Bikes are a great way of getting around Amsterdam. The city has about 4,000 kilometers (2,480 miles) of cycle paths and so many bikes it's like the Tour de France for normal riders. <br /><br />If you're planning a trip there, check out the <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2015%2F10%2F29%2Ftravel%2Finsider-guide-amsterdam%2Findex.html">Amsterdam: Insider Travel Guide</a>.
Cycling in Amsterdam —
Bikes are a great way of getting around Amsterdam. The city has about 4,000 kilometers (2,480 miles) of cycle paths and so many bikes it's like the Tour de France for normal riders.

If you're planning a trip there, check out the Amsterdam: Insider Travel Guide.
Barry Neild/CNN
Sometimes bikes end up in a canal on purpose. One ingenious storage solution makes use of the city's waterways to accommodate a floating bike park.
Canal boat storage —
Sometimes bikes end up in a canal on purpose. One ingenious storage solution makes use of the city's waterways to accommodate a floating bike park.
Barry Neild/CNN
Another huge facility outside the city's central station houses so many bikes it might be easier buying a new one rather than spending four days trying to remember where your old one is parked.
Multi-story bike park —
Another huge facility outside the city's central station houses so many bikes it might be easier buying a new one rather than spending four days trying to remember where your old one is parked.
Barry Neild/CNN
Cycle mechanic Geert Gelissen says tourists who don't know how to behave on Amsterdam's bike paths are a problem -- especially when they come up against "stubborn" Dutch cyclists.
Tourists vs. Locals —
Cycle mechanic Geert Gelissen says tourists who don't know how to behave on Amsterdam's bike paths are a problem -- especially when they come up against "stubborn" Dutch cyclists.
Barry Neild/CNN
An estimated 55,000 bikes get stolen every year in Amsterdam. Bike expert Geert Gelissen says a bike that isn't secured with a chunky lock attached to a solid object won't last more than a few weeks.
Lock it or lose it —
An estimated 55,000 bikes get stolen every year in Amsterdam. Bike expert Geert Gelissen says a bike that isn't secured with a chunky lock attached to a solid object won't last more than a few weeks.
Barry Neild/CNN
Bikes aren't welcome everywhere in Amsterdam. If they're parked in the wrong spot, city authorities remove them to a pound on the outskirts of town. It's a long walk.
No cycles here —
Bikes aren't welcome everywhere in Amsterdam. If they're parked in the wrong spot, city authorities remove them to a pound on the outskirts of town. It's a long walk.
Barry Neild/CNN
Why use the train to carry your suitcase the full 20 kilometers to Amsterdam's airport when you can cycle?
Cyclists with baggage —
Why use the train to carry your suitcase the full 20 kilometers to Amsterdam's airport when you can cycle?
Barry Neild/CNN
Samantha Shaffer (left) says giving a bike a name helps the rider "become one" with their steed.
Give it a name —
Samantha Shaffer (left) says giving a bike a name helps the rider "become one" with their steed.
Barry Neild/CNN
Night cyclists are required by law to use lights. Drinking and cycling is illegal. But "after dark, assume everyone on a bike is drunk," jokes student Stephanie Shaffer.
Cycling at night —
Night cyclists are required by law to use lights. Drinking and cycling is illegal. But "after dark, assume everyone on a bike is drunk," jokes student Stephanie Shaffer.
Barry Neild/CNN
Many big companies rent out bikes in lurid colors. The key to blending in is renting a typical Dutch-style cycle, like this black, indestructible machine.
Any color, so long as it's black —
Many big companies rent out bikes in lurid colors. The key to blending in is renting a typical Dutch-style cycle, like this black, indestructible machine.
Barry Neild/CNN
The key to definitely not blending in is renting a bicycle shaped like an uncomfortable wooden shoe. Rent this and expect scornful looks from locals and ill-concealed mirth when it accidentally gets steered into a canal.
Clog cycle —
The key to definitely not blending in is renting a bicycle shaped like an uncomfortable wooden shoe. Rent this and expect scornful looks from locals and ill-concealed mirth when it accidentally gets steered into a canal.
Barry Neild/CNN