Do you need a car as a family in Amsterdam?
It may be the world’s most famous cycling city, but……
The short answer is, yes it is preferable, as parents, to have access to a car even when in Amsterdam, as it opens up more possibility and will make your life easier in some instances.
The longer answer is, it of course depends on your circumstances and preferences. Having a car is expensive and logistically it is not always easy. Depending on your location in the city, it can be really hard to secure a parking license and particularly the more central areas, with all the cyclists, trams and one way streets, can be a nightmare to navigate behind the wheel. Perhaps you are excited to embrace the freedom that car free living gives you, along with the environmental benefits and Amsterdam is one of the best cities in the world to do this.
I would advise however, that if it is feasible for your family and if you have easy access to parking and a parking license, seriously consider getting a car. Here is why:
As joyous as it is to glide through the streets, with your kids on the bike and the sun on your back, it is less joyous in gale force winds and pelting rain. Come winter the latter weather combination is frequent and on some days, depending on your body strength, it can be quite a challenge to keep control of cargo bikes in very strong winds. During stormy weather there is of course the option of the tram (or walking if short journey), however, once you have attempted the tram in Amsterdam rush hour with young children, you will understand when I say…not a desirable option.
Young children will inevitably require a last minute dash to the hospital at some point, especially when the doctor’s practises are closed during evenings and weekends . Of course depending on the level of emergency, you can also go by taxi or indeed ambulance, however I can say from first hand experience, we have had to jump in the car on a number of occasions, usually at night, to take our children for quick check ups.
Whilst Amsterdam is brilliant for kids, it is a small city (within the context of London, LA, Paris etc etc) and it is a condensed city without a great deal of open green space. The good news is that the Netherlands is a small country filled with amazing nature and summer especially is going to be a really different experience if you can jump in the car and head to the beach, a national park, a beautiful lake, large kids farm, a rustic pancake house….the list goes on. Of course you can go by train to a number of places, but the reality is your options will be far more limited and it will be a challenge to reach those more scenic and less crowded spots.
Having access to a car doesn’t mean you have to trade in your cycling lifestyle. You will be on your bikes the majority of the time, why navigate Amsterdam traffic when you can reach your destination in half the time on a bike. BUT when you have kids, the reality is life is just easier sometimes, when you can grab the car keys instead of the bike keys and this applies to the world’s most famous cycling city.
