Amsterdam parks and gardens: the best, from Vondelpark to the Bos

Choosing a park in Amsterdam

Most of the city's parks are free and open to all. They were laid out from the second half of the 19th century onwards, as the city spread beyond the canal ring: the Vondelpark opened in 1865, the Oosterpark in 1891 and the Sarphatipark around the same time. The 20th century added large recreation areas on the outskirts, such as the Amsterdamse Bos.

If you are only staying a few days, think in three categories:

• Near the museums and the centre: the Vondelpark, the Hortus Botanicus and the Begijnhof courtyard.
• For a neighbourhood feel: the Westerpark in the west, the Oosterpark and Frankendael in the east, the Sarphatipark in De Pijp.
• For a proper day out in nature: the Amsterdamse Bos, by bike or public transport, with swimming in summer.

Vondelpark: the big park in the centre

The Vondelpark is the city's best-known park. Opened in 1865 and listed as a national monument, it stretches over 47 hectares between the Leidseplein and Amsterdam-Zuid, with ponds, wide lawns, a rose garden and cafés, including the Blauwe Theehuis, a round pavilion from 1937. From May to September, the Openluchttheater stages free performances, mostly at weekends.

It pairs naturally with the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, both close by: our guide to the Museum Quarter covers the visits. Barbecues have been banned here since 2017, and the paths are shared with a lot of cyclists.

Westerpark and the Westergasfabriek

The Westerpark, in the west of the city, is two parks in one. The older part, laid out from 1890, opens to the east through an Amsterdam School-style entrance dated 1928. To the west, the Westergasfabriek, a gasworks built from 1883 and closed in 1967, has become a cultural park: the polluted soil was sealed off and a park designed by landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson opened in 2003 around the brick buildings.

These former industrial buildings now house cafés, restaurants, a cinema (Het Ketelhuis) and venues such as the Gashouder, the old gasholder. The grounds host festivals in summer and, usually on the first Sunday of the month, the Sunday Market, a market for makers and designers open from 12:00 to 18:00, free entry. Tram 5 terminates at Van Hallstraat (Westergasfabriek), on the edge of the park.

Oosterpark: the park of Amsterdam-Oost

The Oosterpark was the first large park created by the City of Amsterdam, in 1891, on about 12 hectares. Designed by Leonard Springer in the English landscape style, it wraps around a winding pond where herons nest. It is home to the National Slavery Monument, unveiled on 1 July 2002: every 1 July, the Keti Koti commemoration here marks the abolition of slavery by the Netherlands in 1863. Further on stands De Schreeuw, the sculpture erected in memory of filmmaker Theo van Gogh.

The park has a paddling pool for children and hosts several festivals in summer. The Wereldmuseum borders it to the north. Wibautstraat metro station (lines 51, 53 and 54) is about ten minutes' walk away, a reliable option while the works on the Linnaeusstraat disrupt the area's trams. For the rest of the district, see our guide to Amsterdam-Oost.

Park Frankendael: a country estate in Watergraafsmeer

Further east, Park Frankendael surrounds the only surviving country house of those that wealthy Amsterdammers built in the Watergraafsmeer polder. The estate of about 7 hectares combines a formal French-style garden behind the house, a landscape park, ponds and kitchen gardens. Entry to the park is free.

Huize Frankendael, at Middenweg 72, can be visited free of charge on the last Sunday of the month, from 12:00 to 17:00. That day the park often hosts the Pure Markt, a market for producers and artisans: upcoming dates are 25 October and 29 November 2026 from 11:00 to 17:00, then 20 December. During the works on the Middenweg, scheduled until December 2027, the Hugo de Vrieslaan stop is served by tram 29 instead of tram 19.

Amsterdamse Bos: the forest on the city's doorstep

The Amsterdamse Bos is an entirely man-made forest planted between 1934 and 1970, mostly within the municipality of Amstelveen. Across about 1,000 hectares it brings together the Bosbaan rowing course, the Bloesempark with some 400 Japanese cherry trees, an organic goat farm, meadows and ponds. It is the only park on this list with official swimming spots (see below).

The De Boswinkel visitor centre, Bosbaanweg 5, opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00; bikes can be hired just opposite. Allow about 20 minutes by bike from the centre.

