If you’re looking for a walk in the woods without having to go too far away from the city, the easiest choice would be the Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest) — a park situated right outside Amsterdam, in Amstelveen. You could call this “hiking for beginners” or “hiking for lazy people”, if you wanted, since it presents no challenges for the hike itself nor for the getting there part. I use the term “park” because Amsterdamse Bos is not a natural forest, it’s a man-made one, and it comprises different landscapes, not only forest.
This is one of the largest parks in Europe: about 1,000 hectares, three times the size of New York’s Central Park. Construction started in 1934 as a work project for the city’s unemployed, was interrupted by the Second World War, and the last tree was only planted in 1970. Today, Amsterdamse Bos is a popular spot for outdoor activities for Amsterdammers of all ages.
The varied landscape — wet and dry patches, wooded areas, grassland, reed and open water — provides a great habitat for a diverse flora and fauna to thrive.
Walking in the Amsterdamse Bos
Amsterdamse Bos offers quite a wide range of activities too, so don’t expect to find yourself all alone there, just yourself and the Highland Cows on the forest path. However, it’s the closest to a forest hike you can get if you are not in the mood to go too far away from Amsterdam. It is a beautiful nature area that covers 1000 hectares and provides a few good kilometres (4 to 15) to walk in the forest, where you can admire plants, birds and animals (the Highland Cows I was talking about can be found in the forest area called Schinkelbos). I like to forage for wild plants and berries (this is a good area to do it), look for mushrooms (but I don’t like to eat them :P) and I always keep an eye out there for cute little creatures.
The forest has a set of signposted walking routes, and the official website has a map for each of them. These are the ones worth knowing about:
- Heuvelwandeling (6 km) — starts near De Boswinkel, the visitors’ centre at the main entrance.
- Pond walk (4 km) — around the Kleine Poel and the Grote Poel, the two ponds in the middle of the forest.
- Scottish Highlander walk (4, 6 or 9 km) — the one to pick if you want to see the cows; you choose the length.
- Oude Polderwandeling (7 km) — along the edges of the forest, through what is left of the old polder landscape.
- Poelwandeling and cherry blossoms (about 5 km) — through the south-eastern corner, past the Amstelveense Poel and the Bloesempark.
- Farms and Bird Island — links Boerderij Meerzicht, the goat farm and the Vogeleiland, so a good one if you are walking with children.
Pancakes at Boerderij Meerzicht
When you’re done with the walk, you can have delicious Dutch pancakes at the Boerderij Meerzicht (Meerzicht Farm) — my favourite way of ending a walk in the forest! They have a few animals in the courtyard, among which deer and colourful peacocks that roam around the tables of the open-air restaurant. The farm has been here since 1857, long before the forest, and was kept when the trees were planted around it. It is open roughly from late February to late October, Wednesday to Sunday, and you can’t book a table, so check the website before you set off.
Other Things to Do in the Amsterdamse Bos
If you are interested in more than just hiking, here are a few of the other activities you can do in Amsterdamse Bos:
- Various outdoor sports: horse riding, canoeing, rowing, cycling, stand-up paddle boarding and swimming (in the summer, if the weather allows it); the administration assures us that the water is clean and there are also two outdoor paddling pools for small kids.
- Visit the Geitenboerderij Ridammerhoeve (a Goat Farm): situated in the middle of the forest, this is an interactive farm, part petting zoo and part educational centre. Ideal for a visit with kids.
- Fun Forest Climbing Park — high rope adventure park, with courses for children from about 110 cm tall up to adults.
- Open-air theatre or music performances at Amsterdam Bostheater, from May to September.
- Cherry Blossom Park: a round area covered with 400 cherry blossom trees, a gift from the Japanese community of Amstelveen in 2000. This is the place where the Cherry Blossom Festival takes place every year, in spring. The trees bloom from mid or late March, and the blossom weekends get very busy, so go on a weekday if you can. The trees are also due for renewal: the plan is to replace them after the 2028 bloom so that the park flowers again in spring 2029.
- Visitors’ Centre “De Boswinkel”: if you enter the park through the main entrance, you can pass by the visitors centre for maps, info or for the gift shop.
These are only a few of the things Amsterdamse Bos offers, you can check their website for everything else, including a map of the park.
How to Get to the Amsterdamse Bos from Amsterdam
Entry to the forest is free, and it is open all the time.
By bike: cycle from Amsterdam — 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the starting point and how fast you cycle. The main entrance is at the corner of Amstelveenseweg and Van Nijenrodeweg, where you will also find De Boswinkel and a bike rental. If you like cycling there, my cycling routes from Amsterdam has more ideas for rides out of the city.
By bus: buses leave from Amsterdam Central Station and stop at “Amsterdamse Bos”, right by the main entrance; use 9292.nl to find the best route for you.
Museum tram: on Sundays and public holidays from mid-April to mid-October, the historic tram runs from Haarlemmermeerstation along the edge of the forest, with several stops.
Or drive, of course, but why drive to the park when you can enjoy the trip as well?
Stay tuned for more and follow Amsterdamian on Instagram and Facebook for more stories about life in the Netherlands, written by a real local, updated constantly.
Check out my photo book: Amsterdam Through the Seasons!
Love what you’re reading? Support my work with a small donation.
And share this post if you liked it!
I went to the Fun Forest Climbing Park a few years ago with a group of fun. We had a lot of fun. I still have to explore more of the park/forest though. I think I’d only seen the entrance area.
You can spend a lot of time there. Of course it’s not comparable to a national park hike, but it’s a beautiful forest and it’s close if you live in Amsterdam.