Cycling trips around Amsterdam

Other Amsterdam blogs

Netherlands is a cycling paradise, we all know that. But experiencing it is something else. Everyone cycles here. All the time. Come hail or snow or rain or wind, you can’t keep a Dutch person off their bike! And I have seen it myself, it’s totally true.

And it definitely helps that the infrastructure for biking is excellent in the Netherlands (of course it also helps that the country is completely flat!). There are cycling paths of course within cities, but also linking the villages and towns of the country. You can easily cycle from anywhere to anywhere, through cycling paths which are away from the main roads. They are wide, well paved and mostly pass through fields, next to canals and other picturesque locations. Where you are not disturbed by cars or anything else, and can cycle safely.

Cycling towards Muiden

Cycling in the Netherlands is amazing, and is my favourite activity here (whenever the weather is good of course 😊). I definitely am not Dutch enough to want to cycle in the cold, rain and wind! But on warm sunny days, I do like to go for a long bike ride in the country. The routine is always the same – ride through scenic routes to some nearby village or town, explore the place, its museums, churches etc., eat at a nice restaurant by the water, and then cycle back home. These bike rides are excellent weekend activities, a mix of exercise and exploring the outdoors. Below, I am sharing some of the longer rides I did.


Abcoude (35 kms, March 2022, May 2023)

Abcoude is a small town south of Amsterdam, and you just need to cycle next to Amsterdam's Amstel river to get there. The first part of the ride is the same as the bike ride to Ouderkerk which I had done before, along the river, with farms all around. And then you veer off course a bit to get to Abcoude, riding through fields and canals.

Cycling along the Amstel

We cycled along the farms by the Amstel, and then stopped for lunch at Abcoude. That day had turned out to be a sunny but very windy day. So biking though through gorgeous views was extremely tough. At times we felt that we kept cycling but not moving! It was tough. It was too cold that day to take off gloves to take photographs even. So maybe that’s why, this is one of those rides I don’t remember a lot of, except that it was the first one to get out of winter hibernation mode. 

I visited Abcoude once again, this time in summer by car, and was again impressed by the village. This time, we went to a local farm, the Hindenhof and bought fresh milk and other products grown or produced locally at the farm itself. It was fun to check out all the things available there. We then walked around town, along the canals and church, admiring how every Dutch village turns out to be so picturesque.


Amsterdamse Bos (25 kms)

Amsterdamse Bos or the Amsterdam forest is the local forest of Amsterdam. It’s a huge green area about 2500 acres, just a 10 mins bike ride from my place. It has everything – lakes, ponds, forests, parks, cherry blossoms, restaurants, theatres, spas and so on. And it’s very popular with Amsterdammers for multiple adventure activities, like running, walking, cycling, rowing, camping and so on. The Bos is always an easy pick to go and cycle. Anytime, anywhere.

Bos in winter

I have cycled there often, whenever I need to get some fresh air and exercise on short notice. And it’s always a pleasure to explore it. It has miles and miles of tracks, and most of the times we just go wherever the path takes you. All tracks are lined with tall trees, green in summer and bare in winter. There are many water bodies everywhere, and it’s fun to cross the small creeks while cycling.

Bos in winter

I do remember some rides there specifically though. Once was when we cycled there on a very cold and misty day in winter - there was fog everywhere, it was just so magical, I cannot forget that ride. The water bodies, the grass meadows, the people running, everything was engulfed in fog. and felt like a dream. It was also extremely old, but as I had layered up well, so I didn't even notice.

Cherry blossoms in Bos

Another time we cycled to the Bloesempark, which is a cherry blossom park in the Bos. It had rows of cherry blossom trees, laden with pink flowers and surrounded by loads of people. It looked nice. And another time was during lockdown in 2021 winter, when cycling there, we just stopped on a road and just experienced the planes fly by just above our heads as they landed into Schiphol. They felt so close, I felt we could almost touch them.

