CYCLING IN THE NETHERLANDS

If you truly want to sample Dutch life, then start cycling in the Netherlands! A traditional Dutch bike is sturdy and no-nonsense. Plus, it is not difficult to find a fairly inexpensive or second hand one in Holland. This page will give you a rundown of the benefits of cycling in NL, and help you to decide which type of bike is right for you.

Why Use a Bike in NL?

There are endless perks to owning and cycling a bike in the Netherlands. It is one of the most bike-friendly countries in the world, and is covered with well-kept ‘fietspaden’ (cycle paths). This enables you to:

• Enjoy regular fresh air and exercise
• Embrace a quintessential element of Dutch culture
• Save money on petrol and lower your carbon foot print
• Avoid sitting in traffic

Travelling by Bike in NL

More importantly perhaps, cycle paths run through areas that cannot be reached by motorized vehicles:

• This makes it extremely easy to access the many remote areas of natural beauty that can be found in Netherlands
• You can pick up great cycling guide books and maps at the VVV or the ANWB
• These will enable you to plan long or short trips anywhere you like
• What is more, trains have special bicycle compartments
• This means you can travel to different areas of the country in a carriage with your bike, and take off from there

For more information on cycling tours, check out the fietsnetwork, or download their app.

1. Second Hand

Most students and foreign visitors buy second-hand bicycles, known as ‘tweedehands fietsen’ or ‘tweedehands rijwielen’. A reasonably good quality one will cost you between € 75 and € 175. You can find them at:

• Second-hand bicycle shops
• Bicycle parking facilities near railway stations
• On Marktplaats
• Advertised in the small ads at the back of your local newspaper, under ‘Rijwielen’
• On the notice board at the supermarket
• Anywhere students congregate!

2. Brand new

Some expats are keen to get a new bicycle, made by one of the well-known manufacturers. If you are interested in going down this (cycle) path, here’s what you need to do:

• Unsurprisingly, you will need to visit a bicycle shop
• A new bicycle will probably cost between € 275 and € 500
• A discount store will sell you a new, imported bike for as little as €175
• If you choose to go for one of these, be sure you examine it thoroughly. You need to make sure that its quality is sufficient, before handing over your money

3. Bike Rental

If you are traveling to a region of the Netherlands without your own bike, you can simply rent one:

• There are usually bicycle rentals in the parking facilities of railway stations
• Bicycle rentals will loan you a bike for the day, under payment of a deposit
• It is wise to telephone in advance to make a reservation and to ask at the railway station for a free booklet about this
• In certain places, such as Veluwe National Park, bicycles are available free of charge, to help you roam the beautiful woods at your leisure

4. OV-Fiets

Many Dutch people also make use of the Public Transportation Bicycle: the ‘OV-fiets’. If you do not work in your city of residence in the Netherlands, and need to travel by train for a significant leg of the journey, this is the service for you. You can rent an OV-fiets from the station nearest to your work, and cycle the rest of the way.

Some OV-fiets facts:

• To rent an OV-fiets, you pay € 4.15 per 24 hours
• If you keep the bicycle for 72 hours, you will pay 3 x € 3.35
• After keeping your bicycle for 72 hours, you will start to pay € 5 per 24 hours
• If you hand your OV-fiets in at a different location, you will incur an extra charge
• You can request a public transportation bicycle pass (OV-fietspas)
• You can get your own public transportation pass, or Studenten OV-chipkaart, registered.  This will enable you to pick up an OV-fiets at any time. Payments for this are made later, at an automatic payment machine (‘automatische incasso’)
• Bicycles are available at more than 275 locations throughout the country (approximately 100 towns/cities), including various locations within the bigger cities of Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam

As a cyclist, you must adhere to Dutch traffic signs and obey the rules of the road. Here are some important pointers:

• It is essential that you stay within the bicycle lanes marked on the street
• As a rule, cars that are turning across your path are supposed to stop for you, but it is wize to watch out nonetheless
• You should signal with your arm, if you are planning to turn
• You can be fined for riding at night without lights, for drunken cycling and for reckless endangerment when using your mobile phone whilst on a bike
• Unlike in many other countries, you may not ride your bicycle on the sidewalk in the Netherlands

A Phone on a Fiets

The legislation forbidding car drivers from using their phones whilst driving does not apply to cyclists, yet! However, a new law is in the making. What is more, if your behavior has contributed to an accident or a (potentially) dangerous situation in traffic, you run the risk of being prosecuted.