Van Der Valk series 4: Filming locations revealed as detective drama returns to beautiful capital city in Europe
Detective Piet van der Valk is back solving more crime
Van Der Valk returns to ITV with series 4 – after a rather lengthy absence – with more crimes to solve and more beautiful filming locations to ogle at.
The Marc Warren-led detective drama has finally arrived in the UK two years after it first aired in the US, back in September 2024. And we’re told it’s “the best series so far” with three strong films.
This time around, the detective and his team solve three grisly homicides in the city, including the death of a whistleblower under police protection. As well as tracking killers, Piet van der Valk has his own personal battles, too, when a former flame turns up connected to a tricky case.
Van Der Valk takes place against the backdrop of filming locations in a spectacular European capital city. Here’s everything you need to know.
Where is Van Der Valk set?
The crime drama is set in and around Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It follows Dutch detective Piet van der Valk, who investigates crimes in the capital using insightful human observation and his natural street smarts.
Across three feature films, viewers will see Piet van der Valk and his team racing across Amsterdam in a bid to save lives. There’s a clue in the title of each episode, too.
The upcoming series includes the episodes Safe in Amsterdam (episode 1), Hope in Amsterdam (episode 2), and Secrets in Amsterdam (episode 3).
Where is it actually filmed?
Cast and crew of Van Der Valk series 4 filmed entirely on location in and around Amsterdam in the Netherlands (formerly known as Holland).
The rebooted detective drama is filmed primarily on location in the Dutch capital. Production also set camp in the nearby cities of Utrecht, and The Hague.
Key recurring backdrops include Café Scheltema, the team’s unofficial headquarters where they frequently meet to debrief. Meanwhile Piet lives on a canal boat called The Spartacus.
Amsterdam is a beautiful city, known for its scenic canals, cycling culture, and colourful narrow houses. Its 17th-century network of concentric waterways (Grachtengordel) is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Tourists visit for the Museumplein, a major square with the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum. Anna Frank also famously lived in the city, and wrote her famous diary while in hiding during World War II.
Key filming locations used in Van Der Valk series 4
- In Van Der Valk series 4, viewers will see Lucienne swimming, including taking a chilly dip in the river Amstel. Actress Maimie McCoy revealed: “I thought it would be lovely to see her swimming as it was something I do and thought it would be a totally different view of the city as well. And representative of what a lot of people do here as well.”
- Episode 1 sees the team arrive at Hilversum Town Hall, which poses as a court house. Famous Dutch architect Willem Marinus Dudok designed the building to serve as seat of the municipal council of Hilversum.
- Bibi Franken’s lovely pink house was actually filmed at Valkenberg, a luxury residential project on the Vecht river in Maarssen. The property, formerly known as Zandpad 44, features a large townhome layout with multiple bedrooms and substantial square footage. It is located in the Utrecht province.
- Episode 2 begins with a shot of Jardin d’Hiverre, a Victoria-style stunning glass house in Baarn. The curved glass construction is actually a meeting centre with various conference rooms, sanitary rooms, kitchen and an office. It’s located in the middle of a tree nursery with more than 100,000 trees in 750 species and varieties.
- In episode 2, viewers will see the Omval neighborhood in Amsterdam, featuring modern office buildings like the Rembrandt Tower situated along the Amstel River.
- The Jardin d’Hiverre at the Rijkskwekerij in Baarn, which is known as an epicenter for sustainable events, also features in episode 2.
- In episode 3, Freddie Klink’s apartment was filmed in the Montevideo Penthouse in Rotterdam. It’s located 140 meters above the pier, providing breathtaking views of the city skyline.
‘I just love the feel of Amsterdam’
Marc Warren, who has played Piet Van der Valk since series 1 in 2020, told us he loves “being in Europe and working in Europe”. He said: “I just love the feel of Amsterdam and I’m very happy there. I still don’t speak any Dutch. I tried to learn, but it’s very difficult. Although I have learned to say ‘sneller en beter’ which means ‘quicker and better’, which is something they say sometimes if they want another take.”
Revealing what he likes most about Amsterdam, he added: “I never go out, so I am incredibly boring. My Amsterdam is always the same. I walk the same routes; I eat in the same places. I just go to this little soup shop. I’m a real creature of habit. I’ve not used my bike this year because I like walking around. And what do I like most about it? The canals as I lived on the canal this season as well. I was based in the Jordaan, which is towards the west. As long as you know the canals you don’t get lost although you might have to walk a long way round.”
Maimie McCoy, who plays Lucienne Hassell, described what is was like filming in winter. The actress said: “It was a totally different experience filming in autumn and winter, when it’s usually sunshine. It was quite challenging. I went one night on my bike, feeling quite brave, and was absolutely battered and thrown about by the wind and rain. I’ve always thought this city was immensely beautiful, but there’s something quite special when the lights are twinkling, and it gets dark very early. It’s a whole different vibe.”
Van Der Valk series 4 filming locations: ‘Amsterdam is full of adventure’
Azan Ahmed, who plays Sgt Eddie Suleman, loved returning to Amsterdam. He explained: “Returning to Amsterdam was an amazing experience, especially to play Eddie again. Amsterdam is full of adventure, and Eddie’s up for it.”
On learning the language, he added: “I’ve been trying to learn a bit more Dutch but it’s not been as successful. My Dutch colleagues will say my pronunciation is all over the place, but I give it a go. On set, we’re very lucky to work with the best of the best filmmakers in the Netherlands right now and I annoy everyone by asking for a Dutch word of the day.”
On his time off Azan likes to travel on the boat cruises through all the canals for the Amsterdam Lights Festival. He told us: “They do loads of new installations. They come out of the water on the canal side. It’s wonderful to go and see.”
Meanwhile, Emma Fielding – aka Julia Dahlman – told us about her favourite experience in Amsterdam. She said: “There was one night when we went to a beautiful art deco cinema called the Tuschinski, which looks like something out of Ghostbusters. Even the toilets are beautiful, with these dark green and black tiles. Everywhere you look, all the lights are bronze. In the main hall, you can sit upstairs and you can have a snack, and you sit in this magnificent auditorium, which is huge. At the back of the Rijksmuseum, they have a Christmas market, and I walked through that. The smells were incredible. Just being there at a different time of year really did it for me.”
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