Walks in Bos

A few times, I went for walks in Bos and always ran into people involved in different activities. Sometimes we came across lakes where people were swimming, sometimes football fields where children were playing, sometimes campgrounds where families were camping for a few days, sometimes festivals where everyone was enjoying the music. And of course, everyone rowing and kayaking in the Bosbaan in any weather, any time of the year. There was always a surprise around the corner whenever I cycled there. I loved the Bos, having a place like this so close cannot be underrated.


Broek in Waterland (64 kms, May 2023, August 2024)

Broek village

The first time I visited this village was when I went cycling to Monnickendam. The ride all through was gorgeous, through green fields with flowers, interspersed with loads of waterways. We stopped at the village of Broek, at the local church which had a cafe inside. As we sat outside to take a break, we witnessed a local parade, where everyone was dressed up and just having a nice time.

Broek village

Then we visited the village again, this time driving there. We walked around in the village and around the church. All around were green fields, and within the village cute houses and loads of flowers along the canals. There was a lake in the centre, and we had tea there. We also ran into an open air festival going on in the village. It was so much fun just to drive out of Amsterdam one evening to such beautiful surroundings, and have a warm cup of evening tea there. Bliss

Lake in Broek

Broek village

Haarlem (45 kms, September 2022, August 2024)

Haarlem is a small city, very close to Amsterdam. It is quite popular with people who like to live close to Amsterdam but don’t like its noise and crowds. We decided to cycle on a supposedly warm day in September. The whole ride was about 45 kms and was mostly next to the road, though patches of it were inside in the greens which made for a fun ride. We however got caught in a rain shower in between and so had to spend some time at an outlet mall right in the middle of Amsterdam and Haarlem.

Haarlem fall colours

Haarlem is quite similar to Amsterdam, with its canals and typical Dutch architecture. In fact, it’s also sometimes known as Mini Amsterdam (it’s on my visit to Haarlem I realised that after a point most of Holland’s towns start looking similar 😊). After reaching the city centre, we first visited the Frans Hals museum which mostly housed paintings. I liked the still lives from Heda Claesz but overall wasn’t very impressed.

The city outside was fun to walk through, especially the main church and square were quite grand and nice. Haarlem is painted quite often in the Netherlands with the church as the highlight. Also Haarlem lends its name to one of the major counties of New York. So it was nice to be there.

The streets next to the canals also looked stunning, with fall colours in full bloom. The ride back was more away from the roads, and so much more fun. And this is the fun of cycling in the Netherlands, you can easily make a day out of it and get some exercise too. Without any planning 😊.

I then visited Haarlem again with friends in summer. This time we drove, and then walked around in the city centre. After lunch, we checked out a few shops and were pleasantly surprised with the quality of shopping there, it was so much better than Amsterdam. Plus with less people there was definitely more time and space to explore everything. I liked the city this time too.


Lisse tulip fields and flower parade (50 kms, April 2022)

Lisse tulip farms

The tulips are quite the high point for the Netherlands, as it signals the start of spring. And the tourist season. I had already been to the Keukenhof gardens and the tulip fields, but I still wanted to bike through them. So one sunny spring day, we set off to see them, without a plan or any information even. We just started cycling towards Lisse, the heart of tulip fields in the Netherlands.

Tulip fields

The ride till there was quite ok, as a large chunk of it was just straight biking along the road, all around Schiphol. But once we reached the fields, it was bliss. There were rows and rows of multi-coloured tulips, anywhere and everywhere we cycled. With cute houses and windmills next to them. And we kept cycling among these enchanting flowers. It felt surreal to be there. Most of the tulip fields had red and yellow flowers, though we saw some pink and white ones too (I saw the white tulips for the first time). Sometimes we got down for a few photos, but for most of the time, just admired them and kept biking.

Tulip fields

The highlight of the day though turned out to be that, that day there was an annual flower parade passing through the area. So all the villages on the route were buzzing with activity since morning as the flower parade would pass through them later in the day. All the restaurants were full, and people were just sitting outside their houses with food, getting ready for the parade to pass by. It felt like such a festival mood, with everyone ready to wave to the tableaus and bands as they marched through.

