How to Survive Biking in Amsterdam

“When in Holland… Do as the Dutch do… Bike.”

Holland is a flat land (if you look past its horizon, you can see Japan).

That makes it ideal to navigate by bike. Aside from that, the Dutch government had encouraged more the use of bicycles through policies they had implemented over the past 30 years, to make it more attractive and safe for bikers. See them here.


If you plan to live in Amsterdam for longer than a few weeks, buy a bike. A second hand bike is more sensible than a brand new one and you can get them from as low as 50 euros to 250 euros. But don’t forget to buy a reliable lock, for your bike’s sake. There are a lot of second hand bike stores around Amsterdam and there should be one close by any train station in the other cities or provinces.
Biking around Amsterdam and even in the whole of the Netherlands, is the best way way to go to see the city and the scenic countryside.


Traveling local or long distance, you could always take your bike with you. Bikes are allowed on the Metro (subway trains) for free. They had allocated a part of the metro for commuters with bikes. So people who need to cover long distances, usually take their bikes with them on the Metro, get off and ride their bikes again to wherever they are going and vice versa. That saves time, money and energy.


Bikes are free to take on ferryboats crossing the dividing canal between North and South Amsterdam.


They are also allowed on trains. There are special compartments set aside for this purpose. Although not free, a bike ticket is cheaper than a passenger’s ticket and is good for a whole day. However, if you are carrying a folding bike, it is not necessary because folding bikes rides are free.


If you need to bike to the stations but do not wish to bring your bike with you on the train or Metro, free parking spots are everywhere. Or if you choose, avail of the paid parking service on the train stations just to be reassured your bike would be there when you get back. These “fietsenstalling” as they call it charges on average a minimal 1.20 euros a day, 5 euros a week or 12 euros a month.


If you mean to cycle all the way and leisurely meander through the countryside and suburbs, that wouldn’t be a problem. Every town or village has a cycle path called a “fietspad”‘ which links one to the other. This is true in the whole of Netherlands. In fact you can even cycle to Belguim or Germany if you want as Holland is covered with an extensive network of long distance cycle routes.


With all the necessities all in place to support bikers, there is no reason why a foreigner living in Holland could not do as the Dutch do… Bike.

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