Amsterdam Cycle Route 4:
docklands, heritage villages, newest suburb

Non-tourist cycle routes around Amsterdam. This route passes through gentrified docklands and interwar housing, along the Amsterdam-Rhine canal and heritage villages, returning through Amsterdam's newest suburb, IJburg. 46 km, about 5 hours. Revised January 2008.

Dit is geen recreatieve fietsroute, en geen zinvolle tijdsbesteding voor autochtone Nederlanders. Zij worden verwezen naar de fietsroutes van bijvoorbeeld de ANWB.

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Recommended maps: the best map of landscape and structure of the Amsterdam region is the ANWB/VVV Topografische Fietskaart Amsterdam / Noord-Holland Noord, map 13 in this series, at scale 1:50 000. The map costs € 10, but these are probably the best cycling maps in the world. For historic comparisons see the Topografische Dienst reproduction of the 1854 military map, sheet 25. There are two specialised map shops in Amsterdam: Pied à Terre / van Wijngaarden (Overtoom 135-137), and A la Carte (Utrechtsestraat 110/112).

start at the cycle path behind Centraal Station, at the ferry landing stage. The station was built in the 1880's on an artificial island, cutting off the mediaeval waterfront.

facing the water, turn right, along the cycle path to the east (cycle sign for Almere). The quayside has been relocated, the road will be put in tunnel, and a bus station (on viaduct) is under construction.

the cycle path follows the waterfront, and then rises to a bridge, reconstructed for the new tram line to IJburg. The concrete tower is for ventilation of the IJ-tunnel.

continue along the cycle path, passing the Amsterdam cruise terminal PTA, and new offices along the Oostelijke Handelskade or eastern trade quay.

The dock basin (IJ-haven) is part of of the eastern docklands undergoing 'regeneration' - meaning gentrification plus offices. The basins and quays run east-west: they were built when the North Sea Canal made the port accessible to larger steamships. But since the canal ran west to the sea, it changed the direction of port expansion. As early as 1886, a purpose-built oil terminal, Petroleumhaven, was built west of the city. Despite the predictable shift westward, the eastern docks reached the height of their prosperity between the World Wars. They lost their function by 1980: warehouses were empty or underused, the precondition for 'regeneration'. Some were squatted by artists in the late 1980's, as studio space. Arts, design and crafts are typical pioneers of gentrification: after the 'interesting little studios' come the millionaire apartments and the new media centres. A city that wants to end gentrification should probably ban artists - but in reality this gentrification sequence is now integrated in planning policy.

cross (at traffic lights) the access road to a new bridge. The road passes under a 1930's warehouse, De Zwyger (renovated as a media/cultural centre).

pass more new offices: the road then curves, following the curve of the rail line.

The thoroughly renovated Café 'Panama' was originally a rare type of industrial building: a hydraulic power station. When electric motors were still weak, high-pressure water was an alternative means of distributing power: a similar system existed in the London docks.

pass the IJburg line tram stop, below street level, and stop at the objects which look like giant wooden tables. They are are indeed giant wooden tables: this is Art. Here the extended tram line 10 (opened 2004) crosses the IJburg line at surface level.

at the traffic lights (at the tables), turn right, alongside this tram line, under the railway. Cycle on along the Czaar Peter straat. Until 1990 this was an area of cheap housing: now it is undergoing the fastest gentrification in Amsterdam.

at the end of the street cross the bridge, and then turn left (sign for Almere), past the windmill De Gooyer. It was first built 1725, but rebuilt several times since.

cross another bridge over the Singelgracht (former city moat) and turn left at the traffic lights, onto Zeeburger dijk, follow signs for Almere. Be careful turning left at this crossing!

pass under the rail bridge, and turn right alongside tram line 14, into Borneo straat. Gentrification is spreading into this low-income area (Indische Buurt, built in the 1920's).

at Java plein the tram line turns right: cycle on past the FEBO, almost in a straight line, into Java straat. Go toward the red 9-storey block on pillars.

cycle straight on past this block, over the cobblestones, and on across Java plantsoen, past the artistically carved boulders.