Flower parade

And it did not disappoint. There was a long line of tableaus, made fully of fresh flowers (hyacinths, tulips and other seasonal varieties) passing by, with music playing in the background. The tableaus were magnificent, with flowers in different colours making it very easy to depict colourful scenes. All the tableaus had a theme and were quite elaborate. And when the hyacinth tableaus would pass, the air would fill up with their fragrance.

And in between there were marching bands from different cities. As well as some businesses marketing themselves. It was fun to sit by the side of the road, and enjoy seeing them pass through. It was so lovely to be there that day. After the long day, we didn’t cycle back though, just took the train back from Sassenheim to Amsterdam (something else that makes cycling easy in the Netherlands, the well-connected railway network allows one to modify rides to even partial rides).

Tulip fields

Over the next few years, I went to the Lisse tulip fields multiple times, at least a couple of times every spring. Sometimes just to Lisse, something just driving through while coming back from office. It was just so amazing to be among the tulips, walk through them, photograph them. I never tired of them. I even managed to once go there on a sunny warm day and get photographed in a saree. I never tired of them, even once. And can go there again whenever I visit the Netherlands again - they were one of my favourite experiences in the country.


Monnickendam (55 kms, June 2022, August 2024)

Monnickendam

Monnickendam is a small fishing town north of Amsterdam, in an area called Waterland. Apparently this whole area was earlier a swamp, and is built on totally reclaimed land. The ride there was through country fields and gorgeous canals. Many of the canals were lined with houseboats all the way, and some very grand ones. Monnickendam was a very picturesque city too, with coloured houses and lots of boats. We walked through its old streets, and went up the church tower museum.

After lunch, while coming back, we thought of going to the island town of Marken for a detour but as it had been a long ride already, we decided not to. And kept cycling back to Amsterdam. This was definitely one of those bike rides where we got too tired, and coming back was a challenge. Especially as the day was extremely windy, and we ran into a lot of closed routes while coming back. But we did make it back, safe and sound.

It turns out I had cycled to Monnickendam a second time too (I had completely forgotten this trip), this time through some stunning scenery along the villages in the north. I don’t think we stopped much in Monnickendam, but we did enjoy that ride a lot. Also because we chose a better route back home and did not have to cycle against the wind the entire time 😅.


Muiden (33 kms, July 2021, May 2023)

Muiden

This was my first long bike ride in the Netherlands, on a sunny summer day. I cycled along the water, towards the city of Muiden. As it was my first cycling trip, I liked it. Though I am not sure if it was that good or not 😊. I didn't know enough about cycling then, so instead of following cycling specific apps, I followed Google Maps. And so the path was sometimes next to the roads or cities, which wasn’t fun. The parts through the countryside were definitely more enjoyable.

Muiden cafe

Muiden was fun though, a small little picturesque village. With narrow streets, old houses and decorated with flowers everywhere. And with a nice little castle in it. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed spending the afternoon there. As it was sunny, it was full of tourists too. Biking back was tough though as it was my first long ride, but totally enjoyable.

Muiden castle

We visited Muiden again once in summer, when we drove there and so it felt a lot easier to get to. We walked around the central town, to the castle, along the sea and then were off to our next stop. There were just so many picturesque places everywhere in Netherlands to go to whenever you felt it (as long as the weather supports you 😂), it's amazing.


Ouderkerk aan de Amstel and Ronde Hoep Loop (40 kms, July 2021, May 2023, June 2023, July 2023, Sep 2023, May 2024, June 2024,, July 2024, Nov 2024)

Cycling to Ouderkerk

This is one of my favourite cycling tracks, as it starts along the Amstel river, within 10 mins of my place. And the whole cycle path is along farms, beautiful houses and people boating in the lakes. It’s a fabulous experience on a sunny summer day. Which was when I cycled there 😊. We first cycled till the town of Ouderkerk and then did the Ronde Hoep Loop. We had to take a few short ferries across the small canals too during the Loop.

