In Holland they claim to have more bikes than people, which means more than 15 million bikes. Exploring the Holland countryside can cost as little as $4 a day on one of those bikes. The tour is slow, but you do get to sit the whole way and you don't have to listen to commentary in five languages. If you are the independent, adventurous type, then this tour will make your ateries sing.As many as 60 train stations in Holland can provide you with a route and a rented bike. True lovers can even rent a tandem (bicycle built for two) to sit downwind from their partner. With $4 and a $50 refundable deposit, you can map out your own journey, making your own comments, in your own language and stopping when you or your own legs desire.
The routes vary in length from 10 to 30 miles. Before you balk, remember that this is not the Tour de France bike race. Holland is virtually all flat with the occasional hill that crosses a highway or intersection. You can move at your own turtle's pace and you can stop as often as you would like. Some of the routes even have a cut through cheater's path that will take you closer to the end if you find yourself getting too tired.
If Tour de France hare's pace is what you want, you can bike through s'Hertogenbosch which is where the Tour de France began in 1996. Or follow along the canals of the 1997 Elfstedentoch ice skating race. The race was on 100 miles of frozen canals through 11 cities in the northern Netherlands ending in Leeuwarden where the tour begins.
The route from the station in Apeldoorn will be a more leisurely ride in a more woodsy Holland. The path goes by the 17 century Het Loo Palace where the Dutch royals used to live. For ten American dollars you can go inside the palace and into the huge 17th century style garden area. Don't pay extra for a garden escort because the commentary is usually all in Dutch.
Apeldoorn, Leeuwarden and s'Hertogenbosch are all rather far away from your central location which would usually be Amsterdam. Roundtrip train or bus fare to these locations would cost about $25. Several of the bike routes are closer to Amsterdam and can cut cost and time on train travel.
Two stops away from Amsterdam, and a cheaper train ride, is the city of Weesp. It is an older city with two windmills and some lovely old churches. The planned route will take you around the neighboring city of Diemen and next to an old cemetary. You can hop off the bike for a free stroll through cemetary with those tall, thin, dark, flat stones like in an old Transylvanian tale. You will also travel through the southeast part of Amsterdam including the Amstel area (the namesake of a famous Dutch beer). This is a much safer route because it is a bike path specifically for bikes, and not just a bike lane that puts you in and amongst the traffic in Amsterdam.
It is possible to rent bikes within the city of Amsterdam, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a seasoned bike rider and know international biking hand signals. Amsterdam has a bike lane that runs throughout the city and parks, but it also has a bus lane, tram lane, car lane and the most treacherous pedestrian lane. Most Hollanders watch out for bikes, but most tourists are oblivious and can't figure out who has the right of way.
There probably ARE more bicycles than people in Holland, and also more bike paths than roads. These are just four of the 60 "planned" routes through Holland. You steer the bike and can make your own paths and unscheduled stops. The routes can bring you country landscapes, farmland, old farmhouses, windmills, tulip fields, old world architecture, small town, big city, canal paths, and paths along the North Sea. You bring a hunk of Dutch cheese, a loaf of bread and your bike to make a memorable, inexpensive Dutch experience. |