This is the eastern edge of interwar Amsterdam. The website of the Amsterdams Historisch Museum has an animated map of the growth of the city from 1000 to 2000.

slow down at the end of Java plantsoen: the steps here are not visible, until you are almost on them. Go down the steps, and through the low underpass tunnel. On the other side, on both sides of the cycle bridge, are the entrance gates of the former Jewish cemetery. A sign summarises the history: from 1714 to 1942 approximately 100 000 people were buried here.

the area beyond is now a park, Flevopark. Ahead is a pool, it served as a basin for an old pumping station. Turn left here, following the sign for Zwembad, past the playground.

at the end of the path, at the tram lines (terminus lines 7 and 14), turn right, past the entrance of the open-air swimming pool (Flevopark bad). Continue along the cycle path parallel to the road viaduct. Pass right a dike breach lake - formed during the St. Elisabeth's Flood of 1421.

at the end of this cycle path, cycle up to the dike road of the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal and turn right, follow the sign for Almere.

Behind the arched road bridge, two identical brick buildings are visible, one each side of the canal. This is the inlet siphon for the Amsterdam canal system, taking water from the IJ-meer. Visible behind the siphon is the mouth of the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal: the tower blocks beyond are in Amsterdam-Noord.

pass left an old lock, part of the original Merwede Kanaal (1893). Continue along the dike road - it extends all the way to Utrecht along the canal bank. (The canal itself continues to join the Waal, the main arm of the Rhine, at Tiel). Ahead is the concrete bridge carrying the ring motorway.

pass on the right the buildings of the research park Watergraafsmeer. Approaching the bridge, an 18th-century 'manor house' is visible on the opposite bank of the main canal. It stands on the Diemen sea dike, Diemerzeedijk, and in fact it was the office of the dike officials, the Gemeenlandshuis.

pass under the motorway bridge, and under the new cycle bridge, the Nesciobrug. You will cross this bridge on the return route.

at the 19th-century redbrick house (nr 553), you leave Amsterdam and enter the gemeente Diemen (population 23 760), in effect a suburb of Amsterdam. Continue straight on along the canal, following the sign for Almere.

pass right the 1990's housing of Diemen-Noord: visible across the canal is the newest suburb, IJburg.

Diemen-Noord is a VINEX location, the abbreviation stands for the Fourth Policy Document on Spatial Planing Appendix (VIerde Nota ruimtelijke ordening EXtra). That 1990's policy concentrated suburban housing in large new developments, at the edge of existing cities. The Balkenende government abandoned most planning controls in 2004. The new national spatial policy - not a 'national plan' - allows developers to build housing almost anywhere in the country. Inevitably, low-density sprawl will soon be the standard form of development.

after the last apartment block of Diemen-Noord, there is is open land on the right: visible beyond it is the A1 motorway and 1970's suburbs. The land here is New Nature, farm land which is being converted into 'nature', i.e. a rural park.

pass floodgates, separating the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal from the wide channel of the Diem, an older creek.

To the left, the open water is the former mouth of the Diem. The original fishing village of Diemen was located there, before the sea dike was constructed in the 12th century. A sluice was built in the dike, to allow the Diem to drain into the sea: you cross it on the return route.

after the Diem, continue along the canal, past more New Nature on the right. On the opposite bank, the power lines converge on Diemen power station.

pass under the triple-girder bridge of the motorway A1, the main route toward the east of the country. Continue along the canal bank, to the next bridge, about 1 km further. Pass right the stud farm Betlem: once an early example of an amusement park, built in the 1920's for day tourism from Amsterdam.

just before the arched rail bridge, turn right, up to the bridge: follow the sign for Almere. Cross the 4-track bridge, originally 2-track. This is the 1874 Amsterdam-Amersfoort line, which carries the trains to the east of the country and Berlin. (The cycle path from the bridge is also part of Cycle Route 5, for about 1 km).

continue along the cycle path parallel to the rail line. 1 km after the bridge, continue on this side of the rail line, direction Almere. (Route 5 turns off into Weesp here)

after the bend new housing is visible ahead: there are plans to fill this entire polder (Bloemendaler Polder) with housing, joining Weesp to Muiden. This issue is typical of the planning conflicts around all Dutch cities. Note how absolutely flat the land is: the contrast will be clearer, when you later leave the zone of reclaimed marshlands.

pass the station of Weesp: at the roundabout after the station, turn right, through the underpass under the rail line.

150 m further, turn left and cycle along the waterside road. (Roadworks, early 2008: the footpath is open). This is the river Vecht which flows on to Muiden - you will cross it there, on the return route. Originally the Vecht diverged at Utrecht from the Kromme Rijn, itself a branch of the main Rhine channel.

at the next corner, turn left across the lifting bridge, to continue along the river, along Hoog straat. (Route 5 also passes here).

turn left over the next (wooden) bridge. On the opposite bank are some of the fortifications of Weesp, first the circular fort at Ossenmarkt. It was built in 1861, as part of a defence line, the Stelling van Amsterdam, featured in most cycle routes at this website.

