Bicycle Tours & Rental, Amsterdam

You power yourself pedaling while sitting at the bar in the middle of a huge bicycle-----a 2 hour tour of A'Dam from 10-22 people runs 475 euros---I assume that is full free bar at these prices---looks like fun, but.....

I was standing in my hotel looking at a load of stuff to do in the lobby and this guy, who I later found out was Sean, was waiting to give his flyers to the person at the desk. He saw me looking and handed me his map. It has the coolest 75 things to do on it and he said it was a lot of his favorite stuff. We started talking and then he invited me to come out and meet his wife. They gave me all of this info about Amsterdam like what to do and what not to do. Then he invited me to come on his bike tour on Thursday for free. He is just opening on that day and they are doing some crazy thing where you say "April Fools" and come the first day for free. I am going to check it out and report back. I am travelling alone and it was cool to have someone be nice like that. I am going on the city tour.

So I went on the tour and it was worth it. There was so much info on Amsterdam that I did not know, and I have been here twice before. There were only 7 people and we went all over the city stopping at different locations along the way. Sean was a really good guide and spent time with everyone when the tour was over. He told us the places that he goes in Amsterdam that aren't so well known. My bike was good, but it was really hard to ride through the streets with all the other bikes and cars. I had to go slow! Sean's wife Allison was in the back with me and we talked a lot. I can say this was a worthwhile thing to do, and we had sun most of the day.

Most bicycle rentals in Amsterdam have these bright colored bicycles on which you obviously look like a tourist! There is this place that has typical Dutch black bicycles which are really cool, you look like a local!
They also have these cargo bicycles for kids!

You can indeed rent a bike at almost any railway station in Holland for very little money (see list on www.ov-fiets.nl , in Dutch, click "where" = "waar"), but you do need to show an ID and deposit a caution for the bike (generally 50 Euro in cash).

For cycling day trips around Amsterdam, you have an accommodation in the city, and start cycling there. Amsterdam is not that big; within half an hour or so from the centre you're more or less in the countryside.
On the other hand, hotels (and B&B) outside Amsterdam are generally cheaper. Within less than 1/2 hour by train from Amsterdam (and many trains per hour until late) there are plenty of nice old towns around, like Haarlem and fortified Weesp.

For cycling around Amsterdam.
Just north of Amsterdam there's "Waterland". The traditional Dutch flat landscape. Canals, windmills & small villages.
Just southeast some more variation. Like the above, but also more woods and even (very low) modest hills in "het Gooi". Plus castles & mansions, and old fortified towns.
Look on Google-maps (sat-view) or a good map of the region, and you'll see the difference.
Due south there's first the hughe park "Amsterdamse Bos" (Amsterdam woods), and some nice Dutch countryside, but you'll be rather close to Amsterdam Airport.
West of Amsterdam there's a lot of port & industry.

For guided or self guided cycling day trips in and around Amsterdam :
www.mikesbiketoursamsterdam.com
www.letsgo-amsterdam.com
www.amsterdamcitytours.com
www.guideholland.com
www.yellowbike.nl

On the other hand, renting a bike and just taking off on your own or with friends, nothing wrong with that. Holland is great for cycling. On the internet there's plenty of information on routes and things to see, and you can focus on just the things you're interested in. Looking around and preparing a trip, that's also part of the fun.

Many visitors find the bike scene in Amsterdam a bit overwelming even if they are experienced with such back home. Amsterdam has more bikes per capita then almost anywhere else and it really is a way of life here. We use them for transportation everyday in every kind of weather. Amsterdam has so many unmarked and hidden bike paths that no map could ever lead you correctly thru the ins and outs that is Amsterdam biking. So, spend a day following a local around to all kinds of great places. www.ganjatours.net offers some great bike tours for example.

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Upon arriving in Amsterdam you can’t help noticing that the Dutch like bikes. In fact, the 750,000 people who live in Amsterdam own over 600,000 bicycles. In a city built for pedestrians - sporting such car-unfriendly features as narrow streets and canals, far too few parking spots (at premium fees), and single-lane one-way only traffic mazes - a bicycle is the most logical form of transportation.

In Amsterdam, just about everyone bikes. It is not unusual to see mothers, grandmothers, business people, police officers, hippies, and so on happily bike along. Some people walk their dogs by bike. Others use it to bring home groceries, flowers, furniture, children, girlfriends or anything else one can think of.

Bikes come in all shapes, sizes and colors. A group of alternative artists in Amsterdam North custom-welds two or more bike frames into fantastic creations that have its riders tower high above the road.

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This was a great way to see the surrounding area of Amsterdam. Before heading off we were given a short history of the city and very interesting it was too.

Don't worry if you're not an experienced bike rider or are not as fit as Lance Armstrong as the terrain is very flat and the bikes are easy to steer. Fortunately you don't have to take on the Amsterdam traffic too much, just watch out for the trams. We took a short ride around town and then took a route out into the countryside.

We stopped off at a great looking windmill and took in a cheese farm and clog shop where we saw how the wooden shoes were made.

The bike tour takes about 4 hours in total. Great fun!

Everyone rides bikes there, so you have to join in... just make sure that you keep to the left!!! HAHA

We did a bike/boat tour with MIKES BIKE TOURS! highly recommended... you even get free beer on the boat & the tour guide is great!!!

you start near the Van Gough Meusem, cycle all through the city (including the red light district) & then you cruise down the river where you can buy sandwhiches and drink FREE beer with the tour guide explaining the history of the city!