Vondelpark: the long axis and its secrets
Cuypers' church, a Picasso the locals call a fish, wild parakeets, and a teahouse like a saucer. Walked and written by the editor. https://walkwalk.org/amsterdam/walks/vondelpark-end-to-end

1. Stadhouderskade gate
Enter at the busy north-east gate and walk away from it fast — the park empties out within a hundred metres. Come early; before nine the joggers have it and the day-trippers don't.

2. Vondelkerk
Just outside the park's northern edge on Vondelstraat — P.J.H. Cuypers' church of 1880, the same hand as the Rijksmuseum and Centraal. Step out the gate to see it whole; the octagonal tower is worth the small detour.

3. The rose garden
A walled formal garden of some 70 varieties, tucked off the main path. Most people walking the length never find it. Go in; it's at its best in June and almost always calm.

4. Picasso's Fish
Figure découpée — Picasso's gift to the city in 1965, built eight metres tall by Carl Nesjar. Picasso meant a bird; Amsterdam decided it was a fish and never changed its mind. The local name won.

5. Het Blauwe Theehuis
The 1937 teahouse by the Baanders brothers — a round functionalist pavilion that looks like a landed saucer. Coffee on the terrace, and overhead you'll likely hear the wild ring-necked parakeets that have colonised the park's old trees.

6. Amstelveenseweg gate
The quiet western end, where the park thins to lawns and the city feels far off. The Openluchttheater is near here and runs free shows on summer weekends. Exit to the trams on Amstelveenseweg.

Vondelpark: the long axis and its secrets