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The french cycling capital 600 km of bicycle paths With its 600 km of bike paths covering the entire urban area, Strasbourg is the most bike-friendly city in France, and the fourth most bike-friendly city in Europe.
Jul 16, 2023 · Strasbourg has 373 miles of cycling routes — more than any other city in the country — giving it the title of France’s cycling capital. Pedal on to Parc de l’Orangerie, the oldest in the...
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Jun 2, 2015 · 2013 Ranking: New The Lowdown: Despite being new to the Copenhagenize Index this year, Strasbourg has long been the premier cycling city in France. We have literally heard planners in other...
- Overview
- Island-hopping in Stockholm
- Unearthing Ancient Rome
- Polish History in Kraków
- Dublin by the water
- England's Bohemian cycle city
- Slowing down in Helsinki
- Beyond Ghent’s cobbles
- A mini Tour de France in Copenhagen
- Amsterdam canals and culture
As European cities continue their efforts to reduce carbon emissions, there’s never been a better time to explore the urban outdoors by bicycle.
Cyclists taking a break on Kraków Mound, overlooking Kraków Old Town.
This article was adapted from National Geographic Traveller (UK)
Europe’s urban centres are becoming friendlier places than ever for adventures on two wheels — cycle paths are being developed, bike-share schemes make finding a ride a cinch and there are numerous tours that take visitors to surprising corners of more familiar destinations. The added bonus is that discovering a city by bike gives you greater freedom than travelling by car or bus, while also enabling you to cover more ground than could possibly be managed on foot. And with the continent-wide drive to reduce emissions in cities, the future is only ever going to get brighter for fans of two-wheeled self-propulsion.
Known for its design aesthetic, it’s no surprise the Sweden’s capital has created a tour that involves hopping on stylish wood-framed bikes — cyclists on Stockholm’s Wooden Bike Tour might spend as much time gawping at their wheels as the city around them. It heads across some of Stockholm’s 14 islands, including Södermalm, filled with bars, restau...
Rome is more associated with the Vespa than the pedal bike, but it’s a great destination for cyclists, too; they can weave between piazzas to uncover ancient ruins, museums and art galleries, fuelled by espressos enjoyed during cafe pit-stops. Another option is to take the cycle path along the Tiber. Veer away from the river at the Ponte Palatino a...
Zipping between Kraków’s diverse neighbourhoods on its cycle paths gives visitors a crash course in Polish history. Starting on the cobbles of the Old Town’s medieval Market Square, one route leads south to the historic Jewish quarter of Kazimierz; destroyed during the Second World War, today the area is thriving again, its handsome houses and cour...
With 118 miles of cycle paths, Dublin is a great place to discover on two wheels. Taking you to parts less commonly visited by tourists, the Docklands route leads east from the historic harbour area, where former warehouses now contain microbreweries and coffee shops, to Ringsend and the sea wall. Fans of local band U2 might want to stop off en rou...
Crisscrossed by greenways and cycle paths and with free public bike pumps, it’s no surprise Bristol was designated Britain’s first ‘Cycling City’. Joining a tour with Cycle the City is a great way to discover less-visited areas. Cyclists can stop to take in views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, which spans the Avon Gorge, and learn about maritime...
The Finns are well known for their love of the great outdoors. Every season provides an excuse to get out and enjoy nature as if for the first time, from snowshoeing through the woods in winter to jumping into a lake under the midnight sun in high summer — and visitors to Helsinki will soon learn that this enthusiasm for outdoor living permeates city life, too.
The Finnish capital has around 1,000 miles of cycle paths, which sweep through neighbourhoods lined with grand 19th-century townhouses, trace a shoreline dotted with islands and head out to parks and forests.
The best way to explore, and to grasp something of the Finns’ obsession with enjoying their environment, is to spend a few hours in the saddle with Helsinki Bike Tours. Guests are given locally made, single-speed Jopo bikes to ride, perfect for meandering along the peaceful cycle paths. Founder and guide Riku Nurminen provides a thorough and entertaining grounding in Finnish society while leading cyclists through his city, covering subjects as diverse as politics, history, food and family life, and even touching on the development of the Angry Birds app and the Finns’ love of heavy metal.
