I'm going to the Netherlands for a week in July with my husband and two children. My children are 7 and 9 and they love to ride bikes. I don't plan on letting them ride bikes in the city on the city streets for safety reasons, but I'm wondering what others think about us renting bikes in Vondelpark. My husband is thinking about getting a bike with a kid's seat for the 7 year old and we think the 9 year old will do great on his own bike. Does anyone know if there are bike rentals in Vondelpark?
Posted by
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
504 posts
I was in Vondelpark late in the afternoon. It seemed to be a major commuting route for bicyclists. There was lots of traffic in both directions.
--Dav
Posted by
Green Bay
20020 posts
A-Bike Vondelpark, across the street from the Marriott, a block away from the park. I think an afternoon riding in the Vondelpark is a great idea. Lots of places to stop for ice cream, or maybe even a Heineken.
http://a-bike.eu/
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
If you want to cycle with kids without dealing with major fast cycling traffic (the park is a main city cycling route for locals), go to the Amsterdamse Bos park instead. http://www.amsterdamsebosfietsverhuur.nl/English/
Posted by
6 posts
We were just in Amsterdam last week and did a day-long bike ride with our kids, ages 11, 10, 8 & 3. We did not ride in Vondelpark so I can't say as to the advisability of riding with kids there.....however, MacBike rents a child tandem (kid sits in front, adult behind, both pedal but adult steers) and it worked GREAT with the 8 year old. The 11 and 10 year olds had their own mini bikes and were perfectly fine. I wouldn't recommend a child seat for a child older than 4 (or a small 5 year old). It worked great for my 3 year old but bigger than that would be pretty squished.
Amsterdam is PACKED with bike riders. Think rush hour Los Angeles traffic but with bikes....and they have right of way so watch out! I highly recommend a day tour of the Broek in Waterland area. And if there is no wind, try to go up to the island of Marken. We got so close (3km from it) but the wind picked up so we turned around and headed back to the city. The whole area is beautiful and it wasn't busy (at least when we went) so its a good, safe option to ride with kids. Everyone we asked, our B&B hosts and people in Amsterdam, did NOT think riding with inexperienced kids in the city was a good idea. If your kids are used to riding in the city with lots of people, they would probably be fine but if you are at all concerned about it, you shouldn't. There are so many other wonderful places to ride with kids, that you could focus on those areas.
Have a wonderful trip! We loved our time there and can't wait to go back.....and the bike ride was definitely a highlight!