A classic Dutch Windmill and a Montague Bike
Everyone knows that Amsterdam is one of the best places in the world to ride a bike. The infrastructure is awesome, and so many people ride their bikes that it’s easy to get around, even for tourists, and even if you don’t ride back home. It’s the perfect place for anyone who likes the idea of a bike vacation, but maybe doesn’t love the idea of riding with traffic.
Cycling is the probably one of the best ways to get around in the city itself – but it is important to take a sturdy lock with you. Although (or perhaps because) so many people ride in Amsterdam, bike theft is a major concern. It’s one of the advantages of visiting Amsterdam with a Montague bike – you might have to lock it outside during the day when you’re visiting museums or at a restaurant, but at night, you can fold it up and store it in your hotel room.
A brown cycle path and a designated parking area – Look at all those bikes!
Be careful where you lock too – in a city with so many bikes, they have designated parking areas. If you don’t park where you’re supposed to (i.e. if you lock to a random post), you might find yourself with a ticket, or the police may remove your bike and take it down to the station. Sort of like a Dutch version of “No Parking – Car will be towed at owner’s expense”.
It’s also easy to get outside the city by bike, or if you’re pressed for time, you can take a train (with your Montague) to a number of locations. In much of Europe, it’s easy to take the train with your bike, (depending on where you are, you might have to buy a ticket for it or be restricted to a special car), but a folding bike is often considered a piece of luggage, and you can put it in one of the luggage racks at the end of the car.
There are a lot of different cyclo-tourism companies in and around Amsterdam, but it’s also easy enough to do a self-guided tour of the sites with a little bit of planning. Just make sure you follow the rules, signal, and stay in the designated bike lane (which are brown).
Montague Bikes in Amsterdam?
Are you a Montague rider in Amsterdam? Have you ever visited with your folding bike? Or traveled anywhere else in Europe?
I took a folding bike when I last visited the netherlands and found it very convenient, but I’ve also hired out dutch bikes like these for an attempt at an authentic experience. There’s something to be said for both approaches but the locals certainly seemed to appreciate the latter a bit more.