More about... subjects related to your cycling tour in Holland. We highlight here useful information for travelling to The Netherlands, and also information necessary once you are here. Contact us by phone or email if you want to know more about...
Travelling to Holland
Air: The main international airport of the Netherlands is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. With its carefully planned 'single terminal' concept, automatic luggage transfer and signs in English, Schiphol is unsurpassed in terms of efficiency and convenience. Other Dutch airports, with connections to the UK, are in Rotterdam and Eindhoven. You can fly direct to Holland or you can fly via Belgian, German, British or the main French airports, which all connect up to Schiphol. Sea: From the UK ferry ports; Newcastle, Hull or Harwich you can sail to one of the three Dutch ports; IJmuiden, Hook of Holland or Europort. These ports are linked by train to the rest of Holland.
If you wish, your cycle tour can start directly on arrival at the airport or the ferry terminal, where we will meet you with all your equipment and route information. You can also use our door-to-door taxi service or the Dutch railways to transfer on to our base or any other starting point.
Tulip Cycling is not a travel agency, so we do not make travel reservations. Please consult with your travel agent or search the Internet for competitive prices and bargains for travel to and from Holland.
Dutch railways
Holland has a very compact and modern railway network. Each day about 4,200 passenger trains run on the 3,200 km / 1,900 miles of track. The Netherlands Railway (NS) trains are comfortable and clean. The services are fast and frequent and the majority of the staff speak English. Most routes have departure times about every half hour, busy routes can often have as many as four to six departures an hour.
In the Netherlands the combination of bicycles and railways functions very harmoniously. Almost every train has a special compartment to store your bicycle when travelling with the tickets costing only 7 Euros a day per bike.
Cycling & Safety
Cycling is a normal mode of transport in Holland and is not simply for kids or cycling fanatics. Because of this, the Dutch cycling community is very diverse. Kids on their first bike, children riding to school, people commuting to work, couples on holiday, leisurely Sunday cyclists, all sharing the same network of routes and cycle paths.
The high level of use of bicycles has lead to the wide availability of various facilities, such as dedicated cycle paths, repair shops and secured parking areas. You will also be surprised at the consideration that most motorists show to bikers.
Traffic regulations:
In the Dutch traffic law bicyclists are an important category and have certain benefits over other road users. There are some special regulations that are different from those for motor traffic here in Holland, and maybe quite different from those in other countries. The 'right of way' rules do not distinguish between 'slow traffic' (bicycles, mopeds, etc) and 'fast traffic' (motorcycles and cars etc).
Your Tulip Cycling 'pre-tour information' and 'renter's guide' include a paragraph about Dutch traffic rules.
Access of roads:
Cycle paths and bike lanes are indicated by blue circular or oblong signs; one with a white bike symbol, the other with 'fietspad'.
Roads that forbid cycling are indicated by signs. However, when a major road has a cycle path running alongside, the cyclist may only use the cycle path, even though this may not be explicitly indicated.
Side by side:
Officially you're allowed to cycle two-abreast, provided that there is sufficient space for this, and that you don't impede other road-users. Cycling is not allowed on sidewalks and pedestrian areas.
Right of way:
Relatively few crossings have the priority explicitly indicated on signs. For those that have, road markings (white triangles) are more commonly used than traffic signs.
On a crossing which has equal priority, all traffic coming from the right has the right of way.
Traffic that is turning off a main road must give way to the traffic that continues along that road. This also means that cars turning right have to give priority to bikes going straight on.
Traffic coming from exits or unclassified roads must give way to traffic already on the main road; this also applies where a cycle path ends or crosses another road.
The right of way situation on roundabouts varies. For some roundabouts the priority is according to the general rule (i.e. the traffic coming from the right has priority), while on others, the traffic approaching the roundabout has to yield to the traffic already on it.
Riding in the dark:
According to the law, your bike should have its lights switched on when riding in the dark and also be fitted with reflectors. This should be a white light at the front, and a red tail-light at the rear, plus a red reflector. Reflective pedals and side reflection on both wheels or tyres should also be fitted.
All Tulip Cycling bikes meet these requirements.
Helmets:
There is no legal obligation to wear helmets under normal cycling conditions. They are only required during organised racing competitions. For every-day cycling, the Dutch rarely wear helmets, as most people cycle at a pace where it is not thought to be necessary. There is a popular expectation that helmets accompany sporty-looking clothing aand therefore are not used on normal cycling trips.
Although some may find it a-little-out-of-the-ordinary to see people wearing a helmets while cycling, no offence is ever meant by this. So, if you're used to wearing a helmet or you feel uncomfortable without one, don't hesitate to put one on.
Bicycle theft:
In general there's no need to be nervous about bicycle theft in Holland. Like everywhere else, the risk of your bike being stolen does merit a little extra caution. The problem is at its most severe in the larger towns (notably Amsterdam). Outside the larger urban areas, the situation is much more secure. Your Tulip Cycling rental bike is equipped with a solid, frame-mounted lock and we always provide one or more extra cable locks for each group. Please remember the advice: if you're not riding your bike, lock it up! Another option would be to leave your bike at a secure bike parking area, which are usually to be found by the larger railway stations, and often near major shopping areas.
Cyclist's liability:
The Dutch government has brought in legislation stating that primarily the motorist is liable for the damage incurred in accidents involving cyclists. However, cyclists remain responsible for their own traffic-behaviour. They can be fined for traffic violations and if their traffic behaviour has further consequences, then the judge is at liberty to pass sentence on them. Furthermore, a cyclist who has been found guilty of a traffic violation, is liable for the damage caused to the car. The courts give separate judgements concerning liability and guilt in such situations, so damages can be claimed by a cyclist whether or not he may have been judged as responsible for causing the accident. The guilty judgement is ignored when apportioning damages, because of the greater vulnerability of the cyclist. Motorists are legally obliged to insure themselves against this type of accident and the insurance companies are obliged to honour the claims.
