Amsterdam: Bike Tour
Biking is a huge part of Dutch culture and the city of Amsterdam is designed for bikers. It’s the easiest way to get around, so I was excited to see the city from the seat of a bike! I envisioned myself blissfully cycling the cobble stone streets with the wind blowing in my hair and gazing at the beautiful canals around me. But in reality...it was A LOT more chaotic.
In Amsterdam, bikers have the right of way. The hierarchy goes: Bikers, then pedestrians, and then cars. The bikers are very assertive and want to get to where they’re going, fast. The locals definitely don’t like the fact that tour groups of less experienced bikers are clogging up their bike lanes. I’m sure it’s their nightmare seeing a giant group of tourists on yellow bikes.
Yellow Bike
John and I booked a 2-hour small group tour for Wednesday morning through Yellow Bike. It was a sunny 70 degrees and a perfect day for some biking! We were off to the races at 10:30 am and our guide led us all around the city! We stopped at a handful of locations such as: Jordaan quarter, the Anne Frank house, the Rijksmuseum, the Vondelpark, the Red-Light District, and the Magere Brug aka the “Skinny Bridge.”
Vondelpark
One of my favorite parts of the tour was biking through Vondelpark because it was actually relaxing!!! The sidewalks around the park were very wide and there were no crazy cars or people jumping in front of you like on the main roads. Since it was a beautiful day, the park was busy with people playing in the park and hanging out on the grass. The park was huge and there was so much to look at! To my left, there were ponds, large grass areas and little canals. To my right, there were cute restaurants, cafes and lots of outdoor seating. It seemed like this park was the place to be on sunny days!
There were a lot of other bikers around the park, but they weren’t as aggressive as the bikers on the streets. There was a nanny biking with a big wagon attached to her bike. Inside the wagon was 6 tiny toddlers and it was soo cute!! While there are definitely bikers that are in hurry, I felt the majority people in Amsterdam seemed to take their time and enjoy their time outdoors. Riding through Vondelpark was so peaceful and made me feel so content.
Red-Light District
The Red-Light District has very narrow streets and they are usually really crowded—which isn’t the best environment for biking. When we got to this area, thankfully we hopped off our bikes and just walked with them (so we weren’t trying to weave in and out of people and inevitably crashing into something or someone!) Visiting the red-light district is definitely a unique experience and is part of the culture in Amsterdam. Prostitution is legal, so there were woman posing in windows as you walked by. It was really crazy but something that is unique to Amsterdam. It’s important to be respectful to the woman and their profession by not taking pictures.
It was so fun riding around Amsterdam and I really think it’s the best way to see the city! It’s such an adventure riding through the side streets and not knowing where you’re going! I wish we could’ve stopped more frequently to take photos and learn more about the buildings we were passing. But I understood that it’s a lot of effort to stop a whole group of bikers and it would extend the tour past 2 hours. I would suggest getting the 3-hour bike tour if this is your only time you’ll be going around the city. John and I still had another day in the city, so we knew we could always come back to an area if we wanted to.
The bike tour was the only tour we signed up for on our trip and I would really recommend it. It’s fun to see the city while biking and learning from a local guide. You can book a tour through Yellow Bike Tour and there are 2-hour or 3-hour tours. The 2-hour tour costs €24,50 and with the Amsterdam City Card, there was a 20% discount! While it was a little scary at times, the thrill of surviving and getting to ride beside the beautiful canals made it all worth it!