Off the Beaten Path Guided Bike Tour in French Amsterdam

The Jordaan, Amsterdam's village inside the city

The Jordaan was laid out in the early 17th century just outside the new canal ring to house workers, craftsmen and immigrants, and it kept the dense, intimate layout of those years. Its canals and streets carry the names of trees and flowers, such as the Bloemgracht, the Egelantiersgracht and the Lindengracht, and behind discreet doors lie the hofjes, small almshouse courtyards built around gardens for elderly residents. Today the area is known for galleries, independent shops, markets around the Noordermarkt and leaning gabled houses.

The ride starts here, close to the meeting point, with about 20 minutes of slow cycling and photo stops while the guide explains how the working-class quarter became one of the most sought-after addresses in the city. This is the best place to get used to the bike: the lanes are quiet, the bridges low and the traffic light.

Prins Hendrikkade and the old waterfront

After a short stretch through the centre, the route follows the Prins Hendrikkade, the broad quay that once faced the open harbour on the IJ. Here stood the warehouses and offices of the trading companies, and the street still has some of the most striking buildings in the city, including the Scheepvaarthuis of 1916, a masterpiece of the expressive brick style known as the Amsterdam School, covered in maritime sculpture.

The guide uses this stretch to tell the story of the port that made the city rich, and of how the arrival of the railway and Centraal Station cut the old centre off from the water. It is a lively, open part of the ride with views over the harbour basin, and an easy introduction to cycling alongside Amsterdam traffic with the guide setting the pace.

Entrepotdok and the Plantage district

The Entrepotdok is a long row of warehouses built between 1827 and 1840 as a bonded depot, where goods could be stored without paying import duties. At the time it was one of the largest warehouse complexes in Europe. The buildings have since been converted into apartments and offices, while houseboats line the quay, making it one of the quietest and most photogenic waterside streets in the east of the city.

Just beyond lies the Plantage, a green district laid out in the 19th century with wide avenues, the historic botanical garden founded in 1638 and the city zoo. You ride through it for about 20 minutes, and the guide talks about daily life in Amsterdam today, from schools and work to the role of the bicycle. Few visitors reach this part of the city, which is what makes this Amsterdam bike tour different.

The Jewish Quarter and the National Holocaust Names Monument

The second part of the tour turns to the history of Amsterdam's Jewish community, which for centuries lived around today's Waterlooplein and the Plantage. Within a few hundred metres stand the Portuguese Synagogue of 1675, the Jewish Museum and the former theatre that was used as a deportation centre during the Second World War. The guide explains how the quarter grew, what happened during the occupation and how the city remembers it today.

The stop at the National Holocaust Names Monument, opened in 2021, lasts about 25 minutes. Its brick walls carry the names of the Jews, Roma and Sinti from the Netherlands who were murdered, each on a single brick, and from above the walls spell a Hebrew word meaning in memory of. It is a quiet, moving place; visitors are asked to be respectful, and the monument can be visited freely at any time.

Magere Brug, Amstelveld and the Reguliersgracht

The ride returns west across the Amstel at the Magere Brug, the white wooden drawbridge that is one of the symbols of Amsterdam, and stops at the Amstelveld, a tree-shaded square on the Prinsengracht. Its wooden church, the Amstelkerk, was built in 1670 as a temporary place of worship and has stood ever since. Locals gather here in summer, and children play under the trees.

A few minutes later you reach the Reguliersgracht, where you can look along a line of seven arched bridges, one of the most photographed views of the canal belt. After a final 15 minutes of commentary, the ride heads back to the start in the north of the Jordaan. If you enjoyed cycling, you can keep exploring on your own with a rental discount at the same shop after the tour.