Durgerdam

Route Description

The town of Durgerdam is located northeast of Amsterdam along a large lake called the IJsselmeer. In just a few hours, this popular bike route allows you to explore the area of North Holland that includes the polders, land that was once underwater but reclaimed from the sea and now used for agriculture.

The bike ride to Durgerdam starts from Amsterdam Central Station and crosses the IJ by ferry to North Amsterdam before heading east along the shores of the man-made IJsselmeer to Durgerdam. The bike route then returns to Amsterdam, passing through the polders before returning to the ferry terminal and crossing back over the IJ to central Amsterdam. The route is not too long and offers a great tour of North Holland's scenery outside of the busy Amsterdam city area.

Take the Free Passenger / Bike Ferry to Amsterdam-Noord

The first part of the route crosses the IJ by ferry, which leaves on the north side of Amsterdam Central Station. If you are starting on the south side of Amsterdam Central where all of the trams and buses are, you can easily ride around to the other side. Ride to the east side of the station and continue past the station in the same direction along a red bike path to the intersection with Oosterdokskade. Turn left onto Oosterdokskade and ride under the train tracks to the intersection on the other side. Cross the street at the intersection and the ferry you will take is straight ahead. The ferry number is F2 and is located behind, on the east side of Amsterdam Centraal Station.

After the short ferry ride across the IJ, ride straight onto the street Pontplein and follow the red bike bather as it merges and follows alongside the wider road called Meeuwenlaan. The bike path takes you through the Amsterdam-Noord neighborhood. After several minutes of riding, continue straight at the intersection with the roundabout. From the roundabout, continue following Meeuwenlaan for another 500 meters and just after passing a park and canal to your right, look for a street called Nieuwendammerdijk. This is a narrow street with houses on both sides of the road and it's easy to miss. It's also where Meeuwenlaan veers to the right and turns into Waddenweg, so if you are riding along Waddenweg, you have gone too far and must backtrack and look for Nieuwendammerdijk.

Ride along Nieuwendammerdijk

Turn right and ride along Nieuwendammerdijk through a quiet neighborhood, over the cobblestone streets as you follow this route for quite some distance. After about 1.8km, you pass a playground in the street. Continue and ride straight through the intersection after the playground. About 200 meters after the intersection, go right at a junction and cross a street. Just after crossing the street, turn right at the first bike path and ride out onto the street of Schellingwouderdijk. Go left at Schellingwouderdijk and ride through the neighborhood as you continue towards Durgerdam.

Follow The Water Views to Durgerdam

Just before you pass underneath a bridge, veer to the left and onto a bike path that follows Schellingwouderdijk, the road you are on. Ride under the bridge and then ride under a second, busy highway overpass a few hundred meters further. Stay on the bike path for another kilometer until it goes up a small hill and merges with the road, which is now called Durgerdammerdijk. Go left and ride into the scenic town of Durgerdam.

This view is what Durgerdam is famous for and is therefore a protected view. After a flood in 1421, a dike was built called the Waterlandse Zeedijk and the village of Durgerdam arose in the bend of the dike. The end of the town of Durgerdam is at a 3-way intersection, with a windmill further to the right and a bridge to the left

Bike Towards Ransdrop

At the end of the town of Durgerdam, turn left and ride on the bike path across the bridge on the left side of the road. Follow the bike path as you ride out into the Dutch polders, land that was once underwater and has been reclaimed from the sea and, often, used for farming.

The route veers 90-degrees to the left and a short distance further, you reach a 3-way intersection next to a white bridge. Do not cross the bridge, instead, turn right and follow the road called Dorpsweg Ransdorp into the village of Ransdorp. When you reach a church, turn left, riding around the church so it's on your left. Do not cross the small, white bridge but instead, follow the narrow road on the southwest side of the church. Less than 100-meters from the church, look for a bike path on the right that cross over a small, arched bridge with white railings. Follow this route as you leave the small town of Ransdorp.

After crossing the arched bridge, the bike path follows a route along a raised dike amongst several irrigation canals used for farming. Cross over a bridge and then immediately turn left, continuing your ride through the countryside. After a long, open, straight stretch, go straight through a 4-way bike path intersection and over a bridge. Continue as the route passes houses on the right before riding under two overpasses. After passing under the overpasses, the path veers right and goes up to where it joins another bike path along the street, Zuiderzeeweg.

Turn right onto the bike path next to Zuiderzeeweg, riding over the path where you had just been and along the road until you reach an intersection with a roundabout. Turn right at the roundabout onto the street, Liergouw. Ride along this street until you reach the end where it meets with the road, Schellingwouderdijk.

Return to Amsterdam

You have now completed the loop to Durgerdam and returned to the point where you had passed earlier. From here, you will return to Amsterdam by riding to the right and following the same route you rode earlier in reverse.

For directions to return to Amsterdam, follow Shellingwouderdijk for about 1km, passing soccer fields on your left, and watch for a bike path on your right you had taken earlier. Turn right onto the bike path and then immediately go left at the junction, crossing over a road. At the junction just after the road, go left and ride for about 100-meters and pass straight through a 4-way intersection. Pass the playground on your left and follow the road, Nieuwendammerdijk, for about 1.75km until you reach the end of this road. Turn left onto Meeuwenlaan and ride along the red bike path, straight through an intersection with a roundabout, continuing past the busy shopping stores. Stay on the route along Meeuwenlaan as it takes you back to the ferry terminal where you cross back over the IJ on the Amsterdam-IJPleinveer Ferry.

Once you have crossed the IJ by Ferry, you can return to the other side of Amsterdam Central Station by riding to the intersection with Oosterdokskade, crossing the street, and continuing underneath the train tracks to the intersection on the other side. Turn right and cross the road, heading in the direction of the trams and buses as you return to Centraal Station.