Ackerdijkse Plassen Tickets and Tours

Rotterdam windmills countryside on wheels - bike tour around city

A most unique bike tour of city and countryside

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