What transfer options do I have in the Netherlands?

Before- and after the tour
The start and finish of your tour takes place either at your hotel or B&B when starting outside of Amsterdam. The tour can also start at our storage next to the Haarlem Railway station. At your tour request you can always ask us for your most convenient way of transportation. Though here we already set out some of the options.

Taxi – Everywhere in the Netherlands you can order a taxi. You can ask your hotel reception to arrange one for you, or you can book one by finding the number online. Taxi’s in the Netherlands are not cheap. The costs for a ride on a street taxi depend on: the starting rate, the distance and the duration of the ride. Often payed in cash with the driver.

Schiphol taxi – At Schiphol airport you can arrange taxi’s that have a set (and often better) price. You can book these transfers ahead of time. You would need to fill in your flight details and after landing report to their desk at the main hall. Have you not booked anything in advance? There is also taxi’s at Schiphol at the main exit without reservation. Though be aware of drivers walking up to you offering a ride. They are often not officially allowed at the airport and parked elsewhere. Go to the official taxi stand instead. When staying in Haarlem we can also recommend to get a bus (number 300). This bus departs every 15 minutes and stops at the Haarlem station without any transfers in 40 minutes.

Train – The train system in the Netherlands is very good. Many towns have a station and departures go from every 10 minutes to every hour. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket boxes (with card) or at the information desk that are located at the bigger train stations. Using the train as a way of transport is suggested in the Netherlands. Also bikes are allowed in the train though they need a special ticket. Also the international train system is expanded. Coming from Belgium, Germany, the UK or France? Big change a good international train system can get you to Amsterdam.

Bus – Not each town has a train station. If they don’t, you will always find busses. In the real remote area’s it could be the buses don’t drive after 18:00 and just go a couple times per day. But most of the time you will find a bus system that operates very frequent and until the end of the evening. When staying in Haarlem and needing to go to the Schiphol airport we recommend to get a bus (number 300). This bus departs every 15 minutes from very early to very late and stops at the Haarlem station without any transfers in 40 minutes. Tickets for the bus can be payed in cash- or sometimes also card with the bus driver.

Car – Renting a car in the Netherlands is quite expensive. Also cities try to avoid cars in their centers by expensive parking prices. Town centers are also small with narrow streets. Also the rental of the car itself is expensive and so is the price for fuel. Still want to rent a car? Then it is recommended to park your car just outside the city center and take a bus or train to get into the center.


Luggage transportation options during your tour
Transfer service – You can choose to have your luggage transferred daily by our carrier service. Your luggage is transferred by van and the hotel reception will sign off when your luggage is picked up. In the morning we pick up your luggage after 10.00 (10 AM) and it arrives at your next destination before 16.00 (4 PM). So always make sure your luggage is at the reception by 10:00.
All guided tours and road bike tours include luggage transfers. For recreational tours luggage transfers are an option.

When choosing the daily transfer service, we wills till provide you with a small pannier (recreational bike) or a small backpack (road bike) so you can bring your daily bits and pieces.

In panniers – The other option is that you carry your luggage in panniers, which are attached to the rear rack of your bicycle. Your bike has two (waterproof) panniers, each carrying approximately 20 liters / 44 lbs. You can compare these two panniers in size with one hand luggage trolley. Luggage that you do not want to bring along on your bike tour can be safely left behind at our company at the start of the tour (free of charge).

>> Road bike tours
Other than our recreational bikes, our lightweight road bikes are not equipped with racks and therefore cannot take panniers. For this reason luggage transfers are included in all road bike tours. For these tours we provide you with a cyclist's backpack, to carry your daily bits and pieces.


Watch this video about the transfer options from the Schiphol Airport to anywhere you'd like (they did not mention the Metro option, witch is also available). When only using the public transport to transfer by train or bus to- and from the Airport we do not recommend getting a blue plastic OV-Chipcard. This is only a good options if you are going to travel by public transport several times. When only transferring a couple of times, you can best purchase one way tickets. These tickets are for your start destination- to the end destination (so you do not need a new ticket for every train in case you have to transfer).
Source video: https://www.youtube.com/user/aWanderlustForLife/videos>