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Score: 7.7

Vondelpark is the largest city park in Amsterdam, and certainly the most famous park in the Netherlands, which welcomes about 10 million visitors every year. The Vondelpark is located south of Leidseplein and quite near of the Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum and Van Gogh Museum.

The Vondelpark is loved by Amsterdammers as well as by tourists, and is full of people - enjoying a sunny day, dog-walking, jogging, roller-skating, listening to music, people-watching, or just lazing about in grass. Free concerts are given at the open-air theatre or in the summer at the park's bandstand. Other attractions are the statue of the poet Vondel, the cast iron music dome, the Groot Melkhuis with playground for children, and the Film museum with its popular terrace.

Open Air Theatre Theatre and music is played during June, July and August. The open-air theater takes place in Vondelpark five days a week, near the entrance from Eeghenstraat. The entry is free. www.openluchttheater.nl

When taking kids to Vondelpark Vondelpark has six play areas and one large playground near Groot Melkhuis. It is also possible to rent skates there at Snoephuisje (near Amstelveenseweg entrance), pancake are served there as well. Between 15 May and 15 September, the open air-theatre stages free children's shows on Wednesday afternoon. The Filmmuseum offer performances for children on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons.

History of the Vondelpark In 1864 a group of prominent Amsterdammers formed a committee to found a public park. They raised money to buy 8 hectares of land and the architect L.D. Zocher was commissioned to design the park as an English landscape. They used vistas, ponds and pathways to create an illusion of a natural area. The park was open to public in 1865 as a horseback riding and strolling park named Nieuwe Park. The name Vondelpark was adopted in 1867 when a statue of Dutch poet Joost van den Vondel was situated into the park. The committee soon raised money to enlarge the park and by 1877 it reached its current space of 45 hectares. At that time its location was on the edge of Amsterdam, since then it has become central in the city, close to Leidseplein and Museumplein.