Hello!
Wondering if anyone has advice on the best guided bike ride company? We'd like to make at least a half day of it. is it hilly countryside & if so, would EBikes be nice to have? We are healthy & 60ish, like exercise but don't want to be completely wiped out by a strenuous bike ride. We are staying at Amsterdam B&B, Slotercade 65 & would love some convenience to that location to get started.
Thank you! Karen
Im sure that when you get here, you will smile to yourself about asking whether or not the countryside around Amsterdam is hilly. It’s as flat as a flattened pancake! :-)
That being said, due to the flat and open terrain the wind has free range. On days with heavy wind it can be tiresome to bike against the wind, so an ebike can certainly help.
There are several companies that offer bike tours into the countryside. I have no personal experience with any of these, but found them by Googling
https://mikesbiketoursamsterdam.com/bike-tours-amsterdam/countryside-bike-tour/
My suggestion would be to research the bike rental shops in the vicinity of Centraal Station. They're all highly rated, have good quality bikes to rent, and have the advantage of being only a short pedal down to a cute little bicycle/pedestrian ferry that crosses the river. After you debark from the ferry you'll be in the very pleasant poulder countryside with nothing but easy cycling ahead of you. As was mentioned, it's about as flat as flat gets and so is no great challenge if you're reasonably fit. Still, I would think an ebike would be a good choice if you're not already avid cyclists and would just like a break from pedaling for a while. It would also extend your range if you want to explore a bit further afield. The ride up to the fishing village of Marken was a particular favorite of ours - it runs along the top of the dike next to the Ijmeer and is a very pretty way to go.
The bike shops all sell an excellent map of the dedicated bike trails in and around the city which is worth picking up. They also provide excellent advice for a day's ride geared to your particular interest. Point being that you may not need to book a tour - with the map and a pair of padded cycling shorts (you'll thank me later) you'll be good to go.
FWIW, might add that my wife really enjoyed our cycling trips out into the countryside but didn't particularly enjoy riding in the city - just too congested for her comfort level - hence the suggestion to start your ride at the bike ferry in order to get out of the city as quickly as possible.
If you get out of Amsterdam, a few days ago we rented ebikes out of easyfiets in Leiden and followed a map on our phones that took us through town, countryside, dunes and the sea - definitely appreciated the e in ebikes :). So beautiful and fun!
