Canals & Jordaan Loop

Eight flat kilometres through the seventeenth-century canal belt. It is the ride most visitors do first, and for good reason: no hills, no ferries, and a bridge view roughly every ninety seconds. Allow an hour of pedalling, or two if you stop for coffee.

The route, step by step

1. Centraal Station to Brouwersgracht (1 km). Leave the station on the west side, follow Prins Hendrikkade and turn into Haarlemmerstraat. At its end, Brouwersgracht opens up — the widest, greenest canal in the centre and the top of all three main rings.
2. Prinsengracht south (2 km). Turn left along Prinsengracht. You pass the Noordermarkt, then the Westerkerk tower and the Anne Frank House on your right. Cycle past rather than stop here; the pavement is crowded and there is nowhere safe to leave a bike.
3. The Nine Streets (1 km). Turn left at Berenstraat and zigzag east across Keizersgracht and Herengracht through the Negen Straatjes. Cobbles, narrow lanes, and shops — ride slowly and expect to put a foot down.
4. Herengracht to the Amstel (1.5 km). Follow Herengracht east past the Golden Bend, the stretch of double-fronted merchant houses between Leidsestraat and Vijzelstraat.
5. Back north through the Jordaan (2.5 km). Cross to Prinsengracht, ride north, then turn into the Jordaan grid at Elandsgracht. Loop through Egelantiersgracht and Bloemgracht — quieter, lower, prettier than the main rings — and return via Brouwersgracht to the station.

Worth stopping for

Noordermarkt on Saturday morning (organic market, 9:00–16:00). Café Papeneiland at the corner of Prinsengracht and Brouwersgracht for apple pie. The Amsterdam Cheese Museum and the small Jordaan courtyards (hofjes) — the Karthuizerhofje off Karthuizersstraat is free and open in daylight.

Practical notes

Canal-side lanes have no railings. Ride on the house side, not the water side, and keep both hands free for the brakes. Bridges are cobbled and slick after rain. Parking is scarce in the Nine Streets: use the free racks at Westermarkt or the underground bike garage at Centraal Station. Trams share the road on Leidsestraat and Rozengracht — cross tram rails at an angle to avoid catching your wheel.

Extending the ride

At the Amstel, continue south to link into the Amstel to Ouderkerk route (add 20 km), or turn west at Leidseplein for Vondelpark and the museums (add 4 km).