Kinderdijk is home to the most famous windmills in Holland, a UNESCO world heritage site. This bike path starts at the visitor center and rides along nineteen 18th century mills lining the waterways. Then it meanders through tiny villages and pretty fields before looping back to your starting point.
We did this ride as part of our spring break holiday, a week of cycling day trips around Holland. Definitely a highlight of the trip.
| Location: | Kinderdijk, Netherlands |
| Car: | Free parking: Molenstraat 93, 2961 AK Kinderdijk, Netherlands From Amsterdam 1hr15 |
| Train: | Bus stop: Kinderdijk, Molenkade From Amsterdam 2hr20 |
| Trail: | 23.7 km loop, about 1hr45 on bikes |
| Condition: | wide paved and gravel path |
| Skill: | easy |
| Services: | restaurants at starting point, picnic area along the way |
| Cost: | free to enter Kinderdijk area, bike rental CHF 8/day |
| More info: | www.kinderdijk.com |
Location
Kinderdijk is located south of Amsterdam, near Rotterdam.
Bike route
We did a relatively short tour because we were driving home to Zürich after the ride. But also, the rental bikes were not so comfortable, so we were ready to get off those bikes sooner than other rides.
See the 23 km version on Komoot. If you want to do a longer tour, see the 38km version I intended to do.
Bike route numbers: 03 – 02 – 19 – 18 – 43 – 09 – 08 – 07 – 19 – 02 – 03
Bike rental
We rented from De Klok, which is a bar/cafe near the parking – Molenstraat 117, 2961 AK Kinderdijk, Netherlands. It cost CHF 8/bike for the day. You cannot reserve these bikes in advance. So best to come when they open at 11:00 to make sure you get a bike.
We rented the green city bikes, which didn’t have any gears and coaster brakes (pedal backwards to brake). They were a little awkward but fine. They also had bikes with child carriers and children’s bikes. They did not have e-Bikes.
The gift shop next to the entrance to the Kinderdijk tourist area, Souvenier Buena Vista, also had a bunch of rental bikes (same style as we rented). But the day we were there, they had a sign saying “No rentals today.” No idea why.
Getting there
By car: Drive to Kinderdijk and park in the free parking lot at Molenstraat 93, 2961 AK Kinderdijk, Netherlands. The bike rental is a 2 min walk from the parking.
By public transport: The closest bus stop is Kinderdijk, Molenkade. From Amsterdam, you would take a train to Rotterdam, then a bus to Kinderdijk (about a 2hr20 journey).
Photos of bike route
From the bike rental, it’s a short ride to the entrance of the Kinderdijk visitors area, where you’ll find a gift shop and visitors center. You do not have to pay a fee to enter the windmill area, only if you want to ride the boats or enter the windmill itself.
The bike path is on this long land bridge with waterways and windmills on both sides.
Lots of opportunities for photos in this section.
Although there are lots of tourists right at the start, it thins out dramatically after a couple minutes. You’ll practically have the path to yourself.
Cycling is a fun way to visit this area with kids.
After all the mills, you head into the fields and villages.
All the roads are quiet country roads with little traffic. But mostly no bike lanes.
Cycling through cute villages.
The path loops back to the Kinderdijk area. Just follow the same path back to the bike rental or your car.
