Jodenbreestraat, until you reach the Museum Rembrandthuis (you will cross one side-street along the way – Houtkopersdwarsstraat [MAP]).
Museum Rembrandthuis
[MAP]:
After visiting the Museum Rembrandthuis, turn LEFT as you exit (keeping to the right/higher part of the pavement by the roadside), and continue across the Sint Antoniesluis bridge. After the bridge, the road is called Sint Antoniesbreestraat. Continue following it (on this same left hand side) until you reach the corner with Nieuwe Hoogstraat (on your LEFT) [MAP];
Nieuwe Hoogstraat [MAP]:
Turn LEFT into the narrow Nieuwe Hoogstraat, and continue along this same LEFTHAND side, for around 400m until you arrive at Rokin (and Dam Square). You will cross three canal bridges along the way: the Bushuissluis, the Paulusbroederssluis and the Varkenssluis canal bridges, and the street eventually is named Damstraat (the same street, just with a different name as it continues). There are some wonderful photographic opportunities along the way here.
Just before you reach the pedestrian crossing at the end of the road , which will allow you to cross the main Rokin street, to Dam Square and the Koninklijk Paleis (the Royal Palace in Amsterdam), you will see the Nationaal Monument on your RIGHT.
Nationaal Monument
[MAP]:
NOTE: Google Streetview still uses an older image when the Nationaal monument was still shrouded with scaffolding (2022).
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:
After crossing Rokin here, you will arrive directly in front of Madame Tussauds Amsterdam. Turn immediately to your RIGHT and you will see yet another pedestrian crossing in front of you;
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:
This second crossing will take you across to Dam Square directly in front of the Koninklijk Paleis (the Royal Palace in Amsterdam).
Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paleis)
[MAP]:
After visiting the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, and with the palace building behind you, walk STRAIGHT AHEAD (AND TO THE LEFT) across Dam Square until you reach Rokin again (just before the De Bijenkorf department store building – there is a restaurant/roof terrace in De Bijenkorf, which has amazing views over the rooftops of Amsterdam);
Damrak [MAP]:
When you reach Damrak, turn LEFT and continue down the left hand side, until you see the first pedestrian crossing on your RIGHT (to Beursplein – after about 150m);
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP];
This crossing is not light-controlled (but has flattened kerbs on both sides), and will take you across Damrak to Beursplein. At the end of the crossing, turn LEFT and continue walking down Damrak (but now on the RIGHTHAND side). After about 200 metres, the water of the harbour at Damrak will appear on your RIGHT.
At the end of Damrak, a pedestrian crossing will appear on your LEFT (this is actually the first of two crossings which enable you to cross the junction to the magnificent Amsterdam Centraal Station building – which you will be able to see clearly from here). This first crossing will take you back across Damrak;
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP];
At the end of this first crossing, turn RIGHT – and you will immediately see the second pedestrian crossing directly in front of you;
Pedestrian Crossing [MAP];
This second crossing crosses Prins Hendrikkade. At the end of he crossing, you should continue STRAIGHT AHEAD, returning to your starting point at Amsterdam Centraal Station.
YOUR AMSTERDAM DIY WALKING TOUR NOW ENDS
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