THE ONE THING
The canals by bike
Amsterdam is a city to ride, not to walk — rent a bike for a day.
Canal cruises are sold on every corner, but the thing that actually explains Amsterdam is not the water — it is the bicycle. Here cycling is not an activity but transport: the roads are built for it, the lights are timed for it, everyone uses it. A day on a bike is a day spent in the city rather than looking at it.
Getting started
The first half hour can be unnerving; the traffic is fast and the rules are taken seriously. Get used to it somewhere calm — Vondelpark is ideal, wide and car-free. Then head out to the canal ring.
The rules
A bike lane is treated as seriously as a road. Keep right, ring your bell when overtaking, do not ride on your phone, and watch out for other cyclists rather than pedestrians — they are the real traffic. Always lock up, ideally to something fixed.
A route
Combine the narrow streets of the Jordaan with the canal ring. You do not need a destination; drifting from bridge to bridge is the city itself.
One small note
People ride in the rain here too. But wet canal-side cobbles are slippery — slow down coming off the bridges.
📍 Vondelpark