10 Best Bike Tours in Amsterdam

Known as the city of bicycles, there is no better way to get to know Amsterdam than on board a two-wheeled vehicle. If you want to know what options you have when exploring the city, here is some information.

Katherine Betances

Katherine Betances

9 min read

10 Best Bike Tours in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, the City of Bicycles. | ©Harvey

When it comes to cycling tours Amsterdam is the city in the world with the greatest variety of alternatives. The city and its citizens have adapted to cycling in such a spectacular way that it is both curious and impressive in equal proportions. The best part? You don't have to be an expert cyclist to get around Amsterdam on a bike, the city is so well adapted that all the facilities are there for you.

Finally, you'll find that Amsterdam has a tour for every type of traveller, whether you're passionate about history, architecture, nature, food or drink, you'll find what you're looking for here.

1. Classic Amsterdam group tour

Dam Square Bicycle Tour| ©giorgio bondi
Dam Square Bicycle Tour| ©giorgio bondi

The basic tour of classic Amsterdam will take you to discover the most interesting highlights of the city with a local guide. This type of experience is usually done in small groups of approximately 15 people. It is ideal for travellers who have little time in the city, so if you are visiting Amsterdam for two days or travelling to Amsterdam for three days and want to see the highlights of the city, give it serious consideration.

Tour

This type of tour involves a route or tour of the **city'**s highlights. It is important to keep in mind that the route may vary depending on the company you choose to hire, but as a general rule you will be able to visit one or more of the following destinations: Visit Dam Square, visit the flower market Bloemenmarkt, visit the canals of Amsterdam, visit the National Museum Rijksmuseum and others.

Useful information

  • Price: This type of experience is available from 35€.
  • Duration: Depending on the destinations covered by the tour you will need to book two to three hours for this experience.
  • Bicycle included: Yes.

Book a bike tour of Amsterdam

2. Private tour of the essentials of Amsterdam

National Museum of Holland| ©richard dingley
National Museum of Holland| ©richard dingley

If you're in Amsterdam for just a day or two and are looking for a more personalised treatment for a trulyprivate tour through the city. During the tour you will visit the highlights and learn about the intricate history of the city, as well as the places that shaped it.

Route

Before booking this service, check carefully whether the essential sights to see in Amsterdam are included; if there are any places of interest that are missing, consider negotiating with your guide. Some of the sights you can expect to see include: The National Museum of Holland (Rijksmuseum), the Van Gogh Museum, Brouwersgracht and the other canals, the beautiful houseboats and more.

Useful Information

  • Price: For this type of experience you will pay between €60 and €80, with some plans for small groups of 2 to 5 people.
  • Duration: On average, this type of experience usually takes 2.5 to 3 hours to complete.
  • Bicycle included: Yes

Book a bike tour of Amsterdam

3. Bicycle tour to get to know Amsterdam's artistic subculture

Ride along the Sloterdijkerbrug| ©Reg Marjason
Ride along the Sloterdijkerbrug| ©Reg Marjason

Once you've experienced mainstream Amsterdam, the next step is to delve into the city's artistic subculture. In this sense, in addition to fabulous museums, Amsterdam is full of off-the-beaten-path cultural attractions; a tour of this kind will take you to Amsterdam's trendiest and most artistic suburbs, making it an ideal tour if you're visiting Amsterdam for three days or less.

Route

The route of this tour usually takes you through the Jordaan district and the Amsterdam North district with stops to see places like: Gashouder, the Westerpark area, the beautiful drawbridge of Sloterdijkerbrug, the Haarlemmerstraat and many more interesting places around.

Useful information

  • Price: When making your budget, be prepared to pay approximately 50€ for the tour.
  • Duration: This type of experience usually lasts about 3.5 hours.
  • Bicycle included: Yes.

Book a bike tour of hidden Amsterdam

4. Private historical tour to discover Anne Frank's Amsterdam

Monument to the Jewish philosopher Spinoza| ©Ted McGrath
Monument to the Jewish philosopher Spinoza| ©Ted McGrath

If you are passionate about history, especially the Second World War, this tour can be one of the best things to do in Amsterdam. A specialised guide will take you through the places and monuments of the city linked to the life of Anne Frank and the Dutch Jewish people during the terrible Holocaust. You will have the opportunity to learn interesting but also a bit sad historical facts and peculiarities that are unknown to most tourists, all this while cycling through this beautiful city.

The main advantage of a private historical tour, specialised in one subject, as in this case the Second World War in Amsterdam, is how incredibly educational it is for the traveller, who will have the opportunity to ask all the questions he/she may have and suggest changes in the route to see a place of special interest.

Route

The private tour includes a visit to the most important places in Amsterdam in the life of Anne Frank, her museum and also the memorials such as the Holocaust memorials, the monument to the Jewish philosopher Spinoza and the River Quarter, the place where Anne Frank died.

Useful Information

  • Price: This type of experience is available from €100.
  • Duration: You will need to book at least 2 hours of itinerary for this experience.
  • Bike included: Yes.

Book a historical bike tour of Amsterdam

5. A bike tour through the breweries of Amsterdam

Touring Amsterdam's beer breweries| ©Sailko
Touring Amsterdam's beer breweries| ©Sailko

Beer culture is a serious business in Amsterdam, so you can't leave the country or the city without sampling at least one of its finest creations. A local beer guide will take you through the best craft breweries in the city, combined with a bike ride. In addition, the guide will narrate interesting aspects of local life and Dutch customs. These tours are best enjoyed in the summer and are combined with a cold beer or the famous Heineken Experience.