Weesp was a fortified town, part of the original inundation defences of Holland - the 17th-century Oude Hollandse Waterlinie. Muiden was also fortified, and Naarden (5 km east) has the best-preserved fortifications in the Netherlands. The 17th century defences were expanded in the decades before the First World War, and again in the 1930's. The Netherlands continued to build defensive lines until the 1960's.

go right of the fort, and continue across a bridge with white railings. Left and right are grassed-over bastions. At the end of the bridge, turn left, follow the cycle sign for Muiden.

continue along the east (right) bank of the Vecht, and pass under the railway again. In the fields on the left, the rail line to Almere splits from the Amersfoort line. A new junction here, opened 2003, connects Almere directly to Hilversum and Utrecht.

700 m after passing under the rail line, turn right into an access road, at a small transformer shed (Reaalspolder weg 1). The 'dead-end' sign does not apply to bikes, there is a cycle path ahead.

cycle through open landscape toward the rail line. The TV tower at Hilversum (the national broadcasting centre) is then visible.

The landscape with few farms is typical of reclaimed land. There was no dispersed peasant settlement (and consequently no rural depopulation).

cycle through the narrow tunnel under the rail line. Continue along the cycle path (opened several years ago): the trees visible ahead are at the Naardermeer nature reserve

at the end of the cycle path turn left, toward the windmill. Cross a small wooden bridge, over the windmill's drainage channel (connecting to the Naardermeer lake).

The sign explains that the windmill was a second attempt to drain the lake, in 1809 - the channel itself was built in 1623. A few metres behind the sign is a blue enamel water level gauge, reading downward - the water is about 1 m below sea level (NAP).

at the next corner, there are three concrete pyramids: anti-tank defences from before the Second World War. Visible 100 m to the right is a surviving bunker, with the date 1931, one of a cluster of about 80 bunkers built around Muiderberg in the 1930's. (Most of the Netherlands defences proved useless, against the German invasion of May 1940).

go on along the road (De Goog), through the underpass under the rail line. The road then rises to cross the A1 motorway: two more bunkers are visible here.

at the traffic lights, go straight on, across the Muiden-Naarden road. Cross a lifting bridge: this is the dead-straight Naarder Trekvaart, the towpath canal to Naarden.

The trekvaart system is known to economic historians as the most efficient pre-railway transport system: the Netherlands were at an advantage in canal-building. The road beside the trekvaart is the old high road from Amsterdam to Germany - the predecessor of the A1 motorway. The old road ran via Naarden to Amersfoort, connecting to roads over the Veluwe ridge to Deventer, Zutphen or Arnhem.

go straight on towards Muiderberg. For 600 m after the bridge, the land is still flat, with water in the ditches. But ahead is a wooded area, and at the Jewish cemetery (1642), the road rises slightly. The woods mark a small but significant change in the landscape: a natural rise at Muiderberg, the north-western tip of the Gooi ridge.

This is the first land above sea level, east of the coastal dunes: in the early Middle Ages there was nothing but bog, creeks and mud flats from here to Haarlem. (In fact, the marshlands of Holland were one of the last areas in western Europe to be settled). In other countries a rise of 2 or 3 metres would be insignificant. But in marshland close to sea level, an extra 2 metres means different soil, accessible terrain, and no flood danger. The landscape type changes from grazing land with high water table, to wooded ridges with dry sandy soils. The Gooi ridge is a glacial ridge pushed here by the Scandinavian ice cap, during the Saale ice age, about 200 000 years ago. See this map of the Saalian Ice Front. The line of ridges, marking the edge of the ice sheet, runs east of Utrecht and continues through Nijmegen to Kleve in Germany.

cycle on into the gentrified village of Muiderberg with about 3 300 inhabitants. Go straight on, through the village green (brink).

Muiderberg is unlike the linear polder villages north of Amsterdam. Substantial houses spread out around the 'brink' - the old common grazing land. Since 1703 it is a public park, probably one of the oldest in the country. Beside the bandstand is a small aviary: the pond there is about 2 m below ground level, the lower water table is typical of sandy soils.

go straight into the village street, Dorps straat, with a few shops. At the crossroads, follow the LF20a sign: turn left into Bad laan.

This is the road to the beach. From 1882 to 1938, there was a steam tram from Amsterdam to Muiderberg, and on to Hilversum. Muiderberg was a small bathing resort from around 1800, and the tram made it a popular excursion from Amsterdam.

the street rises and opens out: stop in front of the small beach, looking over the IJ-meer lake, and the Flevo polder opposite. This 'hill', which gives the village its name, is at most 7 metres above sea level.

