De Wallen: dawn on the oldest canals
The Oude Kerk, the Zeedijk's curve, and the city's oldest canal — empty at seven. Walked and written by the editor. https://walkwalk.org/amsterdam/walks/de-wallen-at-dawn

1. Amsterdam Centraal
Start under the station's front awning before seven if you can manage it. The whole point of this walk is the hour; the district resets overnight.

2. Oudezijds Voorburgwal
Walk the canal's full length south to the Grimburgwal corner and come back up the far bank. Look up for *gevelstenen* — the carved gable stones that named houses before street numbers existed.

3. Oude Kerk
The oldest building in the city, consecrated in 1306, on a square it has outlasted several times over. You don't need to go in; circling it slowly at this hour is the visit.

4. Zeedijk, north end
The dyke that kept the sea out, now a curve of bars and bakeries waking up. In 't Aepjen at number one is one of the city's two surviving wooden houses — sailors are said to have settled their tabs in monkeys, hence the name.

5. Fo Guang Shan He Hua Temple
Europe's largest Buddhist temple in the Chinese palace style, mid-Zeedijk and easy to miss until you look up. If the doors are open, step in; if not, the roofline alone earns the stop.

6. Nieuwmarkt and the Waag
The 15th-century city gate where the surgeons' guild held its anatomy lessons — Rembrandt painted one. Take a coffee on the square as it wakes; the metro home is under your feet.

De Wallen: dawn on the oldest canals