The best city tours when travelling are those that make you feel truly immersed in the atmosphere of the place you’re visiting.
Lucky for you, you don’t need to wreck your brain trying to figure out how to explore Amsterdam like a local. We Bike Amsterdam combines the Dutch love of cycling with some knowledgeable guides and takes care of that for you.
And lucky for us, we got to join one of their tours.
I bike, you bike, We Bike
You won’t be surprised to learn that We Bike Amsterdam is a bike touring company in, well… Amsterdam.
There’s no beating the Dutchies’ love for cycling, and if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. We Bike makes that possible by organising cycling tours around the Dutch capital.
READ MORE | From omafiets, to mamafiets, and bakfiets — Dutch bikes, explained
Every day, at 10 AM and 2 PM, local guides lead groups of up to 11 people through some of Amsterdam’s most charming neighbourhoods, sharing their knowledge of the city’s history, architecture, and lifestyle.
Needless to say, you don’t need to fit a bicycle into your luggage to join. They provide bikes for all participants, equipped with handbrakes and gears (if you know anything about the usual state of bikes in Amsterdam, you know that’s a luxury!).
Tip! Although the tours are suitable for all levels of cyclists, knowing how to ride a bike is, of course, a must. Don’t expect any training wheels here.
Not your usual cycling tour
We Bike’s tours aren’t just unique because of the way you get around; they also include some stops that won’t be on your usual Amsterdam tour agenda.
Since the guides are locals, they avoid the most touristy parts and show you a slightly less-known side of Amsterdam. Think of it like visiting a friend who lives abroad and is showing you all their favourite spots.
Tip! Feel like something more green? We Bike Amsterdam also offers tours that leave the city and take you around the Dutch countryside — windmills, tulips, and cheese included.
An afternoon filled with canals, bridges and bikes
We were sold on the concept, so we hopped on our bikes and joined a tour.
We met our guide in the city centre on a day that the Netherlands was luckily gracing us with amazing weather. From there, we headed to one of the nicest neighbourhoods in the city, Jordaan.
READ MORE | 7 things that will get you fined while cycling in the Netherlands
If you’ve seen Amsterdammers’ hectic style of cycling and are shivering at the thought of having to join them, don’t worry — the guide was careful to adjust his cycling speed to suit everyone’s level and made sure even the children in the group could follow along easily.
Still a bit scared of zooming through the busy Amsterdam streets? You can ask your tour guide for a helmet for that extra bit of protection!
And of course, plenty of interesting facts
As someone who’s been calling this city her home for a few years now, I wasn’t sure if I’d learn anything new on the tour. One of our first stops quickly proved me wrong.
A relatively humble-looking building I’d passed so many times before turned out to be the former headquarters of the richest company in Dutch history, the Dutch West India Company. I guess the colonial money wasn’t spent on fancy architecture.
After a quick Dutch history lesson, we cycled over Amsterdam’s narrowest bridge. Stopping next to it, we talked about another Dutch architectural peculiarity — why some houses are crooked enough to make the tower of Pisa jealous.
Over three hours, we also got to see the Anne Frank House, a park surrounded by the city’s main museums, and how the rich Amsterdammers live, tucked away in their grand Oud-Zuid mansions.
READ MORE | Dos and don’ts of riding a bicycle in the Netherlands
The tour was nicely paced; the info-packed stops were broken up by relaxing cycling through some seriously picturesque narrow streets filled with a lot of greenery, so it felt more like breezing through the city, rather than being on a school trip.
We also took a coffee break in Vondelpark (which is amazing on a sunny day) to stretch our legs a bit.
When it was time to say doei doei, our guide recommended some restaurants and bars to visit if you want a nice (and scam-free) atmosphere.
Planning a trip? Hop on!
No need to be jealous of the nice day we had, because you can also enjoy one on your next trip to Amsterdam. 😉
You can easily sign up for the city bike tour on any day at either 10 AM or 2 PM. If the countryside is calling your name, you can hop on one of these tours between March and October.
There’s also the possibility of booking a private tour, in which case you have a large selection of languages to choose from, including the usual English, as well as Dutch, Spanish, German, and French.
If you’re ready to feel like a true Dutchie on your next trip to Amsterdam, head over to We Bike Amsterdam and cycle away.
Would you join a bike tour through the Dutch capital? Let us know what you think in the comments!