Mike's Bike Tours Reviews (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Mike's Bike Tours

by Jctravel1983

Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

November 15, 2012

Email
Print

Sometimes the best way of exploring a city is going on a city tour. Although it’s certainly not something I normally enjoy doing this tour sounded actually quite interesting and certainly different from all the other ones. This tour is called Mike’s ...Read more

From journal Enjoying Netherlands

We're No Lance Armstrong, but We Held Our Own

by Carmen

Cary, North Carolina

April 27, 2009

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo Bikes are a part of the daily Amsterdam life, and there are probably more bikes in the city than people! If you have grown used to the "ring ring" of the bike bells telling you to get the heck out of their way; if you think you can understand which ...Read more Bikes are a part of the daily Amsterdam life, and there are probably more bikes in the city than people! If you have grown used to the "ring ring" of the bike bells telling you to get the heck out of their way; if you think you can understand which roads are bike paths (all of them) and can understand the traffic lights just for the two wheelers, then head on over to Mike’s Bikes and immerse yourself in the local transport!

There are several options at Mike’s Bikes. You can just rent a bike for a day (be sure to lock both the wheels and the body) or you can join a bike tour. New for 2009 is a city tour of Amsterdam, or there is the countryside tour. We chose to venture a bit outside the city limits on the countryside tour, which takes you to a windmill and a cheese and wooden shoe farm. The Internet says the bike tour isn’t strenuous, but unless you can bike non-stop for an hour, I’d look into a bus version of the same thing. I bike some at home, and my butt was quite sore at the end of the day!

The countryside tour is led by a guide, and ours was really well-informed, if only slightly haughty in his professorship of us. Most of the time was spent riding, however, and it was a great way to see, well, the countryside!

My complaints about the tour would be these:
1. I think the size of the group was too large. We had about 15 bikers, and when you’ve got that many people in a single file line, the chances of all 15 making it across a busy intersection before the light changes is not good. I found myself in that situation quite a few times, where half of the group was light-years ahead and the other half stopped by a light. I was concerned that we would lose the guide and be stranded where we didn’t know where we were. He did stop and wait for us each time, but I still would’ve preferred a smaller group.

2. I would’ve preferred a bit more casual ride, with more stops to take pictures. As it was, I was afraid that if I stopped, I’d be left.

The cheese shop (and the free samples) were amazing, and of course, I bought a pair of wooden shoes. We took a group photo at the windmill, and because it was a sunny Amsterdam day, we biked the long way home. We came back through Beatrix Park as well as Vondel Park, which was beyond crowded thanks to the nice weather. Make sure you know what the people in your group look like, or you may end up following another biker another place!

All in all, I would say that this is one of my top Amsterdam activities. I think that was helped along by the beautiful sunshine (rare for Amsterdam, I’m told) and the breezes in my hair as I biked along the outskirts of the city.
Close

From journal Amster-DAM That Was Fun!

Best of Amsterdam: Mike's Bike Tours

by nas

Poughkeepsie, New York

July 11, 2006

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo I'm not big on group tours, but I make an exception for Mike's Bikes. It is easily the best way to get introduced to a European city (available in Amsterdam and Munich, and has been re-named to Fat Tire Bike Tours in Barcelona, Berlin, and ...Read more

From journal Cliche Post-College Graduation Europe Tour

Mike's Bike Tours

by karameister

Saint Paul, Minnesota

June 23, 2005

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo My traveling partner and I decided to do a bike tour in Amsterdam, since the city is made for bicycling! We had already done a tour with Mike's Bikes in Munich and loved it, so we thought we'd try again in Amsterdam. Mike's tour is just as much ...Read more

From journal Amsterdam: College Student's Heaven

IgoUgo

Mike's Bike Tours

Avg. User Rating:

User Reviews

Mike's Bike Tours

We're No Lance Armstrong, but We Held Our Own

Best of Amsterdam: Mike's Bike Tours

Mike's Bike Tours

Mike's Bike Tours

What's Nearby?

Nearby Things to Do

Popular Amsterdam Hotels

Popular Things to Do in Amsterdam

Avg. User Rating:

User Reviews

Mike's Bike Tours

We're No Lance Armstrong, but We Held Our Own

Best of Amsterdam: Mike's Bike Tours

Mike's Bike Tours