Biking in the Netherlands

There is a nice route described in the Lonely Planet book for Netherlands called the "Waterland Route". You can do as much as 25 miles on this, and it is easy for kids.

Thank you! I have that book, I'll check it out (in addition to Rick's of course).

Just about any route in the Netherlands is safe and kid friendly since a significant portion of the Netherlands ride every day. Not like the US where cyclists are fourth class citizens. The bike paths are separated from traffic with their own traffic signals and signage. When you get on site the locals can direct you to the best routes.

Biking is safe in Netherlands and it's the only country where we experienced dedicated lights/lane for bicycles at roundabouts. Also, drivers of autos are patient and courteous even when we made mistakes in traffic given our normal scene of single track rides.

Notethat bike ride description I mentioned may have been from Rough Guide and not Lonely Planet. Our library system has them all and I can't remember at this point which it was, other than the format of the page does not seem to match Lonely Planet.

We have loved biking in the Netherlands, particularly in the countryside. Their bike lanes are wonderful. However, since very many people use bicycles as their primary form of transportation to work, it is possible that if you find yourself in a larger city during rush time it could be overwhelming. Those biking commuters don't mess around and the traffic flow can be quite brisk. I don't mean that they are rude or anything of the kind. It's just that they are intent on quickly getting somewhere and the mass of riders moves in a lively fashion, filling those bike lanes and not moseying along as recreational riders do. I mention this because you said "kid friendly" so I'm assuming you would want to avoid such a situation.

Thanks all, does anyone have a point to point type map or route to suggest?

Here is a link to Bike Journals specifically for the Netherlands. Click on "HOME" forother journals and information. http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/locales/?locale_id=149&doctype=journal

I cannot give you first hand knowledge since my trip is not until September of 2012. However, my husband and I are planning on biking. After reading and reading, I am leaning towards north of Amsterdam in the Waterland area. Here are 2 web pages that helped me: http://richardtulloch.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/green-fields-of-amsterdam-cycling-the-dutch-countryside/ and http://awesomeamsterdam.com/articles/24/day-trips-by-bicycle-waterland I plan to download route maps before we go. You can use google, but my favorite is Via michelin. You can put in your starting destination (amsterdam centraal station for example) and the city you wan to ride to. Then click the box that says your are doing it on bikes, and it will give you a bike route. I hope this helps.

From personal experience a very detailed map and GPS are worthwhile as there are seemingly a gazillion bike paths and related turns. Send a private message to me if you wish more information. Have a great trip!