Start at Helpoort
Begin at the gate and take a moment to look at its position between the old streets and the park. You can follow this exterior walk without buying a museum ticket. If you also want to enter Helpoort, check that visit separately and put it at the start so the rest of the route remains flexible.
Follow the park edge
Continue beside the surviving defensive walls towards the Jeker. Look for changes in alignment and height. These remains belong to a city whose defences developed over time; they are not a continuous modern walking circuit around the entire centre. Follow public paths and local signs rather than trying to stay on the masonry.
Extend towards Aldenhofpark
Add Aldenhofpark if you want to see the d’Artagnan monument. It commemorates the musketeer killed during the siege of 1673. The park makes the history easier to place: areas that now feel open and recreational were once part of the city’s defensive setting.
Return through the Jekerkwartier
Turn back into the small streets for Stenenbrug and the mill. This makes a natural food stop before returning towards Onze Lieve Vrouweplein. Give the basic walk about an hour, and longer for the western detour or a museum interior. After rain, choose footwear for wet paths as well as paving.