Oosterpark, Eastern Islands, and Kadijken Walk

4.4 miles / 7 kilometres

Roam along leafy waterfronts, take your time in the beautiful Oosterpark, and admire the majestic Tropeninstituut (Institute & Museum of the Tropics) which you'll spot from a distance and can gaze at from many angles. Further along, the old eastern-island harbour area has a mix of wonderful old warehouse buildings and modern constructions, not all to ones taste, but interesting nonetheless. It's a great walking-area with few cars, some nice green areas and water, water, everywhere.

Oosterpark, Eastern Islands, and Kadijken Walk (follow link to see in Google maps)

You could spend the best part of the day on this walk because there's lots to see and enjoy and nice places to stop and sup. The Oosterpark has been beautifully planted with great variety and vision.
Avoid doing this walk late evening as you can get hassle with gates further along the walk (one gate closes officially at 8 p.m, see red marker Oostelijke eilanden).

Details of walk

Total length is about 4.4 miles, which amounts to about 3 hours walking excluding long stops.

Starting once again on the Amstel (Skinny Bridge), you'll head s.e. towards Oosterpark via the left/north bank of the Mauritskade along the Spinozastraat, Spinozahof and then cross over (s.e.) to the Oosterpark which has a wonderful variety of trees planted between beautiful vistas and water.
Later you continue along the Mauritskade again, flanked as it is by lovely Plane trees and cross over via a red footbridge to Alexanderkade. There are lots of small public green areas to explore around here too. Continue on and you'll see a windmill ahead of you, make for that and then bear left. You need to cross over roads and the bridge here and get yourself to the Czar Peterstraat (Peter the Great was hugely influenced by Amsterdam). There are traffic lights, so use them!

You then duck left, away from the traffic, into the Oostenburgerstraat, where you'll find yourself in a gorgeous green oasis with beautiful old warehouses. Enjoy it all because the track continues into an area with a mix of new and old and not always beautiful, but it is interesting. Keeping the water to your left, follow the footpath beside and under the lovely willow trees.
Later take the gate to the left (see map) cross over through car-park and then double back along the water. You'll probably see Rosa & Rita restaurant around here. Then you should head in a south-westerly zigzag and it doesn’t really matter how you walk exactly as long as you zigzag south-west and remember that you're on ‘islands’ here so you need to cross the little bridge at Oostenburgervaart (see red marker).

The fact that this area consists of little islands makes it very interesting and unusual, always something unexpected around the corner. But you have to let the bridges determine your progress. Continue zig-zagging in a south-westerly direction crossing little bridges as we've indicated on the map (google map) and you'll arrive at the Kadijken and Entrepotdok which is all wonderful and very near Artis Zoo and you'll probably recognise parts of it from other leafy walks.

Plenty of pubs, cafés & restaurants around here for a well-deserved drink towards the end.

Places to stop and sup:

• Hotel Arena

  's-Gravesandestraat 51 (it's a hotel so usually open)

• Restaurant Rosa & Rita

  Conradstraat 471 (5 p.m – 11 p.m, 7 days p.w.)
  pizza, steaks and/or salads, good value

• De Burgermeester

  Plantage Kerklaan 37 (12 p.m til 11 p.m., 7 days a week)
  for great hamburgers

• Bars / cafés / restaurants near Artis Zoo

  Plantage Kerklaan
  have regular opening hours so you'll always find something open there unless you're staggering around at all hours