wellness
De Pijp Locals Reveal Hidden Nature Walks Tourists Never Find
De Pijp residents favor lesser-known trails through Sarphatipark and along the Boerenwetering canal for daily movement.
How we reported this
De Pijp walkers logged 1,800 visits to the Boerenwetering canal path on the last Saturday in June, according to local trail counters maintained by the neighborhood council.
Interest in these routes has grown this year as residents seek quieter outdoor options during longer daylight hours and warmer evenings. The neighborhood’s active wellness scene, centered on community fitness meetups, has shifted focus toward spots that avoid the main tourist paths around the Albert Cuyp Market.
Sarphatipark side routes
Sarphatipark sits between the Ceintuurbaan and the Sarphatistraat tram lines. Locals use the narrow service paths behind the central playground to reach a line of plane trees that run parallel to the water’s edge. These routes connect directly to the smaller green strip at the park’s southern corner without crossing the main lawns.
The Ferdinand Bolstraat community garden group runs a free Tuesday morning stretch session at 7:30 a.m. on the eastern bank of the Boerenwetering. Participants meet at the footbridge near the former Heineken site and follow the canal northward for 1.2 kilometers before looping back through the garden plots.
City data released in May showed a 22 percent rise in registered park users in De Pijp between January and April 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. The same report listed average group sizes on the canal path at 12 people, versus 45 on the better-known Vondelpark perimeter trails.
Practical steps for first-time walkers
Start at the south entrance of Sarphatipark off the Ceintuurbaan and keep left along the service road for five minutes to reach the quieter tree line. From there the path joins the Boerenwetering towpath, marked by blue posts installed last autumn by the district maintenance team.
Bring water and wear shoes with grip, as sections near the locks can be uneven after rain. The full loop from Sarphatipark back to the Ferdinand Bolstraat bridge takes 45 minutes at a steady pace and ends near several cafés that open at 8 a.m.