From the compact centre, the tour heads out to one of the city’s many waterfront playgrounds. Pausing in the beautiful, undulating park of Kaivopuisto, it’s easy to get distracted staring at all the sailing boats zipping across the bay. From here, it’s a short hop to the district of Eira and a street packed with colourful, art nouveau buildings (there are more than 600 of this style in Helsinki).
There are plenty of other examples of standout architecture to discover on the tour, including Oodi, a public library that looks like a giant, sweeping, wooden wing, and Finlandia Hall, a concert venue designed by Alvar Aalto, Finland’s most lauded architect.
No introduction to Helsinki would be complete without a visit to a market hall, and Hakaniemi is the one on the agenda here. Popular with locals, it sprawls over two floors and is a superb place to try a range of Finnish specialities — there are stalls selling smoked fish, pastries, locally roasted coffee, berries and cured reindeer meat, among other treats that you can pick up for post-cycling snacking.
Ghent is an easy city to fall in love with. As beautiful as nearby Bruges, but with fewer tourists, the Belgian city is packed to the rafters with medieval buildings, many fronting handsome cobbled squares or pretty canals. It’s also a place where locals know how to live well, with Ghentians enjoying a thriving cultural life and a cafe, bar and restaurant scene to rival that of much larger cities.
Many streets in Ghent’s medieval heart are closed to traffic — including cyclists — for much of the day, so it’s a good idea to get your bearings on foot before finding a set of wheels for wider exploration. After picking up a rental bike, a fine way to get a thorough introduction to the Belgian city is to tackle the Ghent Cycling Route, a 23-mile circuit that leads to spots that even some locals may be unfamiliar with. The flat terrain means the miles fly by, but there are shortcuts for those wishing to spend less time in the saddle.
Looping in and out of the centre and hitting every point on the compass, there isn’t much that the route doesn’t cover. There are stops at 12th-century castles and industrial docklands; at cafes serving flat whites and nature reserves popular with birdwatchers; and at monasteries-turned-museums, as well as burger bars. Heading in a clockwise direction, it’s not long before you get your first taste of waterside cycling, sweeping along the quay that runs beside the River Lys. The path then edges the Blaarmeersen, a lovely lake with a beach where you can hop off for a dip. A little further on is the De Bijloke complex, a former hospital that’s now a concert venue — just one of many imaginatively converted buildings passed en route.
After hitting the northern stretches of the city, the route swings back into the centre via the delightful medieval neighbourhood of Patershol, characterised by cobbled streets lined with gabled houses, many of which are pubs and cafes. Houtdok, to the east, couldn’t be more different — the old harbour is industrial in feel, with former warehouses given over to microbreweries and street food markets. The route then heads south before returning to the centre. After a coffee at the final recommended stop, stunning public library De Krook, there’s only one way to complete the day — with a Belgian beer.
Regularly ranked as one of the world’s most bike-friendly cities, the Danish capital has over 300 miles of cycle paths and superhighways, plus bike bridges across its canals and numerous tour and rental companies. Copenhagen’s hosting of part of the Tour de France in 2022 has now been immortalised in a 13-mile, self-guided cycle loop. Stops can inc...
Few cities are as synonymous with the chime of a bicycle bell as Amsterdam. Cyclists rule here, and there are plenty of bike-rental options that allow you to join the locals in their favourite activity. It’s easy enough to zigzag between canals and gabled houses independently, but to scout out some more unusual corners of the Dutch capital try the ...
Feb 16, 2024 · Good news, there are quite a few! Strasbourg is indeed the first cycling city in France. There is a lot of cycling in the area and many facilities exist for cyclists. What I particularly like about Strasbourg is that you can not only get around the city very easily by bike, but you can also get out of the city to go green easily.
Cycling routes around Straßburg: The top 20 best biking routes and trails in the region with tips and photos from other cyclists. Cycling around Straßburg is one of the most enjoyable ways to explore more of this part of Alsace.
in France. With 600 km of cycle paths and 6,500 self-service bicycles (with a student rate), Strasbourg is the bike capital of France. Practical, ecological, and pleasant, this means of transportation allows you to easily get from point A to point B in a human-sized city.
