Running tour · Amsterdam

Stadium to the Westerkerk

5.2 mi run

Open in Stride Stories

The stories on this route

1. The Olympic Stadium

   Look up at the tall, thin brick tower beside the stadium's main gate. That's the Marathon Tower, 46 metres high, with four balconies and a concrete bowl on top.

2. The Vondelpark

   Look for the seated statue on its tall stand by the ponds. That's Joost van den Vondel, and this whole park is named after him.

3. The Rijksmuseum

   Look at the red-brick building with the twin towers and the gilded, tiled decoration. That's the Rijksmuseum, designed by Pierre Cuypers. Much of his career went into Catholic churches, and critics said this looked too Gothic, too medieval, too Roman Catholic for a national museum. It opened in 1885 all the same.

4. The canal ring

   Look at the houses along this curve of the Herengracht. They're noticeably wider than elsewhere on the ring: broad, double-width stone fronts. This is the Golden Bend, between Leidsestraat and Vijzelstraat.

5. The Magere Brug

   Look at the white wooden drawbridge across the Amstel, with its tall white frames and two lifting halves. This is the Magere Brug: the Skinny Bridge.

6. The Munttoren and the flower market

   Look up at the Munttoren, where the Amstel meets the Singel. Brick below, an eight-sided white-and-gold top above, four clock faces, and bells hanging in the open lantern.

7. The Begijnhof

   Look at the arched gateway off the Spui. Behind it is the Begijnhof, a quiet courtyard of homes, and one of the oldest in Amsterdam. It's the only inner courtyard in the city founded in the Middle Ages.

8. Dam Square

   Look at the long stone Royal Palace. Notice what's missing: a grand front door. Just a row of small arched doors.

9. The Anne Frank House and the Westerkerk

   Look along the Prinsengracht at number 263, a narrow canal house. The secret annex is behind it, out of sight from the street.

Stories researched October 2026 · every fact checked against a source