Hidden Gem: Knooppunten Fietsroutes

If after three days of traipsing through museums in Amsterdam you can’t see another painting, why not see the Netherlands the way the Dutch do: by bike?

The Knooppunten Fietsroutes provide a great way to explore the Netherlands outside the big cities, and with bikes easy to rent it’s a great way to spend a day.

The concept is a lot like a connect-the-dots drawing. There are various numbered points across the countryside, with directions to the next number. Maps of these points are available at most tourist information stands (where you might get them for free), local bookshops, or online.

Pick your route, write down the junction numbers, and you’re good to go!

My personal favourite is a twenty-minute train journey to the south of Amsterdam, and runs through the so-called “Bollenstreek”, or flower bulb region.

The routes here wind through fields of tulips, past little canals with windmills, through to the Kaagse plassen, and finally through Leiden, a historic town, to the coast, where they continue through the sand dunes. Being so close to Amsterdam, they’re great for a day trip out of the city.