At a glance
The Netherlands:
Official country name:
Kingdom of The Netherlands
Area:
41,000 square kilometer
Population:
15,000,000
Education:
Aged 25 to 64: primary education 15%, secondary 65%, higher 28%, other 2% Literacy; literate population aged 15 or over virtually 100%
Capital city:
Amsterdam (population 725,000)
People:
Over 95% of the population are Dutch, 5 % Indonesian, Surinamese, Turkisch, African
Life Expectancy:
Female 80 ; Male 75
Languages:
The official language is Dutch which is spoken by almost the entire population. The principal minority language is Frisian while English is also widely understood
Government:
Constitutional monarchy, stable democracy.
Opening hours:
Banks:
Mondays - Fridays from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00/5:00 p.m.
Post offices:
Mondays - Fridays from 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Shops:
Mondays - Fridays from 9.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Either Thursday night or Friday night from 7.00 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.
Electricity:
The voltage in Holland is 220 volts. Hotels may have 110/120 volt outlets for shavers, but travellers are advised to bring a power converter and adapter for two-prong, round-prong plugs.
Medical Facilities:
Medical facilities are of high quality and widely available. Customers' medical insurances are not always valid in the Netherlands; please check before coming here. Travellers have sometimes found it necessary to take out extra medical insurance with specific overseas coverage.
Smoking:
Smoking is increasingly banned by companies and in public buildings as organisations are becoming increasingly concerned at the health risks to their employees, as well as wanting to create healthier living and working environments. Most organisations set aside specific areas where smoking is allowed. The majority of hotels and restaurants have smoking and non-smoking rooms and public areas.
Alcohol and drugs:
A person can legally buy beer and wine from the age of 16 years. For spirits and other strong drinks the age limit is 18 years. Alcoholic beverages are sold at wine stores and supermarkets. Supermarkets may only sell beer, wine and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol level not exceeding 13%.
Drinking and driving. It is a criminal offence to ride a bicycle under the influence of alcohol (measured at over 0.05 % blood-alcohol level).
Drug trafficking, including buying, selling, producing and processing either hard or soft drugs is an offence in Holland. However, it is not an offence for persons over 18 to use a limited amount of soft drugs as long as this has no negative effect on third parties. The 'coffee shops', where soft drugs may be purchased, can be described as cafés where small amounts of soft drugs can be bought, but where alcoholic beverages are not available. Although the sale of soft drugs is actually an offence, coffee shop owners escape prosecution provided that they sell only very small quantities for personal consumption. No drugs may be sold to persons under 18, nor are minors admitted to the premises.
Weights & Measures
1 ton = 1016.048 kg (kilogram)
1 pound = 0.45 kg
1 ounce = 28 gr (gram)
1 dram = 1.77 gr
1 cup = 0.24 l (liter)
1 pint = 0.47 l
1 gallon = 3.78 l
1 quart = 0.95 l
1 inch = 2.54 cm (centimeter)
1 foot = 30.5 cm
1 yard = 91.5 cm
1 mile = 1.6 km (kilometer)
1 acre = 0.45 ha (hectare)
Money & Currency:
All major credit cards are accepted in the Netherlands, although not every outlet accepts them. In virtually every village or town you can get money from a cash dispenser (ATM) using your foreign bank or credit card and providing it has the Cirrus logo on it. Travellers' cheques are a safe alternative to cash.
The currency in The Netherlands is the 'Euro'. The so-called 'euro zone' consists of the Member States (countries) of the European Union where the euro has been adopted as the single currency. The euro zone currently includes Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland.
The symbol for the euro € was inspired by the Greek letter epsilon and refers to the first letter of the word "Europe". The two parallel lines at the centre represent the stability of the euro. The official abbreviation for the euro is EUR.
Climate:
The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate being influenced by the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. As it is a small country there is very little variation in climate between the regions, although the influence of the sea is rather less the further inland (eastwards) you go. This sometimes results in the dramatic, cloudy skies, which can often be seen perfectly expressed in the paintings of the Dutch masters. Rainfall is distributed throughout the year, with the dryer period coming between April and September. This is also the best period for cycling, temperature-wise.
Late Spring, i.e. beginning of April to the beginning of May is a good time for cycling along the bulb fields which are in full bloom at that time.
Temperature Converter
Celsius:
Kelvin:
Tulips:
The first tulip bulbs were brought to the Netherlands as far back as the 16th century. Within a short period of time the cultivation of tulips became a profitable activity. Since the demand for tulips exceeded the supply, the prices sky-rocketed. The tulip had quite rapidly become a sort of status symbol and people didn't hesitate to pay thousands of guilders for a single tulip bulb! In Dutch history this was known as Tulipomania, and reached its peak in 1630. But in 1637, the tulip market took a nose-dive; there were more sellers than buyers, which brought the prices plummeting down. None-the-less, the people's love of the tulip survived the aftermath of Tulipomania, and tulip cultivation began to flourish once again. These days tulip cultivation is an important branch of the horticultural industry. The Netherlands comprises of 41,000 square kilometres of which some 7,700 hectares are used for the cultivation of tulips. This is concentrated chiefly in the area between Haarlem and Leiden. Each year about 3,300 Dutch growers export nearly two billion tulip bulbs to over 80 countries around the globe!
Tulip Cycling is not a travel agency, so we do not make travel reservations. Please consult with your travel agent or search the Internet for competitive prices and bargains for travel to and from Holland.
