Ouderkerk aan de Amstel
Just 9 km (5 miles) south of Amsterdam (about a 45-minute bike ride), the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel is a perfect little bike trip out of the city along the Amstel. Pick up the river opposite the Stopera—note that the left bank is quieter, and you can bike past rowers, fishermen, cows, and De Zwaan windmill, with a good view over the water of the Riekermolen windmill where Rembrandt sketched. The village, when you get here, includes quaint churches; the 1614 Portuguese Jewish Cemetery, where Spinoza's family is buried; and the Museum Ouder-Amstel, with exhibits on the surrounding area. If you return down the other side of the river, you'll pass a couple of imposing 17th-century summer houses, including the Wester-Amstel ( Amsteldijk-Noord 55, open April through October) with an outside sculpture garden.
