My husband and I will be staying a couple of days in Amsterdam next May and he has difficultly walking much. I had heard there are hotels that provide bikes for their guests. Any recommendations? While we prefer smaller places to stay, that's not a limiting factor. We really don't want to pay more than 250 euro/night. We've been to Amsterdam a few times, so we don't have to try and see everything on our short layover. We may spend a day at the Keukenhof if we can get a wheelchair there, but otherwise there's just so much to see at the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum to keep us busy.
You can rent bikes all over Amsterdam, so I wouldn’t limit your options to the few hotels that provide them to their guests. Your choice will already be limited because your budget is tight. Perhaps even too tight for Amsterdam during the peak tulip season. Have you thought of staying in Leiden or Haarlem?
I do have another concern though. You say you’ve been to Amsterdam before. Was that in the last couple of years? I ask because the city center of Amsterdam has gotten really busy. How well can your husband handle himself on a bike? What if a fellow tourist suddenly steps in front of him on the cycle path? Unfortunately this is not a hypothetical situation. A tourist or two stepping in front of your bike is 100% guaranteed to happen if you bike in central Amsterdam during the tulip season. I’m Dutch and have been riding a bike since I was very young, but I find biking in Amsterdam to be no easy task. You need to have your wits about you at all times and need to know where you’re going and what you’re doing. And even then accidents do happen. Maybe wait until you get here before renting a bike?
Maybe consider a Bolt or Uber instead of renting a bike? As Dutch_traveler mentions cycling in Amsterdam can be quite an experience with unwritten rules, tram rails people get stuck in, relative steep bridges and masses of bikes competing for space on cycle lanes combined with unruly taxi drivers. It may involve quite few stop-starts at traffic lights as well. Of course, electric bikes could reduce the physical effort.
Not to scare you off but to ask yourself whether bikes are the best mode of transportation in your situation. Plenty of tourists will have had amazing experiences with the freedom to go where you want when you want and enjoying the little bit of anarchy that comes with it.
just to mention that the Keukenhof will close on 10 May 2026.
Thanks to all for your input. I think we'll plan on using Uber to get around. We're both fine on bikes, but I do know how crazy us tourists can be on the streets of Amsterdam. Also, thanks for the heads up on the closing date of the Keukenhof in 2026. That actually makes planning our short stay much easier.
Hotels in Amsterdam with bikes available?
We stayed at the Kimpton de Witt in Amsterdam ( https://www.kimptondewitthotel.com/en/ ) which had bikes for guests. We used them quite a bit. Maybe outside your price point and "smaller" desire, but a nice hotel that I'd recommend.
But, we have gone the rental route - in Amsterdam and in Delft - using A-Bike in Amsterdam ( https://a-bike.nl ) and a sporting goods/bike shop in Delft. Very easy and our hotels had relatively secure storage options for the bikes.
We're both fine on bikes, but I do know how crazy us tourists can be on the streets of Amsterdam.
Honestly, I can't imagine NOT cycling in the Netherlands if up to the challenge. It is not just a great way to get around, it is also quicker, cheaper, more immersive, and just a joy. You might reconsider skipping the bike option - or at least aim for one day taking in the city beyond the busy core. Start easy in Vondelpark and then start wandering.
Okay! I think you’ve convinced me to at least rent bikes for the one full day we have in Amsterdam. We’ve ridden bikes there with a tour guide and had a fine time. We’ve ridden bikes can do it! Thanks for your input Tom.
May I suggest you wait with renting bikes until you get here? A couple of years ago, I would fully agree with Tom and say “yeah, definitely rent bikes in Amsterdam”. Things have changed drastically in the last couple of years though. The (bike) traffic in Amsterdam has gotten very busy over the past few years. All kinds of fast electric bikes were introduced that are now very popular with youngsters and food delivery services. And youngsters working as food deliverers. Add locals getting to work, school, home etc into that mix and you get a gang of very determined cyclists who know where they’re going and who bike thru Amsterdam at full speed.
Also, biking during a tour is a very different thing from biking on your own. During a tour, you don’t have to worry about finding your way, you simply follow the tour leader. Also tour groups are given some leniency by other road users, so the group can stay together. This means they might be given the right of way when they don’t actually have it. When you’re on your own, it’s you who needs to know the way and it’s you who needs to know the traffic rules. In addition to that, you’ll be visiting during the peak tourist season. A (near) collision with a tourist who suddenly steps in front of you on the bike path is 100% guaranteed to happen.
There are plenty of bike rentals all over the city, which means you really don’t need to reserve a bike in advance. So please wait until you’re here and you’ve seen the situation for yourself before you make the final decision on whether or not to rent bikes.