1) Vondelpark - Amsterdam's Best Overall Park
- Location: Museum Quarter (Oud Zuid) neighborhood.
- Tram lines: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 or 12.
- Features:
- Vondelpark is central Amsterdam's biggest park (110 acres).
- Combination of large, grassy fields; landscaped gardens (including a formal rose garden); ponds and canals; miles of paved paths and wooded trails; children's wading pool and playgrounds.
- Four restaurants/cafés within the park: Café Vertigo at the Filmmuseum (fabulous terrace in summer); Het Blauwe Theehuis (The Blue Teahouse) in a mid-park '30s building that looks like a flying saucer; Het Groot Melkhuis (The Big Milkhouse) also mid-park and popular with kids; and Vondeltuin (Vondelgarden) in the south, a kitschy casual place with a beachy feel.
- Attracts locals and visitors of all kinds (10 million a year), from families and groups of picnicking friends to biking commuters and musicians in drum circles. Popular with canoodling couples in warm weather.
- Ideal for running/jogging/walking, biking, rollerblading (rentals available at Vondeltuin), picnicking, sunbathing, sports (frisbee, soccer, bocce, etc.).
- In summer, the Vondelpark Open Air Theater offers free dance, music and cabaret performances Wednesday - Sunday.
- The Filmmuseum, the country's museum for cinematography, is located in the north of the park.
- Entrances in the north are close to Leidseplein and the museums on Museumplein.
- Named for Dutch poet Joost van den Vondel, whose statue stands in the north end of the park.
- Vondelpark is central Amsterdam's biggest park (110 acres).