There are many reasons to visit Amsterdam – numerous delightful parks, museums, magnificent architecture as well as captivating picturesque bridges over canals. However, there is one more reason to visit Amsterdam, especially if you are a lover of single-track vehicles.
Amsterdam in undoubtedly the bicycle capital of the world. There are up to 600, 000 bicycles per nearly 750,000 inhabitants. In practice, this means that bicycles and cyclists are everywhere – over 40% of inhabitants travel by bike, including representatives of all social and age groups. Everybody bikes here: children, adults, and even seniors. People bike wearing skirts, high heels or suits – when they go to school, work, or parties. Cyclists on the road can feel safe and secure. As a result, renting a bike is the best decision a tourist can make when visiting Amsterdam. 
Bicycle urbanism
Since Amsterdam’s policy promotes ecological lifestyle, municipal authorities pay particular attention to the proper urban planning and ensuring the necessary infrastructure for cyclists. Cycling in Amsterdam is easy and fun thanks to a well-thought, environment-friendly strategy. Modern urban planning takes into account all the needs of cyclists, providing them with up to 400 km of bicycle paths and tracks – some of which are even dual carriageways! Advanced stop lines, lines on roundabouts and suitable identification of bicycle paths are the norm. Throughout the city, there are scattered bicycle parkings (spacious, sometimes with two levels, but often packed)
and bike rental points where you can rent classic, city Dutch bicycles, as well as child seats, tandems, hybrid or electric bicycles, and even cargo bikes – all at very reasonable prices. In case of emergency, you can easily get help in one of the many bicycle repair stations. Importantly, getting around Amsterdam by bike is much cheaper than by other means of transport. By choosing a bicycle over a car, one can also avoid difficult manoeuvres in narrow streets and exorbitant parking fees.
How to rent a bicycle?
When going to a bike rental point in Amsterdam, one should have a personal identification document – be it an identity card, a passport, or a credit card. Bike rental points charge a deposit in the amount of approximately 50 euros, and the bicycle can also be insured against theft, which unfortunately happens very often in this city.
Rental prices vary depending on the bicycle model, ranging from 10 to 25 euros per day. It is certainly worth renting a bike for a longer time – the fee for the following days is usually a few euros lower. It is also important to properly secure your bike when parked in order to prevent it from being stolen – bike rental points provide you with two special locks for this kind of purpose.
Drivers vs cyclists
Unlike it is the case in Poland, Dutch cyclists belong to one of the most privileged groups of road users. Drivers are especially careful and respectful of cyclists on a road. Interestingly, if a car collides with a bike, the insurance company where the driver bought a liability insurance, regardless of whether
the accident happened due to the driver’s fault, must pay compensation to the cyclist. However, it cannot be said that there is a conflict between drivers and cyclists in Amsterdam – a low number of accidents, proper driving etiquette of both groups, kindness of the Dutch on roads, bike paths or pavements make Amsterdam a bicycle heaven.
