walki-talki.com Travel Blog

As an American, I find one of the best perks about living in Europe is that owning a car is almost totally unnecessary. The cities are, in general, older and more compact and can easily be conquered by foot or public transportation. Perhaps the best option, however, is the one that has been employed by the Dutch for almost 200 years: The bicycle.

At least 30% of all Dutch people in the Netherlands commute to work by bike. The entire country is connected by bike paths and all of the cities have special lanes for bikers. Some cities, like Amsterdam, have even begun programs to discourage driving in the city by reducing the amount of parking spaces and limiting the number of entry points into the city.

The benefits are obvious: Less stress, less polution, less money spent on gas, insurance and the like; and of course, a healthy workout along the way.

The Dutch habit does however take some getting used to for first timers. Especially in summer, riding a bike can mean slaloming between tourists - oblivious to the delineations of the “fietspad”, or playing chicken with a mother on her mobile phone as she bikes her three children to school in pedal-powered wheel barrel. Bike theft is also common and the Dutch weather is not exactly conducive to year-round riding.

That said, there is nothing quite like the experience of riding along the Amsterdam canals with the wind in your hair and a song in your heart, or seeing Dutch wonders like a four-story parking garage dedicated only to bikes.

Some would say it even beats walking.

But you didn’t hear that from me.