Lunch at Ouderkerk

We then took a break and had lunch next to a canal in the town centre. It felt so idyllic, it was perfect. I liked Ouderkerk too. It felt like a nice place to live. I have heard since about people who move from Amsterdam to Ouderkerk, to still be able to enjoy Amsterdam life close enough. And the cycle ride back was as enjoyable as cycling there. The only disturbance were the 100s of racers who frequent this path – they bike so fast, they are almost a hazard to other cyclists' safety. The rest of the ride was fabulous, it is a bike ride I can see myself doing often.

Houses along the Amstel

Over the next four years, I visited Ouderkerk at least 10 times (if not more). It was just so charming, the ride or drive so gorgeous and so close to Amsterdam, it was a no brainer to go there. The cycling path till Ouderkerk was my most favourite, along the Amstel, with picturesque scenes around, grand houses, farm animals and so on. I cycled there whenever I felt in need of some upliftment. 

Waterfront in Ouderkerk

Ouderkerk had a nice waterfront with beautiful houses all along it. And great restaurants on the waterfront. So I also drove there many a sunny summer evening, just to eat along the waterfront or walk in town along the canals, the churches and restaurants. Though I would never take the highway, but always drive through the small road along the Amstel, it added so much to the joy of going to Ouderkerk. It was always a pleasure to visit this small little town, and I miss it.

Walk in Ouderkerk village

Sunset at Ouderkerk

Het Twiske (64 kms, May 2023, swimming in June 2024, driving in Sep 2021)

The Twiske is a huge green recreation area just north of Amsterdam. It was polder land earlier, and still is full of waterbodies everywhere. I have been there before by car, but this time decided to go biking. And what a spectacular ride it was.

Landsmeer houses

As we biked north from Amsterdam, we cycled past some gorgeous villages, like the Landsmeer, Den Ilp, and Jisp. They were full of gorgeous houses with canals all around. And housed in bright green fields, it was so refreshing to cycle there. We also passed by fields with farm animals, where the cycle paths were lined with bright yellow flowers, all along (wild sarson).

Cycling paths

We stopped first at a small café next to a water body, where a group of rowers had come in their boats and were having a lunch break. All at least in their 60s! And then we cycled to the Twiske, taking a break next to the lake. Everywhere there were wild flowers, it was just awesome to be there – definitely one more of my favourite cycle rides. The ride back got a bit tiring, but the landscape kept us motivated. And we reached back on time. I realised later, that this was my longest ride till date.

Swimming in Twiske

In addition to cycling, I also once went to swim in the Twiske. We drove to one of the lakes there, Stroolstrande, which had a nice picnic area. There were some facilities there for changing etc., and a small beach on the lake. So we sat in the sun, and then swam in the lake. There were even swans swimming along with us. Not a lot of people though. The water wasn't as clean as some of the other places we have swum though as there was some algae floating around. But it was still fun 


Vught (20 kms, August 2022)

Vught lake

I did a short course in South Netherlands, near the town of Vught and stayed there for a few days. And as I am slowly becoming Dutch, one of the warmer days, I just picked a bike and went out in the area for a long bike ride. Without a trail, without a plan. Just where I felt like cycling too. We first passed the nearby lake, called the Ijzeren Man (the Iron Man). (One of the other days, I came to the lake to swim too, it was a great experience as it was extremely warm and not too deep either)

After the lake, we just kept cycling along the fields and farms. We saw a few Christmas tree farms on the way. And a few balloons in the air. We also passed by a few other cyclists, they are everywhere. It was a nice refreshing ride, before the winter kicked in soon.


It was always such a pleasure in Amsterdam to be able to just pick up your cycle and go anywhere - you were guaranteed a great day out with loads of exercise, fresh air and stunning views. I miss that now 😔.

(Blog first published in May 2023, updated in Jan 2026)

Other Amsterdam blogs