If you are new to Amsterdam, you are likely shocked at the sheer volume of bikes everywhere. In fact, there are approximately 23 million bikes in the Netherlands which equates to an average of 1.3 bikes per person!

Although biking is the preferred method of transportation in Amsterdam, some newly arrived expats can be hesitant to get on a two-wheeler. I get it! Even as a Dane (I was basically born on a bike) who hadn’t biked for many years after moving to Amsterdam from London, it took me a fair amount of courage and a little practice to get back on the bike-lane. Now, there is not a single day that I don’t bike and I absolutely love it! For those who drive a car, it’s the same feeling of complete independence and ability to get on your own without relying on others.

I hope this short article will help newcomers to Amsterdam with a few practical tips on how to bike in a safe way and what to look out for.

Traffic hierarchy:

The hierarchy is as follows – Trams, bikes, pedestrians, moving vehicles (cars, buses). While cars will stop for pedestrians at zebra crossings, bikes often don’t. Legally they should, but in practice they often don’t. There is a pragmatic reason for this in the sense that the sheer volume of bikes would mean a constant stop to the flow of traffic. As a pedestrian you can easily stop walking, but if bikes have to stop at all crossings it would clog up the bike lanes and make it unsafe at times. As a cyclist you need to pay attention to zebra-crossings, try to signal or make eye contact with pedestrians in order to “agree” on who goes first. Personally, I always stop for elderly people, children and often tourists if easily identifiable (the ones who walk leisurely  in the bike lanes and cross any street only looking at the pretty surroundings… you know who I am talking about).

Helmet or no helmet?

It is shocking for many non-Dutch expats to see so many bikes, but no helmets, me included. In Denmark most cyclists wear a helmet, especially children and so for this reason I did too when I arrived in Amsterdam…but it didn’t last long. Biking is generally not considered dangerous here and therefore helmets are not mandatory or even encouraged. However it is a personal choice and if you want to wear a helmet to feel more comfortable, you should not hesitate doing it. With the rise in electric bikes I would not be surprised if we start seeing more cyclists in Amsterdam with helmets on.

How many people can you fit on a bike?

“A lot”, is the answer and there are no rules on how you carry them! I often wonder if I am at the circus or on my way to work when I see people standing at the back or front of someone else’s bike. It is quite an acrobatic skill to commute this way, but it is not illegal. However, children under the age of 8 must have a designated seat on a bike so please keep this in mind. Parents in Amsterdam often bike their children around in a bakfiets (cargo bike). Two-wheelers are preferred over three-wheelers as they take up less space on the bike lane. There are many places where you can test-bike bakfiets before buying one. Juizz Amsterdam is a good place to start.

Where is a good place to start?

If you are not yet ready for the bike-lanes of the city, but still want to practice, going to less busy areas or parks is a good way to start. Although tempting, avoid Vondelpark on a sunny weekend afternoon. It is complete carnage with runners, bikers, walkers, tourists, bike tours and all sorts of other people. Rembrandt park is lovely and more quiet. You can also go early in the morning (before 9am) to the 9 streets or the Jordaan or any of the inner canals. Take in the sights with minimal pedestrians or other cyclists.

Texting while biking: A personal story

Completely illegal! In fact, any distractions on your phone while biking is a traffic violation. Let me tell you a personal story to warn you of the dangers of distracted biking. A few weeks ago I was biking through Vondelpark on my bakfiets with one of my kids. I took my phone out of my pocket as I felt it vibrate. The moment I looked at my screen, two uniformed police officers appeared out of nowhere and signalled me to pull over. They asked for my ID and how long I had been living in the Netherlands. Naïve as I was, I thought maybe they were doing a random police survey, but when the police officer informed me that texting while biking was made illegal in the Netherlands two years ago, I realized I was in trouble and not taking part in a survey….

Of course I understand that it is common sense not to text while biking, I genuinely didn’t know that it was ILLEGAL. After all, it feels as though the general biking rules in the Netherlands are quite lax… am I right?!

Without any hesitation, the police officer asked for my address and said that a fine would be sent to me. I asked if a warning was not sufficient as this was my first ever traffic violation, but my efforts were in vain.

Alas, I did the crime and will accept the punishment. I asked the police officer how much the fine would be (thinking it would be around 40 EUR in line with a small speeding ticket). Oh boy, was I wrong. The fine was 169 EUR and arrived promptly the next day in my mailbox with a convenient link to pay via IDEAL.

Safe to say, my phone is now safely stored away in my backpack whenever I get on my bike. For clarification I should add that any phone activity while biking is illegal so whether you are looking at directions or changing a song on Spotify, just don’t do it. Get a phone holder instead which will keep you both safe and financially stable.

Biking is a fun, healthy, sustainable and a very inexpensive form of transport. It is a great way to discover Amsterdam at your own pace and an even better way to integrate into the true Dutch lifestyle. Take it easy in the beginning, and before you know it, you will be parading around Amsterdam without even touching your steering wheel! Good luck and happy fietsen!

The post Life on 2 wheels appeared first on Amsterdam Mamas.

Amstelveen’s location is quite convenient in terms of proximity to Schiphol airport, to some international schools such as ISA, BSA and AICS, and to ‘downtown’ Dam Square, Amsterdam. But the best part about it is that it is surrounded by the Amsterdamse Bos – you can simply and swiftly access the Amsterdamse Bos from several neighbourhoods / wijken in Amstelveen by biking or by walking there! Overall, Amstelveen, like many other neighbourhoods in The Netherlands, is safe, peaceful, and friendly.

