The bicycle is a part of the Dutch national identity and the degree to which Dutch people ride bikes is truly astounding. One of the interesting things about the bikes is they all appear to be “old-timey” — from another age. You should be able to buy a second-hand bicycle for less than 50 euros.
The Netherlands is a small country (east to west: about 250 km and north to south: about 350 km.) You can travel to almost any destination in the Netherlands using public transport. Although train and bus fares are not cheap, it costs much more to drive a car.
Particularly in the Western part of the country the main cities are very accessible by train, even at night. A bicycle is the cheapest and easiest way to get around, especially if you live in a city.
Most city streets have special bicycle lanes, and separate paths run parallel to larger roads. You can therefore ride a bicycle quite safely even if there is a lot of traffic.
Nowadays, all Dutch people, regardless of their profession or status, own a bicycle. This wasn’t always the case.
When the joy of cycling was first discovered it was primarily a rich man’s sport. In 1871 the first Dutch bicycle club was founded in Deventer, named “Immer Weiter” (always forward in German).
Soon other clubs sprang up among which the Algemeene Nederlandsche Wielrijders Bond (ANWB) in 1885. Today this is Holland’s National Automobile Club.
In 1896, the slogan “Everybody on the bicycle” indicated that the bicycle had finally trickled down to the middle and lower classes.
Farmers abandoned their horses and postmen, policemen, and even the Dutch army, used bicycles. The army had a machine-gun mounted bicycle battalion.
By the turn of the century there was a demand for cheap, good transportation which only the bicycle fulfilled. Today, almost every Dutch person rides a bicycle, or “fiets”, to work, school, or for pleasure.
Holland has a population of 16 million and there are the same amount of bicycles (maybe more).
The Dutch landscape is perfect for cycling. It is a relatively flat country with a mild climate and has many bicycle paths. The distances from one town to another are never great. That is also why the Netherlands is the perfect place to spend a cycling vacation.
All 12 provinces have something unique and different to offer so that a cyclist will never be faced with a monotonous landscape. First there are the rural provinces of Friesland and Groningen in northern Holland.
There is the green heart of the urbanized Randstad, the densely populated triangular area between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague. In Overijssel, Drenthe, and North Brabant the cycle paths traverse woods and heath.
A journey around the IJsselmeer (the former Zuiderzee) includes traditional fishing villages and cheese towns, and in the spring there are the bulb fields.
For those craving more exertion there are hilly routes through the dunes of Texel and the provinces of North and South Holland, through the Veluwe forest in Gelderland, and in the rolling hills of southern Limburg. Each province has its own cycling routes.