About this walk
The Vondelpark was laid out by hand on meadow land, paid for in 1864 by gentlemen who kept workers outside the gate. This walk follows what became of the park afterwards, and who laid claim to it in turn: sleepers, squatters, musicians and a Picasso that doubles as a goalpost.
The stops
Walk them in order; each story plays when you reach its pin.
- 1Stop 1
Welcome to the Vondelpark
Where this walk begins, at the main gate on the Stadhouderskade
- 2
- 3Stop 3
The Vondelpark Pavilion
For forty years the country's film reels sat behind this front
Read the story - 4
- 5Stop 5
The Blue Tea House
A round building from 1937 where every side is the front
- 6Stop 6
The open-air theatre
A stage that came about because the park already had the music
Read the story - 7Stop 7
The Groot Melkhuis
Cows stood here, and every glass of milk helped pay for the park
- 8Stop 8
The Picasso in the grass
A Picasso with no fence around it, doubling as a goalpost
Read the story - 9Stop 9
The sinking park
The park sits on peat and sinks, so some of its trees stand on piles
Read the story - 10Stop 10
Sleeping in the Vondelpark
KLM advertised with it: Fly KLM, sleep in the Vondelpark
- 11Stop 11
The Hollandsche Manege
Behind this gateway lies a nineteenth-century riding hall, and you can walk straight in
- 12Stop 12
The Vondelkerk
Cuypers' church burned twice, in 1904 and on new year's night 2026
- 13Stop 13
The Vondelstraat riots
Army vehicles rolled through Amsterdam here in 1980, for the first time since the war
Read the story - 14Stop 14
The Vondelbunker
A 1947 nuclear shelter that became a beat cellar and then a free space
Read the story
Ready when you are
Walk Vondelpark with ROODS.
14 stops through Amsterdam, about 82 minutes. Open ROODS in your browser, walk to the first pin and the story plays.
- Stories on a map, with narrated audio
- Walk at your own pace, stop where you like
- Runs in your browser. An app is optional.
