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Eight cycling rules no one tells you

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Eight cycling rules no one tells you

The unwritten code that keeps the lanes moving.

Bell etiquette, turn signals and why you should never stop on a bridge.

Anouk de Vries
By Anouk de Vries · Senior editor
May 24, 2026 5 min read

Amsterdam cycling is less anarchic than it looks. There's a system. Locals will tell you only after you've broken it.

What follows is the version we'd tell a friend who just moved here.

The short version

Pick one neighbourhood. Stay long enough to be bored. The good bits are on the second loop, never the first.

If you only have one rule, make it this: walk further than you planned.

Where to start

Most of what follows assumes you're willing to skip a sight or two. Amsterdam rewards the visitor who picks fewer things and stays longer at each one.

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