Until 1932 this was open tidal water. The land opposite, with the three apartment blocks, did not exist. This was the Zuiderzee, a gulf of the North Sea - a dangerous sea. In the late Middle Ages, much of the village was washed away by storms. But at 13.02 on 28 May 1932, the last gap in the Afsluitdijk was closed, the most heroic act in the national mythology of reclamation. It converted the Zuiderzee into a fresh-water lake, the IJsselmeer. Reclamation of the polders began several years later. (It would have horrified the heroic engineers, to see that farm land is now flooded, to create 'New Nature' wetlands).

The Flevo polder is separated from the 'old land' by a randmeer, ring lake. The first lake polder, Noordoostpolder, was joined to the old land. When it was drained, groundwater level on the adjoining old land fell: the water drained into the new polder. To avoid that mistake, the later polders were built in the lake, leaving a wide strip of water (randmeer) to maintain ground-water levels. These lakes became recreational areas, worth more than the potential farmland. About 50 km of artificial land extends north-east from the beach opposite: the south Flevo polder (fully drained in 1968), the eastern Flevo polder (1957), and the Noordoostpolder (1942). In 1986 they were grouped into the Provincie Flevoland with the fastest population growth of the EU. In the Flevo polder, 5 m under sea level, is the new city of Almere - population zero until 1976, 226 at the end of that year, and now 183 000. The planned end total was 250 000, but it has been revised upwards to 300 000 - 400 000.

you are halfway through the route. To go back toward Amsterdam, turn left here, along Zee weg.

go on along the footpath, between the beach and a wood. From here, the three white wind turbines at Marken are sometimes visible, about 15 km away.

continue on the asphalt path, past the church (Kerk aan Zee), probably the highest point of Muiderberg. When the lake was still an open sea, this church was a landmark for sailors.

at the end of the path, pass the corner of Dijk weg, and go on another 40 m. Stop at the monument on the corner, a glacial boulder. It commemorates Floris V - Count of Holland and Zeeland, Lord of Friesland.

Floris granted Amsterdam a toll privilege, and that is regarded as the foundation date of the city. In 1296 he was captured by his enemies, while out hunting. A few days later, on 27 June 1296, they tried to take him as a prisoner through Muiderberg, but the population attempted a rescue. His enemies killed him on the spot.

go back to the corner of Dijk weg, and turn along this road toward Muiden - follow the signs for Zuiderzee route and LF20b. The higher sand ridge ends here, and the old sea dike is on the right of the road. After 500 m the open, flat, reclaimed marshland is again visible: note the difference between the top of the dike and the water level in the ditches, the 'maximum flood'.

pass the only building on the dike itself, Dijk weg 1, a typical dike house, one 'safe' storey at dike level, another below. Mind the chickens here.

after this house, the road bends left, into Noordpolder weg. Visible right is the castle of Floris V - or at least the later version, on the site of his castle.

at the end of this road, turn right, at the old pumping station for this polder. A plaque commemorates its opening in 1892. You are now at the bank of the trekvaart (Amsterdam-Muiden-Naarden). On the opposite bank the first houses of Muiden (population 3 500).

cycle toward the grassed mound: it has chimneys. As you cross the wooden bridge, you can see it is also a 19th-century fort, Muizenfort. It was designed specifically to fire along the length of the trekvaart. Behind it is another grassed mound with chimneys - a fortified barracks, built 1875-1880. (Both forts are under restoration).

to go to the castle, turn right here, along the Ton Koot singel (sign for Muiderslot). After 40 m go up onto the footpath (right), over the remains of the 17th-century fortifications of Muiden.

The bastions are overgrown, but the original military geography is intact: the line of the walls, the moat, and the open farmland on the other side.

at the end of the footpath is Muiden castle - Muiderslot - strategically located at the mouth of the Vecht river.

Muiden is older than Amsterdam, a strategic location from the early Middle Ages. And possibly earlier: even in Roman times a north-south trade route existed, through Utrecht and along the Vecht. It connected the Roman cities along the Rhine with lake Flevo, the predecessor of the Zuiderzee. Later, the route south led to the Frankish trading city Dorestad. In the early Middle Ages the Vecht was controlled by the Bishopric of Utrecht, but from 1280 Muiden came under the control of the Counts of Holland, who maintained a castle there. As Amsterdam grew, the Vecht became more important as a defence line than a trade route: it protected the cities of Holland against an attack from the east. Centuries later, Muiden became part of the Oude Hollandse Waterlinie, and the 19th-century Stelling van Amsterdam. The forts at the entrance to the village are from this last period: there is another 19th-century battery across the river from the castle. In the middle of the former estuary, the island Fort Pampus completes the circle around Amsterdam. The region was last fortified in 1939-1940.

you can walk through the gate for a closer look, the ticket office is further on.