Hortus Botanicus and Begijnhof: the gardens of the centre

The Hortus Botanicus, founded in 1638 in the Plantage district, is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. It combines an outdoor garden with several greenhouses, including a palm house from the early 1910s and a butterfly house. It opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00; an adult ticket costs €14.75, card payment only. Artis zoo is a few minutes' walk away.

In the heart of the historic centre, the Begijnhof courtyard near the Spui offers a quiet lawn surrounded by old houses. People live here: entry is free from 10:00 to 18:00, and visitors are asked to keep their voices down.

Other parks worth the detour

• Sarphatipark (De Pijp): a 4.5-hectare English-style park, opened in the 1880s and named after the physician Samuel Sarphati, whose bust stands on a mound. It is two streets from the Albert Cuyp Market; our guide to De Pijp tells you more.
• Rembrandtpark (West): ponds, playgrounds, cycle paths and De Uylenburg, Amsterdam's oldest children's farm.
• Erasmuspark (West): a small park built around a central island, with gardens, Amsterdam School bridges and a neighbourhood café.
• Beatrixpark (Zuid): behind the RAI exhibition centre, a park originally designed by Jakoba Mulder, with the Artsenijhof, a medicinal herb garden, on its eastern side.
• Amstelpark (Zuid): 45 hectares inherited from the 1972 Floriade, on the banks of the Amstel, with a Japanese garden, a rose garden, a rhododendron valley, a maze, a miniature train and the Riekermolen windmill, which dates from 1636.
• Flevopark (Oost): a wooded park east of the Indische Buurt, with an open-air pool, the Flevoparkbad, and the old Jewish cemetery of Zeeburg, founded in 1714.

Amsterdam parks compared

Prices and hours checked in October 2026. Tram routes in the east of the city change regularly during the works: check your journey on the GVB website or app, and see our guide to getting around Amsterdam.

Practical rules: barbecues, cycling and swimming

Barbecues

Barbecues are allowed in some parks, under rules set by the city, which publishes a map of the permitted areas on its website:

• Banned in the Vondelpark, the Sarphatipark and the Amstelpark.
• Allowed in designated areas in the Westerpark, and in parts of the Rembrandtpark and the Flevopark.
• Allowed in the Oosterpark.

Everywhere, the barbecue must not be placed directly on the grass, disposable barbecues are not allowed, selling is forbidden and you must take all your rubbish with you.

Cycling

The main paths of the Vondelpark and the Westerpark are used by many cyclists crossing the city: walk along the edges and look before you cross. In the Amsterdamse Bos, by contrast, a bike is the best way to get around the forest.

Swimming

The ponds in the city's parks are not official swimming spots. The Amsterdamse Bos has two official swimming locations: a section of the Grote Vijver and the Amsterdecks swimming dock on the Nieuwe Meer. The province monitors the water quality there during the season; if blue-green algae appear, a negative swimming advice may be posted on zwemwater.nl. For little ones, two paddling pools in the Amsterdamse Bos open from May to September when it is above 20 °C, and the Westerpark splash pond runs from 1 May to 1 October under the same conditions. More ideas for families are in our guide to Amsterdam with children.

The parks through the seasons

• Spring: the cherry trees of the Bloesempark, in the Amsterdamse Bos, draw big crowds at weekends during the blossom. For fields of flowers, see our guide to the tulips and Keukenhof.
• Summer: free theatre in the Vondelpark, festivals in the Westerpark and the Oosterpark, swimming in the Bos. Our guide to summer festivals has the calendar. For three days in June, the Open Tuinen Dagen open private canal-house gardens that are normally closed to the public; their addresses are listed on the pass you collect at the start. The 2026 edition took place from 19 to 21 June, 10:00 to 17:00, with a pass costing €25 in advance and €27.50 on the day, free for under-12s with an adult; the Museum Van Loon is one of the starting points. The 2027 dates have not yet been announced.
• Autumn: the trees of the Vondelpark, the Oosterpark and the Amsterdamse Bos turn colour, and the Sunday markets carry on at Frankendael and the Westergasfabriek.
• Winter: the heated greenhouses of the Hortus Botanicus offer a green outing sheltered from the cold.

Further reading

Parks are one of the easiest free outings in the city: our selection of free things to do in Amsterdam has more. To combine the Oosterpark, Frankendael and the markets of the east, follow our guide to Amsterdam-Oost, and for the Sarphatipark, our guide to De Pijp.