The Vondelpark

The Vondelpark was born in 1865 from the ambitions of a group of well-dressed gentlemen who believed the city needed a proper place to breathe. Their leader, Christiaan Pieter van Eeghen, had grand ideas, though with one significant condition attached: working-class Amsterdammers need not apply. Fresh air, it seems, was considered a privilege worth protecting.

The park was designed by Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, who drew on sweeping English landscape traditions to shape these 47 hectares of elegant ponds, open lawns, and gently winding paths. Standing at the entrance, you can see De Stedemaagd, a statue representing Amsterdam herself, who has watched every chapter of this park's story unfold.

Everything changed in 1953, when the municipality took over and threw the gates open to everyone. Joggers, picnickers, street musicians, families spreading out blankets on the grass for a long lazy afternoon: suddenly, all of them belonged here. And this is genuinely one of the finest spots in the city for a picnic, with wide lawns, dappled shade, and the gentle hum of city life around you.

From a private garden for the privileged few to Amsterdam's green living room, open to all. The only thing that hasn't changed is the bicycles, of which there are still considerably too many.