Amsterdamse Bos

The Amsterdamse Bos (the Amsterdam forest) spans almost 1000 hectares, just south of Amsterdam and is a man-made forest/park. This is a wonderful park to recreate in. With its 137 km of footpaths, 51 km of cycle paths and 50 bridges, the Amsterdamse Bos is one of the largest city parks of Europe. The visitors centre is at the main entrance to the forest at Bosbaanweg. In July and August there are evening performances in the Openluchttheater (open air theatre).

Enough activities to please every type of person

The Amsterdamse Bos is not just about enjoying nature by walking or cycling through it, it has so much more to offer. That said, the network of foot-, cycle- and bridle paths in the Amsterdamse Bos is quite extensive and makes for some great, varied walking or cycling tours. There are six marked routes for walkers (itineraries in Dutch, yellow signs) and a 14 km marked cycle route (red signs). Bicycles can be hired at the main entrance (Bosbaanweg).

Besides walking an cycling there are many more activities you can explore. At the Grote Vijver you can hire canoes and pedal boats and explore the waters in the Amsterdamse Bos. A canoe route is marked by green topped poles in or along the water. For runners there are three marked running routes (5, 10, 21 kilometres – orange signs), as well as a training circuit of 2,4 kilometres. The fields are perfect for those just wanting to sunbathe, play football or other sports, have a picnic or just relax and observe. Near the entrance at Bosbaanweg, you will find Fun Forest, a climbing park, with several course high up in the trees. This is something I still want to do one day. There are plenty of other things to do in the Amsterdamse Bos besides what I have described here, but I leave it to you to discover the rest.

Amsterdamse Bos

Address: Bosbaanweg 5, 1182 AG Amstelveen
Website: Amsterdamse Bos