Cycling Route City Centre
This is a great cycle trip if you don’t want to travel too far and you want to see some of the sites in Amsterdam city centre.
Distance – 29km
Time spent cycling – 2 hours
1. City Centre -> Cross the River IJ
– Starting in the centre (I’m using Discount Bike Rental as a starting point), cycle North towards Centraal Station. At the back of the station are the ferry terminals where you can board free passenger ferries to the North of Amsterdam. Get on the next ferry heading to Buiksloterweg.
– Once off the ferry you have a couple of choices, you can either head to the EYE Film Museum, which regularly hosts interesting exhibitions, or you can continue straight towards NDSM Wharf. Once a former shipyard, NDSM is a cultural hub of food, drink, events, art and sightseeing, located on the banks of the River IJ. Park up your bikes and explore.
2. NDSM-Wharf
Find IJ-Hallen. Every 3 weeks the biggest flea market of Europe takes place on the NDSM-wharf, inside the large factory. It’s great for anyone that loves a bargain and enjoys exploring vintage markets. Entry is 5 Euro.
Check out Pllek, a riverside bar featuring a beach, outdoor beanbag seating, cocktails and live music. The food is mostly organic, prepared with seasonal vegetables and local produce.
Or find Noorderlicht next door – another riverside bar with outdoor seating, good food and a chilled out/ festival vibe.
3. NDSM Wharf -> Vondelpark
– Cycle from NDSM Wharf to the closest ferry station ‘NDSM’ and catch the next ferry to Pontsteiger. From here you can cycle south along the street Nassaukade for about 5km until you get to Vondelpark. This is a really lovely park to cycle through. If you fancy stopping off for a drink there are some great spots to stop by, check out my post on Amsterdam Parks.
4. Vondelpark - Brouwerij ‘t IJ
– From Vondelpark cycle towards Museumplein and then through the Rijksmuseum, this is an iconic passage where only pedestrians and bikes are allowed to pass through. Then, take a right onto Stadhouderskade and enjoy a cycle along the canal rings, passing the Heineken Experience and the Tropenmuseum (these are great attractions if you fancy stopping off), and up towards Brouwerij ‘t IJ.
5. Brouwerij ‘t IJ
– Brouwerij ‘t IJ is a brewery located at Zeeburgerpad, nestled next to a big windmill. The building used to serve as a bathhouse, and you can still see the original tiles and soap holders behind one of the fermentation tanks, and male and female changing signs above the entrance of the tasting room. The beers are really good, I’d recommend a flight of beers alongside some borrelhapjes (“drink snacks”). Plus, if you time it right, they run 20 minute guided tours in English at 3:30pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for 6.50 Euro.
– From here I’d head back towards the centre of Amsterdam, cycling towards Centraal Station and then taking a left back into the city centre. In total this cycle is approx. 30km with 2 hours on the bike.