Route

The itinerary may vary slightly depending on the company or tour you choose to book, however as a general rule these types of experiences usually include: a tour of the central area of Amsterdam where you will see 3 to 5 craft breweries in the city, including a beer tasting for each traveller.

Useful Information

  • Price: This type of experience is available from €90 per person.
  • Duration: You will need to reserve at least 3 hours of your itinerary for this activity.
  • Bicycle included: Yes

6. Amsterdam Light Festival Bike Tour

Amsterdam Light Festival| ©Hector Montero
Amsterdam Light Festival| ©Hector Montero

To celebrate Christmas in Amsterdam, an immersive art exhibition is put on every year in the form of a really attractive light park, and one of the best ways to cycle through it is definitely by hiring a bike tour. One of the best ways to tour it is definitely by hiring a bike tour that will allow you to cover more ground in less time.If you visit Amsterdam in December or if you visit Amsterdam during the first days of January you can't miss the spectacular Amsterdam Light Festival. This is where leading artists from the Dutch and international scene perform fabulous projections and erect truly impressive artistic structures.

Visit

The route through the Festival of Lights includes admiring the almost 300 works of art that are installed every year in the Old Town area. It is worth visiting the official website of the Amsterdam Light Festival to find out more about the works of art. As there are so many works, several streets and canals are covered, so the walking tour can be a bit tiring.

Useful information

  • Price: Available from approximately €35.
  • Duration: This type of experience lasts approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
  • Bicycle included: Yes.

Book a bike tour in Amsterdam

7. Bike tour through Amsterdam's Vondelpark

Amsterdam Vondelpark| ©Franklin Heijnen
Amsterdam Vondelpark| ©Franklin Heijnen

Possibly one of the best places for a bike tour in Amsterdam is the Vondelpark. Known as the largest urban park in the whole city, it is also famous for its many entertainment options such as its open-air theatre, nice cafes and restaurants, as well as its children's playgrounds. As you might guess, it is also one of the favourite places for Dutch people to spend their leisurely afternoons with their families. If you are visiting Amsterdam with children, this park is a must.

Route

This type of tour invites you to explore the most beautiful places in the Vondelpark likea native Dutchman with a friendly guide. You will visit the canals, sculptures and rose gardens of the park, and you will also have time to stop for a coffee.

Useful information

  • Price: The price for this type of experience is around 23€.
  • Duration: You will need to book between 1 and 1.5 hours for the tour.
  • Bicycle included: Yes.

8. Explore Amsterdam's countryside by bike tour

Zaanse Schans rural areas| ©Gabriel Bermejo
Zaanse Schans rural areas| ©Gabriel Bermejo

Starting from Amsterdam, there are many excursions to the villages around the capital. This type of experience will take you to the beautiful landscapes of the Dutch countryside, considered one of the most beautiful and pleasant due to itsflat terrain that allows for very quiet excursions; and due to its proximity that allows for tours of the villages of Amsterdam of a few hours and return to the city.

Route

For this type of tour the route can vary greatly depending on the type of tour and the company you hire, as there are many beautiful countryside around Amsterdam. However, the most popular tours usually combine the following: the countryside of the Zaanse Schans; the countryside of Volendam, Marken, Edam and more.

Useful information

  • Price: Depending on the route and places to visit, it can cost from €38 to €78.
  • Duration: It's a bit of a long tour but a lot of fun, you should set aside at least 4 hours of your itinerary for the tour.
  • Bicycle included: Yes.

9. Amsterdam food tour by bicycle

Typical dish, Loempia| ©Orang Bule Rotterdam
Typical dish, Loempia| ©Orang Bule Rotterdam

Getting to know a new city is not only about visiting its historical monuments; exploring the local gastronomy is also an important part of travelling. A bike tour of Amsterdam's food culture is one of the best ways to get to know different typical foods and quickly decide which ones are your favourites. On these tours the guide takes the tour group through the most charming streets with the most traditional and delicious food places.

Route

This type of experience usually includes among its first stops a visit to the farmers' market in Amsterdam East; to try typical Dutch food such as loempia (similar to spring roll) or the delicious Dutch croquettes. The tour continues with visits to local distilleries and more.

Useful information

  • Price: When planning your budget set aside approximately €70 for this experience.
  • Duration: This type of experience usually takes about 4 hours on average due to the many stops involved.
  • Bicycle included: Yes

10.Combined tour: boat tour and bike ride through Amsterdam

Amsterdam by Boat| ©Lena86
Amsterdam by Boat| ©Lena86

In addition to bike tours, Amsterdam is a wonderful city for boat tours due to the beauty and charm of its canals. On this type of tour you can combine both experiences in one tour, so you can take with you the two most charming routes you can do in the city. If you will be in the city for several days, in a travel itinerary that includes five days in Amsterdam or a little more, consider reserving a space for this experience in your first days of your tour, as you will be able to get to know all the highlights of the city and the surrounding area very quickly.

Route

Although the travel plan may vary slightly depending on the company you hire and their planned itinerary, this type of experience starts in the morning with a bike tour of the city to see the historical highlights. There is a break for lunch and in the afternoon you will take a cruise along the canals to get to know other areas of the city and also the outskirts.

Useful Information

  • Price: With the private tour option you will have to pay up to 125€ for this experience.
  • Duration: The experience is designed to cover a full day of your itinerary so you will need to set aside at least 8 hours.
  • Bike included: Yes

Book a bike tour of Amsterdam