Olympisch Stadion: the 1928 quarter and the water
Jan Wils' marathon tower, houseboats on the Schinkel, and a heritage tram at the old terminus. Walked and written by the editor.

1. Olympisch Stadion
Jan Wils built this for the 1928 Games, and the brick Marathon Tower still holds the cauldron that burned the first modern Olympic flame. Walk the curved outer wall; the whole thing is a calm, low oval, more handsome than grand.

2. Stadionplein
The square the quarter was planned around. Stand here and read the 1920s street grid running off it — this was a model district, built to house the Games and the people after them. Then head for the water.

3. Schinkel waterfront
A working canal where the houseboats are properly lived-in — washing lines, deck plants, cats. Walk the quay slowly; this is the unposed Amsterdam the postcards skip.

4. Zuider-Amstelkanaal villas
A short stretch of 1920s villas along the canal, each one different, set back behind small gardens. The money that left the centre landed here; look, don't covet, keep walking.

5. IJsbaanpad boatyards
A working waterside lane of boat sheds and small yards — the un-gentrified edge, still smelling of varnish and engine oil. A reminder that this water was made to be worked, not just admired.

6. Haarlemmermeerstation
The old 1915 terminus, now home to the Electrische Museumtramlijn — heritage trams that run south on Sundays from spring to autumn. End here; even on a quiet day the building, a listed monument, is the right full stop.

Olympisch Stadion: the 1928 quarter and the water