One Of The Thousands: A Bike In Amsterdam
February 17, 2010 by Anil P.
Filed under Pictures and Video, Travel Journal
There are an estimated 600,000 bicycles in Amsterdam, which has a population of around 750,000 people. Despite the cold, winter is a good time to visit northern Europe, particularly if you’re put off by crowds. The number of tourists to the city drops considerably due to the chilly temperatures and occasional snow (although it didn’t seem to affect the lines at the Anne Frank House, which were around the block).
I’ve been to the city several times before and was there again with some friends this past weekend. I was able to snap these pictures in the city which felt like I had all to myself. I’m hoping to visit some other cities in the Netherlands, including Utrecht when I return from the Balkans next month. Perhaps by then it’ll be a bit warmer as well.
Earl (49)
blahh (14)
Deniz (12)
Maureen (12)
Audrey (11)
Dan (11)
we were worried about not getting into the anne frank house when we went a year ago due to ‘the lines’ that are mentioned in all the guide books etc… we had no problem walking right in.
excellent photo – i’m hoping that next time i see amsterdam, it will be in the summer so that i can take advantage of the cycling!
I didn’t go in but the line was well around the block. Guess you got lucky! I always end up walking around in Amsterdam but a bike just seems like the thing to do.
Dear Anil,
Ula is a little town near Mugla.About 5000 people live there and there are 7000 bicycles in Ula.Isn’t it fine? When you come to Turkey, maybe you can visit there..Have a nice travel.!
Yes! I’ll be in Turkey late this coming summer and will add it to my list of things to do
oh my, how interesting that they have so many bikes. I can believe it because when I was there I saw so many many bikes all around. I loved Amsterdam…and would like to go back in the future to visit other parts of the Netherlands.
From Twitter @PauseTheMoment (http://www.pausethemoment.com/) added these cool facts:
“Each year, about 80,000 of them are stolen and 25,000 end up in the canals.”
The bike are beautiful though, gives a flow to the city. Must be how they stay so fit. I should have ridden a bike more as a kid, maybe it’s where they get their height from too
One of mine was stolen, when I found it back I did not have the key of the lock with me so could not take it back. No policeman about to tell that this bike was mine. Anyway I had already bought a new bike, a better one with 21 gears.
That’s pretty crazy you found your bike back – how far was it from the original place and after how long did you find it?
Cycling is one of the best ways to experience a new city. I had no idea there were so many bicycles in Amsterdam. Looking forward to rent one of them whenever I visit the city. Hopefully in Spring or Summer.
You definitely should, the city is made for it.
I simply loved Amsterdam as well – and when your back do you plan to rent a bike? Can’t wait to read the stories, I’ve heard that Utrecht is great for a visit too, so you’ll have to let us know!
I think I’ve got to experience the city on bike as well. I’ll definitely write about Utrecht, I’ve heard some wonderful things about it from other travelers I’ve bumped into.
Looks chilly for a bike ride. I was amazed by the number of bikes in Holland. There must be times where they are difficult to track your own bike down in a sea of bicycles.
It was about -1 C or so that day but -7 or -8 at night as I recall. The snow and ice on the ground didn’t seem to deter many from speeding through the cities bike paths though. I think being here in northern Europe during the winter has changed what I consider cold!
cycling in Amsterdam for us was also a really great experience that we might planning to cycle around the rest of the Netherlands too… one day
It’s definitely a mode of transportation I’m beginning to appreciate more and more.
I love cycling and its a great way to explore the place in leisure. Growing up in Mumbai, thankfully I dont feel scared to bike in places that don’t have bike tracks.
I can imagine it would be the same with driving a car there. I always imagine driving in India as the ‘advanced’ level of a video game.
The weather here has been getting a lot better! Great biking around the city in the sun kinda weather.
I started a biker series on Amsterdam if you are interested!
http://www.muntthee.com/2010/03/22/the-dam-biker-1-girl-plus-teddy-bear/
Wonderful! I’ll be sure to check out your biker series, will head over there now actually…
I was in amsterdam in the summer one year and found it a great city to jog in and bike in. But that snow doesn’t look so inviting !
It was pretty cold but the snow gave it character
At least that’s what I told myself to keep from completely freezing 
I could not believe the amount of bikes in Amsterdam. Coming from a small town in Illinois where I see someone riding a bike about twice a day, to seeing people on bikes EVERYWHERE, is really shocking. I thought my taxi driver was going to hit a biker about every 10 seconds, only to have him miss them by inches every time. Awesome thing to witness! I can only imagine what a place like Ho Chi Minh City is with motorcycles/scooters in the place of bicycles.
I agree, most incredible than the sheer number of bikes is how incredibly organized the system is in Amsterdam (as well as other parts of the Netherlands and around Europe). That is rather the exception than the norm across most of SE Asia