Roterdão rural sobre as rodas - passeio de bicicleta ao redor da cidade

I enjoyed this tour so much in May 2025 that I booked two more bike tours with Alex in May 2026. We had kept in contact and Alex offered to customize different tour routes in areas of my choice. So this year I opted for a "west side" tour through Schiedam, Vlaardingen and Delft, and another tour of Rotterdam and points east on a different route than last year. The combination of urban landmarks, forests, and polders makes for a totally unique experience, combining both Dutch historical sites with the beauty of the countryside and outstanding bike paths that most travelers probably don't get a chance to experience. We began the west side tour in Schiedam, a beautiful and peaceful town just 4 miles west of Rotterdam, with beautiful canals and 8....8! windmills (far more interesting than Kinderdijk IMO, see "Schiedam Windmills" for photos). Schiedam is also home to the Nolet Distillery (Ketel One Vodka and Nolet's Gin), which I took a tour of on another day and also reviewed. Once out in the countryside, there were numerous outdoor restaurants for lunch and beverage stops as needed. For the eastside tour, we visited different city areas of Rotterdam and rode different paths through the countryside. On both tours, it was just an absolute joy to ride through forested paths and open fields and polders with grazing goats, cattle, horses and waterfowl. Alex is an excellent conversationalist and is extremely knowledgeable about local history; there wasn't anything that I asked that he could not answer. He is very passionate about the area and a true ambassador of the Netherlands. While the posted tour itinerary is wonderful, Alex is more than willing to work with you to customize a tour route to your liking and desired length of tour. Bike rentals can be e-bike or regular bike (I opted for e-bike). It will certainly be a unique and memorable experience to experience the Netherlands beyond the usual tourist sites. I can't recommend Alex highly enough and will be booking a few more tours with him for my return in 2027

This tour stands out for its unique coverage of both city sights and the gorgeous Rotterdam countryside. I met my guide, Alex, at Rotterdam Centraal train station (he offered to meet at my hotel, but I was just 4 stops from the station and was familiar with it.) We then went to a bike shop to get me fitted on an e-bike. From there we set off through the northern parts of the city and airport area before entering the beautiful countryside with excellent bike paths. We cycled through many pastoral areas with cattle, sheep, goats and waterfowl, visited several windmills, and went through several polders. Alex was a wonderful historian, imparting much detail on the types of windmills, Netherlands water management, and general history of the area. We took pit stops as needed, grocery stops for water and stopped at a lovely outdoor restaurant for a beer. We proceeded through more countryside and a gorgeous residential lake area on the east side of Rotterdam. Near the end of the tour, we stopped at the Cube Houses with an included tour admission, then on to Markthal and proceeded throughout the city back to Centraal station. Alex is an excellent guide and conversationalist and I learned so much about the Dutch culture. I am considering another cruise out of Rotterdam in fall of next year and plan on doing this tour again for the sheer enjoyment of riding the wonderful bike paths and being out in nature for the day. Five stars all the way!