Old-West Walk audio travel tour guide on Tales & Tours

Guide Description

This city neighbourhood of Oud-West runs at one end from the chique Vondelpark to the working class Kinkerbuurt making it one of the most diverse neighbourhoods in Amsterdam. Enormous villas, luxury interior design shops, monuments, expensive restaurants and casual bars, a market, artists’ ateliers and the largest café terrace in Amsterdam can all be found here. Apart from these, Oud-West is a trove of wonderful hidden treasures.

Much of Oud-West was built in the 19th century, as were many other neighbourhoods around the centre of Amsterdam. Only one small area of Oud-West, the charming Bellamybuurt, is much older, dating back to a 16th century settlement. The surrounding area was drained creating polders, and this attracted many craftsmen. The original workers’ houses and small workshops can still be found in the Bellamybuurt.

One of the features of the area now is the diversity of its population: about 125 nationalities have settled here. This is about the most densely populated area of the Netherlands. And yet, the atmosphere is amiable and Oud-West is increasingly becoming a popular area for young double income earners. This explains the modern places to eat and drink, the colourful interior decoration shops, the delicatessens and the boutiques.

The walking route takes you along a number of wonderful hidden and less hidden treasures. However, the area is too large to see everything. A bicycle route is available for those who would like to see the entire area of Oud-West. The walking route takes you around the Vondelpark, the Overtoom, the WG-plein and the Helmersbuurt areas, and takes about 1.5 hours.

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