The Muiderslot is the most famous castle in the country, crowded in summer. From April to October it is open 10.00 to 17.00 Monday to Friday, 12.00 to 18.00 weekends and holidays. In winter it is only open at weekends, 12.00 to 17.00. Entrance costs € 8,50. Muiden castle was built, or repaired, by Count Floris V around 1285, and expanded in the 14th century. In the Netherlands Golden Age, the 'Muiden circle' of artists and poets met here, as guests of the governor P. C Hooft. In 1825, the derelict castle was to be demolished, but it was the era of romantic nationalism, and the cultural elite protested. The building was saved - an early example of preservation inspired by nationalism. The castle became part of the schoolbook historiography of the Netherlands, along with Count Floris V.

leave the castle entrance and go straight on, along the river quay, Heren gracht. This is 'heritage Muiden', note the flood wall on the waterside - until 1932 this was tidal water. The quayside cafes and restaurants are crowded in summer, with the yachting upper-class (and their imitators).

at the old sea locks on the Vecht turn right, across the old swing bridge (1870) toward Amsterdam.

The Vecht was originally tidal, almost as far as Utrecht. The first locks to control flooding were built around 1330 at Breukelen, and moved north in 1437. They were rebuilt here in 1673, at the mouth of the river. The locks were renovated in 2005.

go straight on, out of the village. The road then runs alongside the Naarder Trekvaart. On the opposite bank, hidden among the trees, is the former Muiden explosives works.

Its predecessors exploded in 1972, 1966, 1963, 1947, 1923, and 1883, see Buskruitfabriek "De Krijgsman". It was originally a powder mill in Amsterdam: the city ordered it moved to Muiden in 1702. Why? Because it exploded. The plant closed in 2004 - an end to the industrial history of Muiden, which once had a salt works and shipyards. The council wants to build luxury housing on the site.

2 km outside Muiden, at the power lines, turn right across the bridge, onto Pampus weg.

pass (left) the Maxis shopping centre - a cluster of retail units rather than a mall. Continue along the Nuon access road (for Diemen power station, Nuon is the electricity company).

go straight on, passing between the power station and the transformer station. (It is an important switching centre, in the Dutch electricity grid).

pass right a new bridge, a future access road to the centre of IJburg. At first it will only be used for construction traffic, later it will link southwards to the A9 motorway.

at the end of the road, turn right along the Overdiemer weg, along the bank of the Diem channel. Pass the remains of the Fort bij Diemerdam, also part of the Stelling van Amsterdam.

the road rises: turn left along the former sea dike (Diemerzeedijk). Pass the covered sluice gates, where the Diem flowed into the sea.

continue along the path on top of the dike: the new suburb of IJburg is now visible.

Built on expensive artificial islands, IJburg is a prestige project of the city of Amsterdam - and one of the largest construction sites in the country. It will have 18 000 housing units, but the continuing fall in average household size will wipe out the entire housing gain. Before it is finished (around 2020), the city will need a similar project, even without population growth.

as you pass under the power line, turn off right along another cycle path, along the channel. Pass a first cycle bridge (still not connected to anything, in early 2008).

continue to the next cycle bridge: cross this bridge toward the housing.

go straight on to the traffic lights, and turn left along the main axis road, with the tram line.

turn left at the next traffic lights (before the shops), into Vennepluim straat. Cross a bridge, and then turn right into Oeverzegge straat, sign for Diemen.

cross the long cycle bridge, go straight on, cross the old sea dike again, and cycle straight on, across the new cycle suspension bridge.

go back toward Amsterdam, along the bank of the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, sign for A'dam-Centrum. (The return route is different from the outward route).

pass the old lock, and pass under the arched bridge. At the small roundabout after this bridge, turn left along the footpath (Zeeburger dijk). This raised path is part of the old sea dike.

pass an apartment block, and go straight on along Zeeburger dijk, now a long straight road. Pass under the rail line. At the traffic lights, turn right past windmill De Gooyer, and then right over the bridge.

instead of going back along the Czaar Peter straat, turn left along the Oostenburger gracht. At the end, at the Maritime Museum (Scheepvaartmuseum), turn left. Continue along Prins Hendrik kade to Centraal Station, the end point of this route.