The neighbourhood is quite diverse and is a fair representation of Amsterdam’s cosmopolitan nature with plenty of restaurants serving different cuisines, cafes, sport clubs, grocery shops and a few shopping malls. I will list some of the more popular ones here, so keep reading!

Housing

Amstelveen is a suburb of Amsterdam, therefore houses generally tend to be bigger than the ones in Amsterdam city. In general, the types of houses in Amstelveen are called: connected houses, corner houses, apartment buildings and even some stand-alone houses.

The buildings are relatively new and the architecture is different to the iconic canal houses in Amsterdam. Streets are larger with plenty of parking spots, parking in most of Amstelveen is free of charge.

You can search for houses for rent or sale: Pararius, Funda, in addition to other platforms or with the help of a real estate agent (makelaar).

Schooling

Amstelveen has many public schools in its ‘littler’ neighbourhoods, in addition to a few international schools:

• International school of Amsterdam
• Amity International School
• Amstelland International School
• Florencius International School

In terms of nurseries, the majority of them are Dutch, apart from the nurseries in the above-mentioned international schools and Hestia Amstelveen, a bilingual English/Dutch nursery.

Places of Interest / Family Fun

• Amsterdamse Bos, especially Geitenboerderij Ridammerhoeve
  The Amsterdamse Bos is man-made forest  in the municipalities of Amstelveen and Amsterdam, though most of the park is located in Amstelveen. The forest offers many tracks for hiking, jogging and walking, in addition to other sports such as horseback riding and rowing. There are many cafes and restaurants in the forest. One of the more popular attractions is the goat farm where children can play with goats, feed them and watch other farm animals from a closer distance.
• Cobra Museum of Modern Art
  The Cobra Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Amstelveen. The collection consists of key works by artists associated with three art movements, Vrij Beelden, Cobra, and Creatie.  On Wednesdays, all Amstelveen residents have free admission to the museum, in collaboration with the municipality of Amstelveen.
• Clara Maria Cheese & Clog Farm
  This is a beautiful farm house where you can get fresh dairy produce, attend a cheese workshop and learn more about the cheesemaking process. The farm is also a place where you can buy the old Dutch wooden clogs.
• Amstelveen Public Library
  The Amstelveen public library is located right outside Stadshart mall. It offers free membership to children and an adult membership costs 20 euros per year. Even if you are not a member you still can use the library if you are looking for a quiet place to read, or enjoy a cup of tea/coffee. The library offers Taal Coach for those who want to earn Dutch and are looking for free of charge coaches to help. The library hosts many workshops every month for children and teenagers, and language story time for young children.

“During winter you can have a walk in the Bos and afterwards enjoy a nice cup of tea or coffee at any of the cafes in and around the Bos, Also, when it snows and it is really cold, the large lake behind the Gemeente Amstelveen freezes and often people can skate on it, IF the Gemeente puts up a sign that shows it is safe to skate here! Skating can also take place on the frozen canals and the large rowing canal in the Bos, depending on how frozen the water is.”
– From the Mamas.

Daily Life

There are many ‘mini parks’ for each block of houses in Amstelveen – making the neighbourhood not only very green, but also very family friendly.

Grocery stores are scattered across the neighbourhoods of Amstelveen – Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Vomar, are larger supermarkets but you also find several specialised stores like India, Surinami, Japanese, Middle Eastern etc. grocery stores as well.

Amstelveen hosts a weekly Farmers market, every Friday, at the Stadshart Mall from 9am to 4pm. The market carries fresh cheeses, eggs, vegetables and fruits, fresh meat, fish, and the freshly, hand-made Dutch stroopwafels!

On Tuesdays, the mall hosts an organic market “BioMarkt”, which though way smaller than the Friday market, carries only organic produce.

For shopping, Amstelveen has many small shopping centres, but you find the largest variety in the Stadshart mall.

“Don’t miss the fresh stroopwafels every Friday at the Friday Markt .”
– From the Mamas.

Sports

Amstelveen is packed with sport clubs where children and adults can practice many types of sports: at Sportlaan you can find several sports schools/clubs for football, baseball, tennis, basketball or swimming, to name a few. Most of the clubs accommodate non-Dutch speakers. There is also a Golf course in Amstelveen where you can rent to play or book lessons. They have classes for children as well as for adults.

“During summer you can always go canoeing or rent a boat and for little ones. Kids love the Groot Kinderbad and Klein Kinderbad, which are outside paddling pools for young children.”
– From the Mamas.

Learning Dutch

BC “Before Corona!” most of the Dutch classes in Amstelveen used to be in person, now you more easily find Dutch courses online. However, if you are looking for an in person experience you can always visit the Amstelveen public library to apply for one of their classes for Dutch, or join their weekly coffee time to practice your Dutch speaking. Registration at the public library is free of charge for children and it costs a small amount for adults. For in person classes you can also check Platform C for Dutch courses – it is located right next to the mall, the public library and Amstelveen central bus station.

Sustainability

As a neighbourhood, Amstelveen is top-notch in terms of sustainability – Most of the houses have solar panels and produce part of their own electricity; electric car chargers can be found in every corner (there are more than 100 electrical car chargers in Amstelveen); you find underground containers for garbage; and, in each block there is a block of 4 containers for Paper, Glass, Textile and PMD. There are frequent and consistent initiatives for ‘Green Amstelveen’ which help to make the neighbourhood become even more environmentally friendly. The Gemeente (municipality) of Amstelveen subsidies solar panels for houses and offers support to its residents to encourage the use of green and alternative energy. You can check the latest sustainability efforts at this link.

For a first-hand account, from fellow Mamas, about living in and around Amsterdam, check our Neighbourhood Guides Series

The post Neighbourhood Guide: Amstelveen appeared first on Amsterdam Mamas.