Cars, flights, buses and trains, or maybe, you’re one of the few drawn to two wheels, two pedals, and an endless road waiting to be travelled. In some parts of the world more than others, cycling is a lifestyle, a sustainable choice, and a way to truly experience a place over being just another mode of transport…
And some destinations have taken up this culture so well that they’ve become havens for bikers, with dedicated lanes, scenic routes, and a cycling-friendly infrastructure across its landscapes. Here’s a look at three of the most bike friendly cities and cycling tourism destinations which lets you enjoy the balance that will keep you safe!
Montreal, Canada: North America’s Leading Bike Friendly City
Quebec’s largest and most colourful city has the honour of North America’s most bike friendly city, and with bike paths winding across all of town since as early as the ‘80s, its metropolis has been so for a while.
There are over 1000+ kilometers of bike lanes in Montreal, and the city is planning to expand the cycling network some more. Bicycles are widely used by Montrealers, to commute to work as well as for everyday activities. Visit Montreal during the summer and you’ll be convinced of cycling’s popularity!
The Montreal Bixi (a cross between ‘bicycle’ and ‘taxi’) concept, a public bicycle sharing system, has been sold to dozens of cities in the world, including Boston, Melbourne, Chicago and London.
The city has also introduced the Réseau Express Vélo (REV), a growing network of protected cycling highways designed to make commuting safer and faster. Montreal’s growing cycling infrastructure and protected bike lane network make it one of the most accessible cycling cities in North America.
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Copenhagen, Denmark: A Benchmark For Cycling Culture
About a third of the population of Copenhagen, Denmark, use a bike to commute to work, in their social life, to do errands, and more! The bike culture is deeply rooted in Copenhagen’s mentality and cycling is much facilitated by infrastructure and great urban design.
One of the many initiatives taken by the Danish government to encourage cycling is that you can rent a bike for free! To use a public bike, you just need to pay a security deposit, which will be reimbursed the minute you return the bicycle. Also, public bike-sharing systems and rental networks make it easy for visitors to access cycles across the city.
Worth mentioning as well is that Copenhagen is home to the community of Christiania, a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood, completely independent from the Danish government, where cars are banned.
While discovering the Danish capital through this Scandinavian Highlights Group Tour with Cox & Kings, you can witness how the city has evolved into one of the best cycling cities in the world
Amsterdam, Netherlands: The World’s Best Cycling City
The amount of bicycle traffic is quite impressive in the capital of the Netherlands. And, when compared to cities like Montreal for instance, where riding a bike can be a bit of a stressful experience, in Amsterdam, cycling is done in a safe atmosphere; it is relaxed and very mainstream.
Thanks to a remarkably flat landscape and a wide network of in-city bike lanes, over 40% of Amsterdam’s population uses a bicycle as the main means of transportation. Also, Amsterdam’s bike-first city design makes it one of the most popular cycling tourism destinations in Europe.
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