Travel · the Netherlands

Amsterdam Museumplein

A canal seen from a bridge, trees and waterside buildings either side — Amsterdam, Leidsebosje

1.1 kmabout 14 min

Worth the walk

Walk from Leidsebosje to the Van Gogh Museum along the brick streets the trams use.

Walking this another time?

The walk · 1.1 km, about 14 min

Tram tracks through grass beside a great tree and a hedge — Amsterdam, Leidsebosje

From Leidsebosje through Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat and P.C. Hooftstraat to the Van Gogh Museum.

Near the museum, red-brick buildings line the tram tracks.

Leidsebosje, a narrow park under plane trees

Worth the stop

Trams 1, 2, 5 and 12 run through this area. On a map, look for the green strip between Leidseplein and the Vondelpark.

The name means the little Leiden thicket, but it is a long, narrow park, wide enough for plane trees, between the Stadhouderskade and the Singel canal.

Low hedges run under thick, mossy trunks, and you can see the tree-lined canal bank and the waterside buildings too.

The city council gave it an official name and street signs only in 2017. It now appears by name on online maps.

Settle before you come · the Netherlands

Amsterdam's canals: do you need the boat to yourselves?

Only for an occasion that needs the boat to yourselves, such as a proposal or a family with small children. Even full, it never beats a seat on a shared boat on price, and for most people the shared boat is enough.

Only when privacy counts

Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat, the brick street of the number 3 tram

If you have time

The street lies between the Pesthuis bridge and the Vondel bridge. About 450 m from Leidsebosje, around 6 minutes.

It was named in 1872 after the poet and prose writer Constantijn Huygens. The number 3 tram has run along it for more than a century.

Red-brick buildings with balconies line the road, and bicycles are parked along it. If you need a break, the bakers’ café is on this street.

A tree-lined street between red-brick houses — Amsterdam, Constantijn Huygensstraat

The red surface is a cycle lane. Walk on the pavement beside it.

P.C. Hooftstraat, the street of luxury boutiques

Pieter Cornelisz. Hooftstraat

Can be skipped

It runs from the Stadhouderskade to the Vondelpark. About 250 m from Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat, around 3 minutes.

Horse-drawn trams began here in 1883, and the electric number 2 replaced them in 1903. Today it is a street of high-fashion boutiques and well-known brands.

Stop if you know what you want to buy. If not, walk past the windows and on towards the museum.

A shopping street with tram tracks and a cycle lane — Amsterdam, P.C. Hooftstraat

Van Gogh Museum, two buildings joined by a tunnel

Worth the stop

Paulus Potterstraat 7. About 400 m from P.C. Hooftstraat, around 5 minutes.

It stands between the Stedelijk and the Rijksmuseum, and a tunnel leads from the Rietveld building to the Kurokawa wing. It holds a large collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings.

Beside the pale brick building is a square with benches and a coffee stand under the trees. In some seasons there are sunflowers outside the entrance, so look before you go in.

A square beside a pale building, with trees, benches and a coffee stand — Amsterdam, the Van Gogh Museum

If you are not shopping, walk straight through P.C. Hooftstraat. For a break, stop at the bakers’ café on Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat.