Huge park in the city centre (five minutes walk from Leidseplein). Lovely for walking/lazing/picnicking on warm spring/summer days. Bring your own food/drink or stop in one of the bars for snacks etc.

Amsterdam city centre

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There are a million and one bicycle rental stores. It costs next to nothing, and is easily the best way to see Amsterdam. A world-class, cycle-friendly system - it's an enjoyable way of seeing this unique city without having to spend your day in coffee shops or gawping at the ladies of the night.

Central train station and just about anywhere...

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Amsterdam is made for bikes, it’s not only flat, but bikers have absolute right of way on the roads and bike paths. Cycle through the Vondel Park and check out the cafes, which often have live music. Bike City offers classic Dutch bikes for around €8.50 a day.

www.bikecity.nl

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Edam is a delightfully unspoilt village a few miles outside Amsterdam. There are a couple of excellent hotels, the best of which is de Fortuna, in an idyllic setting alongside quintessential Dutch canals and bridges. It has a great restaurant too, with wonderful paintings of local fisherman from a bygone age.

Stay here and take the regular bus service to and from Amsterdam, and you'll get the best of both urban and rural Holland. When you don't want to travel to the city, hire a bike and follow the tranquil cycleways to either the grand old port of Hoorn to the north or the quaint fishing village of Marken to the south.

www.fortuna-edam.nl

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This may sound like a cliché, but nothing can prepare you for the exhilarating feeling of cycling on Dutch country paths made especially for you (the cyclist), through forests, along the coast, and - for the pièce de résistance - through fields of tulips in full bloom. The flowers only bloom for four to six weeks and the best time to see them is May.

Take the train from Amsterdam Central Station to Alkmaar

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