How long is the Negen Straatjes: across the canal ring walk?

About 2.7 km — roughly 65 minutes at an unhurried pace, plus however long you linger.

Where does it start and end?

It starts at Koningsplein tram and ends at Westermarkt tram.

Yes. It's a self-guided route — free to follow, with no guide to book and nothing to pay.

canalheritage

Negen Straatjes: across the canal ring

One clean line across Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht through the Nine Streets.

Photo: JayAmber / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Distance

2.7 km

Time

~ 65 min

Difficulty

Easy

Start

Koningsplein tram

End

Westermarkt tram

Best at

morning

Right now

22°C· Partly cloudy

Open in Maps for turn-by-turn, or take it offline as GPX.

The canal ring is usually walked along the water; the better idea is to walk across it. Under three kilometres, one clean line cutting the Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht at right angles through the negen straatjes — the nine little streets that stitch the rings together.

Start at the Koningsplein and step onto the Singel, the old moat. Then west across each canal in turn: Wijde Heisteeg, Huidenstraat, Runstraat — three short lanes, each a different width, each crossing a bridge with a fresh view down the water. The streets are full of small specialist shops, but the walk isn't about shopping; it's about feeling the city's plan in your feet, the way the scale drops from grand canal to narrow lane and back every hundred metres.

Halfway, on the Keizersgracht, the columned facade of Felix Meritis — built in 1787 for a society devoted to art and science. Stand across the water for it. Then the Runstraat delivers you to the Prinsengracht; turn north and walk until the Westertoren rises ahead. End at the Westermarkt.

The route

On the map.

A soft dashed line, numbered stops. It’s a suggestion, not a turn-by-turn.

Elevation

↑ 15 m·↓ 16 m·6–14 m ASL

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

01
1
Singel
Start on the *Singel*, the innermost ring and once the city's moat. Cross west here and you begin cutting across four centuries of canal at right angles — the whole walk in one geometric idea.
01
Singel
Start on the *Singel*, the innermost ring and once the city's moat. Cross west here and you begin cutting across four centuries of canal at right angles — the whole walk in one geometric idea.
02
2
Wijde Heisteeg
The first of the *negen straatjes* — nine short shopping lanes threaded between the big canals. Narrow, low, full of small specialist shops. Don't shop; just register the change of scale from canal to street.
02
Wijde Heisteeg
The first of the *negen straatjes* — nine short shopping lanes threaded between the big canals. Narrow, low, full of small specialist shops. Don't shop; just register the change of scale from canal to street.
03
3
Huidenstraat
Across the *Herengracht* and on, the 'tanners' street', where leather was once worked. Now booksellers and cheesemongers. Look back along the canal each time you cross one — the view resets at every bridge.
03
Huidenstraat
Across the *Herengracht* and on, the 'tanners' street', where leather was once worked. Now booksellers and cheesemongers. Look back along the canal each time you cross one — the view resets at every bridge.
04
4
Felix Meritis
On the *Keizersgracht*, the great Neoclassical facade of an 18th-century enlightenment society — five columns, built to house science, art and music under one roof. Stand across the water to take in the whole front.
04
Felix Meritis
On the *Keizersgracht*, the great Neoclassical facade of an 18th-century enlightenment society — five columns, built to house science, art and music under one roof. Stand across the water to take in the whole front.
05
5
Runstraat
The last of the three streets on this line, leading you to the *Prinsengracht*, the outermost of the main canals. You've now crossed all four rings. Turn north along the water.
05
Runstraat
The last of the three streets on this line, leading you to the *Prinsengracht*, the outermost of the main canals. You've now crossed all four rings. Turn north along the water.
06
6
Prinsengracht at the Westertoren
Follow the Prinsengracht up until the *Westertoren* fills the view ahead. This is the canal-ring postcard, earned on foot rather than from a bridge railing. The tram is at the Westermarkt.
06
Prinsengracht at the Westertoren
Follow the Prinsengracht up until the *Westertoren* fills the view ahead. This is the canal-ring postcard, earned on foot rather than from a bridge railing. The tram is at the Westermarkt.

Good to know

Before you go.

How long is the Negen Straatjes: across the canal ring walk?: About 2.7 km — roughly 65 minutes at an unhurried pace, plus however long you linger.
Where does it start and end?: It starts at Koningsplein tram and ends at Westermarkt tram.
Is it free?: Yes. It's a self-guided route — free to follow, with no guide to book and nothing to pay.
When is it best?: It's best in the morning.

Negen Straatjes: across the canal ring

On the map.

Things to notice.

Singel

Singel

Wijde Heisteeg

Wijde Heisteeg

Huidenstraat

Huidenstraat

Felix Meritis

Felix Meritis

Runstraat

Runstraat

Prinsengracht at the Westertoren

Prinsengracht at the Westertoren

Before you go.

Two more, on similar days.

De Wallen: dawn on the oldest canals

Reguliersgracht: the seven bridges south