Amsterdam Bike and Transportation Questions

Do you bike at home?
Just for reference, I do, as a bike commuter in the DC area and for pleasure, and I find Amsterdam a bit intimidating. It really is like a traffic jam but with bikes. Even if you do not intent to ride, you need to be aware of your surroundings and not walk into the bike paths. As a rider, you need to be especially cautious of your surroundings--watching for pedestrians as well as knowing rules like signaling. So, if you do some riding at home in a city, you are more equipped--and you know your boys best.

Use Google Maps to map your routes--there is a great tram system in Amsterdam.

For a leisurely ride thru some pretty countryside - far away from the Combat Cycling in the city - consider renting from one of the bike shops near Centraal Station. From there it's a short walk/ride down to a cute little pedestrian/bike ferry that crosses the river and deposits you at the beginning of some terrific dedicated bike paths that wander thru the Poulder countryside - it really is a world away from the city.
The bike shop will have a map of the various bike paths and can offer suggestions regarding possible routes and distances based on your level of experience.
If you're especially ambitious you can peddle all the way up to the picturesque fishing village of Marken where you'll find a number of pleasant little places for lunch or a coffee.

Edited to add: another pleasant ride a bit closer to your hotel is south thru the Amstelpark, then along the river to the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel - another very pretty little village for lunch. You can preview the route by using the Street View feature on Google maps. Lots of great scenery, photo ops, windmills, etc.

For me and my wife, that's a "no brainer" to ride bikes. Even better if your hotel provides free bikes.

Bikes provide you the opportunity to get places quickly, and to cover more territory. In Amsterdam, it also provides you a "local" perspective. There are few places in the world where it is easier, safer, or more well structured for riding than the Netherlands.

Keep in mind, as a cyclist (and pedestrian) in Amsterdam, it is YOUR responsibility to PAY ATTENTION. When walking, don't be the tourist that steps blindly into bike lanes or walks in front of cyclists. As a cyclist, follow the flow of the other bikes, look out for tourists, ride in a consistent (ie straight line) manner, and be aware of your surroundings. NO staring at your phone for directions while weaving or stopping erratically.

Cycling in Amsterdam is as safe as YOU make it. The locals have it down, but the tourists can mess it up. This is also true with being a pedestrian, so I don't see much advantage to not choosing a bike over a walk.

One note - as a former teenage boy myself - rein them in if they get rambunctious. It is fun to ride a bike, and boys seem to immediately go into competition mode and/or "try this" mode. The streets of Amsterdam are not the place for that.

Cycling in Amsterdam is intense. Locals have zero patience for tourists. Riding a bike in Amsterdam is like driving a car in Manhattan.

I've ridden a bike many thousands of miles in the Netherlands, and ride 7000 miles every year in total. I like cycling in Amsterdam, but it is not the place to be hesitant or uncertain -- you will hear about it from annoyed locals.

You definitely want to ride a bike in the Netherlands. Riding in the Dutch countryside is sublime, so beautiful and relaxing, and the cycling infrastructure itself is a tourist attraction. But I would limit in city riding. Or at least do your country/town ride first.. That way you will get used to the cycling traffic systems at lower stakes before launching yourself into the city.

I would suggest renting at Star Bikes near Centraal station, and then immediately getting on the ferry across the harbor. From there the bit of suburbs is easy riding, and then quickly you are in beautiful countryside. The shop will have paper and downloadable routes.

Or even better, take a quick direct train ride to Leiden and then rent a bike at EasyFiets. Great shop, and they can also provide you route mapping out of town towards the coast in some really beautiful areas and along the sea. That's a wonderful way to spend a day in Holland.

All, thanks for the informative and quick replies! Much appreciated.

@Valadelphia, @Tom R - I do a lot of biking at home but my family does not. They have a tendency to be unpredictable and are not always aware of their surroundings. I like the idea of city cycling with them but it sounds like a bike path away from the hustle and bustle of the city may be our best bet for their safety and the safety of other cyclists as well.

@Robert, @Hank - I’ll be sure to look into those shops and trails.

Sounds like a great idea--even as a regular rider I would find that preferable, on vacation it's nice to just gawk and not be on guard. It IS a great walkable city as well, so you get the best of both worlds!

Bobby I ride in Europe with my family a lot, once they settle into cycling I can lead them pretty easily through urban environments in the Netherlands. I'd expect you would be about the same.

Do consider my Lieden suggestion above. The area north of Amsterdam is also nice, but I would argue not quite as good. And by the time you get on a ferry to get across the harbor and then ride out of the northern suburbs, the time commitment and logistics compared to hopping on the train to Leiden and then riding are going to be very similar. With Leiden you'll get to see the countryside almost right away outside the city core, fairly immediate windmills, etc. and you can ride into the dunes national Park.

You can also spend half a day at Duinrell, a comfortable and scenic bike ride out of Leiden. Duinrell is a well-themed, reasonably affordable amusement park that unapologetically leans into Dutch kitsch. You'd be there with all Dutch families. So looping roller coasters and a fun cultural experience at the same time. We've ridden bikes there many times. Parking is monitored and safe, most locals not chaining their bikes, many not even engaging their wheel locks. But I would throw a chain around rentals. Locker available if you have bags.

A perspective from a local here. Cycling in central Amsterdam with people who have a tendency to be unpredictable and to not always be aware of their surroundings is a recipe for disaster. And by disaster I mean serious injury to them or to another person. Please don’t underestimate how busy central Amsterdam is.
Contrary to what you may think, the biggest danger does not come from cars. It comes from your fellow tourists. Tourists who wander onto the cycle path without looking. Tourists on bikes who all of a sudden stop to find their way or to take a photo of something that caught their eye. Throw locals, determined to get from A to B and delivery guys on fast bikes, trams and tram tracks into that mix and you start to get an idea of how busy it is.
When you bike in central Amsterdam you need to be focused 100%. Biking and sightseeing do NOT go together.

Edited to add; those who think I’m overreacting, take a look at this video, filmed on a busy intersection right in the middle of the Canal Zone in Amsterdam https://youtu.be/pqQSwQLDIK8?feature=shared

Echoing bike comments: I ride bikes all the time in the US. In Copenhagen last summer, riding with a tour group, a pedestrian stepped off the curb right in front of me- bike traffic was packed and I had nowhere to swerve. I went down hard and my head was saved when it hit a lamppost- because I was wearing a helmet. My shoulder was a mess for months. Think twice about bike traffic, wear a helmet even if it seems dorky, and keep in mind that pedestrians can also cause problems.

Haarlem, a short train ride away, looked like a nice leisurely place to ride bikes in a charming town. Nobody was in a hurry. Of course the weather was perfect yesterday, so happiness was everywhere!

Haarlem is indeed a good call! You can ride out west and south of the into very pretty wild dune country. You can also easily ride to the little statue. Commemorating the boy who stuck his finger in the dike and saved Holland. It's a cute statue in a cute town.